Hi guys..Im here in desperation..I feel totally alone in pain..bless my family..they are worried and give me total support but I feel no one understands it...I have been under the doctor for a nunber of years..sent to a RT and it was a nightmare..told my arthritis is probably psoriatic but no funds to explore this..so I have been living in total pain for a long time..doctor gave me diclofenac years ago..it didnt agree with me..so started codiene phospate which sort of helps..recently started me on diclofenac again and I just cant take it..gives me bad bad wind and to put it nicely cannot be far from a toilet...
thank you
jillys
Jillys,
Seems to me that you are not being treated well. You have to stand up and demand. If i am in so much pain then i will go to urgent care. I don't know much about pa, but i know alot about pain, doctors and medicines. I have gone to urgent care and been given different medicine from what my gp gave me. Just crying about it changes nothing. Wipe away the tears and get tough. There are so many other good drugs for your problems. Don't just sit there, get going and give us some good news when you get back.
LEV
There are about 30 nsaids you could try other than diclofenac. You really need to be seeing a rhuemy if your athritis is causing your hand to lock up. That's serious!
Narcotics only help with pain and Nsaids help with pain and swelling, but they do nothing to stop the progression of RA.
Please insist on treatment that stops the disease and not just treatment of symptoms.
Oh dear jillys I forgot to say welcome!!![QUOTE=marian]Oh dear jillys I forgot to say welcome!!![/QUOTE]
bless..
thank you sooo much for the welcome...
If you have PA then you MUST have psoriasis right? Well methotrexate is an approved med for PA and psoriasis. MTXi s very cheap to buy. If you can tolerate it you may get great relief in a short time. The MTX works on your immune system and really kicks butt. I'd come right out and ask for it. Ask your GP or your RD.
Dear Jillys , Oh my gosh, this stuff is terrible and you can't not do anything!! If, you ignor it it wll attack you from within (your organs) your joints will be attacked. My sister in law just said to me 'hey, throw away the pills' , it doesn't work that way, TRUST me I've been every route and I know you can't deny you have a problem. do see an RA doctor, do demand a stop for the pain (you cna't think straight with pain). Doctors do respond to pain.Let me know how you are doing. I take Prednisone (daily) right now to stop the pain and inflamation, Remacade (monthly) & Methotrexate, (weekly). It takes work to sort it all out but you must get started. Good luck, (I am now feelingbetter with all these meds!!
Jillys - you have had good advice from the others here.
Hi Jillys-don't ever feel like you are alone in this. The people here on the board are great. It really helps just being able to share with others. I agree though that you need to really speak up about not getting relief with what you are taking now. I am also taking prednisone and metotrexate (as wel as remicade) and they both really help.
Take care
Jillys - I agree with all the above. You do have to read up on PA and learn what questions to ask your doctor. So much of this is progressive, so its not only how you feel today, but how you will feel in 5 years. You will learn quickly. This is a great place to ask questions. Best wishes.Welcome to AI.I see that you are in the UK too. Please shout and stand up for yourself, I have had numerous problems with NHS and Rheumatologists, I still can only see my Rheumy every 8-12 months as there is a shortage in my area ( kent) but I have shouted loud this time and its seems to be working.I decided this is my body and my life, i need to function well and to do this i need help from my medical team. I have had all the tests , scans etc and am now on a biologic( humira). I do have a brilliant G.P. Though. Good luck and welcome to AI.
another fellow Brit here. Don't start me on the NHS and the 'no funding' malarky - did you see Panorama last week? Seeeeethe
Diclofenac is only going to ease pain - oh and knock you out, give you the runs, depress you, lovely! - that is just not on. Like the others have said, you need a referal for a rheumatologist and meds that will ease the root of the problem. Very best of luck with that.
Come here to vent, have a laugh, find/swop tips and support, you are amongst friends here
I am in the Uk too! I am so sorry you are having such a bad time... Please please try adn get a referral to a Rheumatologist - you need some specialist advice on meds etc. I think some "old school" Docs still view psoriatic arthritis as "not as serious" as RA and leave it to the GP to deal with. All respect to GP's but they're not specialists and you need specialist attention. Also you can have PA without having psoriasis and the joint pain can come first, with the skin stuff following. I have PA and was lucky enough to see a Consultant who specialises in PA and Ankylosing Spondylitis (as the GP suspected either) and am now taking Etoricoxib (new generation anti-inflammatory) plus Methotrexate (immune-supressant drug) and I have 8 weekly infusions of infliximab which is a biologic drug that inhibits TNF alpha, part of the immune system that causes the inflammation.
I am sure you will find support on this board, feel free to ask all the questions you have - you'll usually find someone knows the answer!
KT
Thank you all sooo much..it great to know others understand..my doctor is sympathetic but for some reason like prescribing codiene and diclofenac..??..I have got to get my blood results on the 19th..but after reading all your helpful posts I think I will go to her again and ask... no wait..tell her I need to try something else...I am an assistant pharmacist and sometimes get quite frustrated when dispensing artritis meds!!..
Thank you all again..I so apprieciate all the advice..if I could get rid of the pain I would be so happy..its kinda affecting life now..Im dropping things and my left hand spasms and I cant move it..thats scarey .. my little finger and third finger is numb constantly now..and the pain has changed too..Im getting shooting pains now also..in my knees and hip..its got confusing..but I will eagerlly come back to this forum and read up all I can...
take care all you lovely peeps...
jillys
ps I am in London too!! small world this is..and know kent well..