Hi Everyone!
I am new here and this looks like a very supportive board! My name is Nancy. I hope you don't mind my joining in.
I was diagnosed with arthritis of the feet about three months ago and this in turn has caused a lot of degeneration of the bones of the big toes on both feet. The right is much worse than the left. I was on anti-inflamatories (high dose Motrin, then Relafin) which didn't seem to do much if anything. On Wednesday I was given a shot of cortisone in the right toe joint. By Friday I felt great, better than I had in four years. It has seemed to make a big difference in the top of the foot since then and the inflammation is still way down, but the toe joint is back to feeling like it did before I ever had the shot. Is it unusual for the effects of this to disappear so soon? Is it possible, even though the toe felt great for a day, that the effects will be seen over the next few days or weeks? I hate to be facing surgery (toe joint replacement) just three months after beginning treatment.
Thanks in advance for any advice you have!
Hi Nancy, and welcome. It's great that you're here.
I haven't had a cortisone shot, so I can't really say about that, though others well. If it's like oral steroids, though, the effect will be quick but not necessarily immedate and all at once. The benefit on oral steriods tends to ramp up over a few days or weeks, depending on the dose type you're on. Once it's withdrawn or taken way down, the benefits fade, or may even go away suddenly. It's hard to predict.
You didn't say if you've been to a rheumatologist or if you're taking anything besides anti-inflammatories. If you have RA you need to be on something that slows the progression, and anti-inflammatories won't do that, and neither will steroids, though they can both improve symptoms and function dramatically.
I hope you don't have to have surgery right away either. But better to fix something if you have to and can, and get some functioning back or prevent more defects if possible.
I feel your disappointment about your cortisone shot having short lived relief. I recently had one in my foot to try and take care of a flare and it did nothing for me. Unfortunately, everyone reacts differently to meds. There have been some where that shot was the magic thing they needed. Some it had no effect. They do the shot rather than oral steroids to try and place the steroid exactly where the problem and inflammation are. Maybe talk to your doc about a dose of oral steroids.
Joint replacement this early on is certainly disappointing, but may be necessary. RA effects all of us differently.
Yes, I find the shots are fickle. Sometimes longlasting, sometimes not. You might get some continued relief even tho the "big effect" seems to have worn off.
I've had the systemic version, I can't remember now if it was Kenalog or Medrol, and hot spot shots (say that 10 times fast
Welcome to the board!
In the beginning I had a horrible time with the joint of my big toe. Actually it seemed to be that same joint; but it swelled out the bottome of my foot on that ball. My GP told me "Oh; that's a bunion and you'll have to have surgery to remove it eventually". Then when I went to an RD and was dx'ed with RA she said "No, it's related to RA and once the treatment starts working it will help." It has. Once my RA was under control it went away and I haven't had any more problems with it. Hardly any anyways.
COrtisone shots usually last a while for me....but I've always had a shot course of oral predisone at the same time too. That might be the difference.
Hope you feel better soon....and hope you'll become an active member here. Looking forward to getting to know you.
Again; Welcome!
cortisone wears out relatively quickly depending on the situation. you can safely have a max of seven to eight shots a year.. but it may be helpful if you take oral steroids as wellI've had the shots work some places and not others. If it is not working, then probably something else needs to be tried.
Definitely you should be seeing a Rheumatologist. Lovie is exactly right in that being on the proper medications can so significantly improve your condition that you might not need to have surgery. I would definitely want to look into that before opting for surgery. But if you do need the surgery, get it. They can do some cool things surgically now that they couldn't just a few years ago.
And welcome. Glad you decided to join in.
Hello and welcome.Ease up on activity and try heat. If heat makes it worse, try cold. Give it a week if not better call in and ask to schedule another shot. Since you are already looking at joint replacement more inj won't ruin your joint - wrecked is wrecked.
I have had joint inj that didn't help at all and some that lasted for 6 months with still some benefit after that. Someone else suggested pred by mouth - maybe that would help.
Thank you all sooooooooooooooon much for the warm welcome and all the GREAT advice! I am being treated right now just by my GP and a podiatrist, though I do have some inflammation in other joints of my body. It is just that the feet, and particularly the toe joints are the most effected. I am hearing from all of you that I should probably see a reumatologist (sp?) so maybe that is the direction I should take now. The pod is talking joint replacement if this doesn't work, but said there are other surgical options which are not as drastic we can discuss as well. I have been on predisone for sinus problems in the past and they had a major negative effect on my mood so that is probably not an option.