TO ME, RA FEELS LIKE BROKEN BONES. ALL MY BONES FEEL BROKEN, NOT JUST MY JOINTS BUT EVEN MY LONG BONES. BUT THE CHRONIC FATIGUE, TO ME IT FEELS LIKE THE FLU COMING ON. I FEEL LIKE I COULD SLEEP FOR A WEEK AND I FEEL LIKE I'M DYING. WHEN I AM HAVING A BAD FLARE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS WORSE, THE CHRONIC PAIN IN ALL MY BONES OR THE CHRONIC FATIGUE. WHEN I AM ABLE TO WORK, I HAVE TO LEAVE WORK EARLY AFTERNOON AND TAKE A NAP FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS WHEN I GET HOME TO BE ABLE TO FUNCTION TILL BEDTIME; SPEND TIME WITH SON, CLEAN, COOK. I JUST WANT TO CRAWL IN BED WITH "MR HEATING PAD." SLEEP DOES NOT GET RID OF THE FATIGUE. I HAVE PROBLEMS SLEEPING AT NIGHT WITH THE PAIN AND WAKE UP A HUNDRED TIMES. DR PRESCRIBED ELAVIL, SUPPOSEDLY AN ANTIDEPRESSANT WITH A SEDATIVE EFFECT. IF I USE IT I HAVE TO TAKE IT EARLIER IN THE EVENING SO I DON'T FEEL GROGGY THE NEXT MORNING. IF I TAKE IT TOO EARLY, I GET SLEEPY TOO EARLY. WHAT IS WORKING FOR YOU AT NIGHT? KAREN
((Karen))
You've got a double whammy with RA and Fibro. Both make you feel incredibly fatigued. Before I was diagnosed, I also felt many times that I was dying bit by bit. It was a nightmare. While the RA attacks the joints, the Fibro can make the rest of you hurt. It's not a nice combination to have.
I don't sleep real well, but I have improved considerably with the addition of a pain pill. I usually limit myself to taking the pain medication at night -- but if I am going through a particularly dreadful period, I will take pain meds during the day, too.
You need to speak to your rheumatologist frankly and explain the brutal time you are having with your diseases. A change in medication may be in order. If your rheumatologist doesn't listen to you, you may need to change doctors. A good many of us here are on some sort of pain medication.
Hugs,
Janis
I totally sympathise, can't help you unfortunately other than offering hugs
i wish i knew the answer, i take pain killers and still wake up loads in the night. like you say, sleep doesn't ease the fatigue either. and the afternoon nap has been a daily thing for me for a couple of years now.
Fatigue is horrible. I always try to nap everyday otherwise Im passing out at 5pm and sleep til 2am. Then my sleeping schedule is all whacked. The meds make me tired as well, it just sucks being tired all the time! Im sorry your feeling so horrible hun. I hope you feel better soon.The fatigue is the worst part of RA for me, the fatigue and the weak feeling muscle, the feeling of no matter where you are at you gotta lay down cause you just can't move another muscle or keep your eyes open....Hate it!
JenM
THANK GOD FOR PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND MY FRUSTRATION AND PAIN. MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND. UNLESS SOMEONE GOES THRU THIS I GUESS IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE WHAT WE GO THRU ON A DAILY BASIS. I FELT BETTER YESTERDAY THAN I HAVE FOR AWHILE. (recouperrating from a bad flare) Of course, I got overly ambitious and overdid. Last night I paid for it and couldn't go to sleep for the pain. Finally went to sleep around 3:00 and slept till 11:00am. That's fine for weekends but not for the regular work week. need to find something that will take the edge off the pain where i can rest at night. Do any of you take anything at night to help you sleep better? Dr gave me Elival but it makes me to drowsy the morning after and all I take is 1/2 pill.
I'm on Elavil also for sleep with my RA and fibro. So far it's been working for me. I do actually sleep somewhat better and rested in the morning, but by around 2:00 in the afternoon the fatigue sets in again. My rheumy hasn't given me anything for pain, but I take Tylenol Arthritis, which barely touches it. I usually end up laying in bed, aching all over, until I fall asleep. But once I'm asleep, I usually sleep pretty well. At least I did until the past few nights when I've been getting night sweats.
Cris
Hi Karen..My doctor prescribed 50 mg. codeine contin when I was in pain and told me to take it twice a day. Both my GP and my RD told me to take it on a CONTINUAL basis to let it build up in my system instead of waiting for the pain to be intolerable. Of course I couldn't believe that I would ever do this as I was terrified of addiction. Anyway, when the pain was so terrible, I finally took the doctor's advice and I was able to manage the pain much better (While waiting for other drugs to click in).
When I went into a really bad flare, the RD called and said to double that amount for 24 hours and then TRIPLE it if necessary to get me through the weekend until I could see him on Monday.
The point I really wanted to make was that I have taken it both continually and intermittently. When the doctort gave me a whole body shot that brought instant next day relief, I didn't even THINK about taking the codeine. It never even crossed my mind. I know that I do not have an addictive personality and will no longer hesitate to take my pain meds as I need them. When I think of the pain I endured due to my fear I can't believe it.
I however do agree that the fatigue is worse than the pain. Hope this helps.
Take care and God Bless.
Barb
High everyone.,Karen -
I took Tylenol Arthritis a couple of weekends ago, Memorial Day weekend, and man that stuff made me sleep and sleep and sleep and took my pain away for awhile too. I took the 2 tablets it said to take for the first dose then I took 1 every 8 hours. But if I did not take a tablet I was fine and did not need to sleep, but hurt a few hours later, until I took my pred.
So, give Tylenol Arthritis a try. Might work for a lil' while.
MY RD GAVE ME THE IMPRESSION NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING SHE HAD NOT PRESCRIBED OR I MIGHT BURN A HOLE IN MY STOMACH OR OD. I JUST TOOK 2 TYLENOL ARTHRITIS SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT GOES. TARA, I ALSO HAVE THE SWOLLEN GLANDS AS WELL WITH A FLARE. THAT IS WHAT KEPT ME GOING BACK TO THE MD OVER AND OVER, GLANDS SWOLLEN AND CHRONIC FATIGUE AND PAIN. HE INITALLY CHECKED ME FOR MONO AND THRYROID PROBLEMS. TOOK TWO YEARS TO GET A DIAGNOSIS AND PURE HELL UNTIL THAT TIME. NIGHT TIME HAS ALWAYS BEEN HARD FOR ME. I WAKE UP WITH PAIN MANY TIMES A NIGHT.I hate being woke up by the "broken bone" pain. That is reallyOne thing though Jooniper.. Why don't you talk to the doctor about pain meds? I only take them once in awhile when the pain is horrific and actually break them in half too. And because I don't take them regularly they still work in a small dose. I hate to hear that you are suffering so much. Susan
SusanLee-
Well, because I do not have insurance yet. and I do not know how much pain meds would be without insurance. Ones that would work. Last pain meds I had was Ultram and they did not help me any.
What I mean by "broken bone" - it is the same feeling I got when I broke my knee back when my daughter was 2. It was a horrific pain that would not go away no matter how much pain meds I took.
I get that "broken bone"pain mostly in my ankle, foot, and knees. And I have took Lortabs 500mg and one time 1000mg to get rid of the pain but it would still be there when the meds wore off. So, it lasts for hours and even lasted for a couple of days one time that is when I took the 1000mg...lol.
[QUOTE=jooniper]Karen -
I took Tylenol Arthritis a couple of weekends ago, Memorial Day weekend, and man that stuff made me sleep and sleep and sleep and took my pain away for awhile too. I took the 2 tablets it said to take for the first dose then I took 1 every 8 hours. But if I did not take a tablet I was fine and did not need to sleep, but hurt a few hours later, until I took my pred.
So, give Tylenol Arthritis a try. Might work for a lil' while.
[/QUOTE]SusanLee; you probable feel bad on Saturday and Sunday's because your MTX is wearing off; I've been through this as well. An increase in your dosage might help.
Karen; what medications are you on if you don't mind me asking?
Tylenol PM helps me sleep (sometimes!!).
Thanks Lovie! Never thought of that! I am though, at the top of the dosage already (pills) and they say it is hard to get the injections right now. I guess they are having a shortage. But, I will mention it to the doctor. Thanks for the information! Hope you are having a good day!
Jooniper...So sorry you don't have insurance yet. Is it in the works? Sure hope so. I feel so badly that you have had so much pain without any help. Why don't you call the pharmacist and ask the price? It maybe cheaper than you think. And one more thing...Don't mean to sound like a no-it-all but I would be very careful and stick to the dosage on the prescription lable. Taking extra could be dangerous! Susan
KAREN,SusanLee; out of curiosity what is the top dose of MTX they will give us?
SusanLee- I actually only took 4 that day. I always follow instructions
KareNTx - Thanks for the info. I can get medicaid, becuase hubby does not make enough, and I have a child under 1. I just choose not to, because I do not want to waste taxpayers money. I decided to just stick it out until hubby can finally get his in August from his new job.
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com