How does everyone deal with the pain??? I am considering purchasing a hot tub to help. Have heard that they may be tax deductible, has anyone heard this??
Some insurances will sometimes even pay for a hot tub. Hot water always helps me feel better but ends when I am no longer in the water so I use pain meds to be able to walk and do a few things.A hot tub sounds good...don't know if it's tax deductible.
One thing I've been doing, besides the usual meds, of course, is to practice Yoga. It stretches the muscles and builds up strength around the joints. There are easy versions of Yoga that are suitable for people with RA...doesn't involve tying yourself into knots! It has helped me a lot and it's a great way to release stress as well. I realize it's not something everyone can do, but if you can it might help you.
Alan
I'm in the process of seeing a new Rheumatologist and am having a really hard time with all the pain in my fingers, toes, and elbows. My family phys is very particular with my meds. I am already taking plaquenil and it doesn't seem to help, what else do you guys suggest? I do try to exercise. My hubby is a personal trainer and he tries to help.Plaquenil can take as long as 6 months to work...a hot tub would be nice....a warming blanket under your sheet on a low setting may help too. Something about keeping the joints warm seems to bring relief or ward off some problems for alot of people.Have you taken Plaquenil before? I'm going to a new RD in April, but really need to go now. I am having extreme pain in my hands and toes. My family dr doesn't like to give pain meds, but I am at wits end with the pain. This past week has been really hard on me. Any suggestions.
Also, don't be afraid to ask for pain medications. You should ask for something like Celebrex or Mobic. These are anti-inflammatories that can really help with your overall pain. Depending on your pain, you might need something else.
Hot tub is a great idea. Order me one while you are at it. Other things to try are the foot spas and the paraffin wax baths for the hands. I went to Walgreens the other day and they have a wonderful selection of the coolest heating, massaging, vibrating gifts (get your heads out of the gutter, this is Walgreens). I wanted to buy the whole lot.
Also, use rice bags. Take regular rice and fill an old sock with it. Put it in the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Then, you can place these in multiple places on your body.
Also, the generic sports creams really help. They are actually analgesics that you rub into your skin. I often use them on my hands and am always amazed that they work so well.
I use compression gloves and wrist splints on my hands. This helps considerably. You can also get elbow splints. Talk to your doctor about the length of time you should wear them. You also can do finger and hand exercises to help strengthen your hands. With the elbow, ask if they should xray to make sure that you don't have some joint problems starting to occur. You want to catch that early.
For your toes ( I don't have much problem so I'm going with advice I've seen here), Make sure you are wearing the most comfortable, supportive shoes that you can find. You might consider seeing a podatrist if you have real problems here. Otherwise, sticking them in hot water is a wonderful solution.
My toes is one of the worst parts of my body as far as RA goes...the pain is hardest to deal with and I cant walk or stand for very long when they are flared up. I do take pain meds....and some of the things that Deanna suggested too...but mostly with the toes I just have to rest them. One thing that aggrevates them is going around in my socks or barefeet in the house. I do better with my Crocs, one of my spongey pairs of flip flops (like Reef brand) or my slippers. A nice pair of cushy socks keep em warm and that helps too. I wear supportive, cushioned, low cut ankle socks. The cheapies, and the thin trouser sock types just dont cut it....and the low cut ones work best for when my ankles swell.I teach school, so sometimes its really hard to be
I would spend whatever energy I had getting in to see that new doctor. Have you called their office to say you're in a bad flare and having trouble with working and everything else and you can't go untreated in this state until April? If that hasn't worked, have you asked your regular doc to use some influence to get you in to see this doc, or another one, sooner? If neither of these things helps, I would be wondering if this new doc is even worth seeing, it might be time to move on to the next doc even before you see this one? I'm new to RA and have just started my Plaquenil, so too early to see if it helps. But my doc wants to see me two months after my start date of the Plaquenil, and will see me before then if I get into an unmanageable flare. If the Plaquenil isn't showing signs of working after two months of taking it, I'll get more or different drugs, because it's considered medically stupid to let early (or any) RA be out of control for any length of time. As long as there are options yet to try, we're supposed to be using them as aggressively as necessary for treatment. This isn't something to dilly dally around with. In the meantime I have Celebrex, which is helping the inflammation and pain. Ibuprofen wasn't touching it. I couldn't go without the celebrex at this point (I treid), with it being too early in my program for Plaquenil or other DMARDs to kick in. There's also the option, that either the RD or your regular doc can give you, of a short run of prednisone to try to ease you out of this flare until you're further into your medication program. A prednisone dose pack broke my first flare, and though the pain and swelling didn't go away entirely and it did get worse again after the prednisone wore off, it's reasonably manageable. I'm avoiding more pred if I can, but I also know it's there if I get in a real bind. Sound like you're in a real bind. I also do most of the other things you and the others say you're doing, and all together it does help things: comfy shoes with good support (no more barefoot or sock foot for me), yoga, elliptical trainer (had to give up treadmill and a lot of walking), foot spa (the inexpensive one from Walgreens, like Deanna mentioned), heating pads, ice packs or hands in and out of ice water, listening to books on tape or favorite music, or meditation and visualization tapes, on my walkman (Santa needs to bring me an ipod) to distract and relax me, hot baths and showers, capsaicin cream and ben-gay type creams, learning the various tricks that reduce joint strain from gripping and so forth, and I'm getting ready to try a parafin machine for my hands and hot/cold booties for my feet. We should get RA showers (like baby and bridal showers) when we're diagnosed. All the doodads and devices are like setting up housekeeping all over again. None of these things brings enormous relief, but all of them bring some amount of relief at least temporarily. If I wasn't doing these things, I'd feel a lot worse, mentally and physically. But I don't think any of them is enough to break you out of this bad cycle of pain you're in now. You need to be seen, and to be taking something for the pain and inflammation. Hopefully you'll be able to take something like Celebrex. And these guys on the board have taught me that you have to take it, and drugs like it, for a while before you feel the full effect, and you have to take it regularly even when you're having a better day, because the effect is cumulative. Get in to see a doctor who is interested enough to treat you NOW, not next spring. If none of your doctors is that interested, go find one who is. You can do it. You have to. Deanna--what are compression gloves, when do you know you need to use them, where do you get them? I wear compression stockings for another problem, and when my feet are especially bad I think they might be bad for my feet, since they bind the way a tight shoe would. But I haven't heard of compression gloves, so I'm curious. Good luck GK. Hang in there, and take charge of your medical care while you're hanging in there. None of this is easy, is it? RKGAL, I wouldn't use the compression stocking at night because they will cut of your circulation. They won't let me wear my knee braces for the same reason. Those are for day use only. Compression gloves (they're about a glove, but worth it) are gloves with the fingertips cut out of them. The material adds compression and massage to your hands for activities like typing. They help immediately when I'm typing. So, you can start using them any time if your hands and fingers hurt. I used to carry a pair in my purse and keep a pair at home. They're not stylish, but no one seemed to care. I sure didn't. GK, they are not doing very much for you. Plaquenil is about the mildest RA med they can give you. And, you have a right to pain control. They are treating you in a very old-fashioned way. Get on the net and print out some articles on treatment protocols for RA and pain management. Besides, Celebrex and Mobic have no narcotics in them. They are inflammatories. They should have no problem whatsoever in prescribing you something like that. If your pain requires more, then they either need to do a Pred pack (short term dose of prednisone) or give you something like darvocet, tramadol, Vicodin. Past that you are in the opiate family and that's where it gets tricky. You can get addicted to Vicodin, but the odds are you won't if you are being treated for pain. If they are really concerned about it, get them to send you to a Pain Specialist. But be careful what they recommend. Some of them want to move up the later too soon. You have to see a Rheumy before April. I suggest you park yourself in your doctor's office until he finds someone who will see you. I had to do that. It was going to be 3 months before the first recommended Rheumy would see me. I went back into the doctor and he said, "You've got to see someone right away." They looked up on their computer who might have opening and gave me the referral. I got to see the doctor within about a week. Now, I know you might live somewhere more remote which might require a drive and insurance troubles. If that's the case, you get on the phone to your case manager for insurance (not the person who just answers the phone) and tell them that you need treatment NOW, not in 6 months. You are going to have to be pushy. I don't think your doctor is being fair to you. It may be that he is not that familar with available treatments. Fight for you well being. You deserve to feel better. Deanna, Thanks for the info on the gloves. I'm going to check them out right away. Sounds like they're a lot more effective and no less fashionable
What you said to GK really gets to the heart of it for her, about fighting for your well being and deserving to feel better. I guess if there's any philosophy to adopt with this disease, that's it. My old RD is 3 hours away and the new one is supposed to be the best in our area. I'm gonna call Monday and see if I can get on the cancellation list. I have been bad before, but not this bad. I seem to be more depressed this time, because of the pain. I hate taking prednisone due to the swelling. I swell like a pig when I take it. I did take a 14 day pak of dexamasone and felt like a new woman. It was wonderful. I have taken Percocet(Endocet) for awhile now and I suppose where I have taken it for so long, its doesn't seem to affect the pain anymore. Can you build up an immunity to it??? I have taken Celebrex before too. I just want to be the old Kim that I was before, my daughter feels so sorry for me. I know that she wants her old mom back and not the hateful person that I have become because of the pain. Deanna, what is the usual dosage for pain meds?? The last time my family dr gave me, I think 90 for the month, is that the usual? Really emphasize how badly you need to get in. Get your primary involved if necessary. If that doesn't work, go to the ER. Then, they will be more likely to see you. You can build up a tolerance to the pain medications. Percocet is pretty strong. The next step up is oxycotin and morphine and variants of those. But I don't think from what you've said that your illness is under control. Until that happens, just going up on pain meds is a temporary solution and not a very good one. 90 for the month is a 3x a day dosage and is normal for a lot of pain meds. You have to get in to someone that can prescribe you medications that will help your RA. The anti-inflammatories and pain meds should be add ons to that. And, if they get the RA under control, you might not need the pain meds. It concerns me that they are leaving you in this position. I know a 3 hour trip when you are so sick is a terrible burden. But if you can get into the right doctor, you are going to be so much better off. Can your previous doctor help you? Geez, someone has to help you.
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