Who has been to a pain clinic | Arthritis Information

and if you have, what did they do for you? My rheumy referred me to this pain clinic, the one doing the acupuncture and massage. I asked today for a stronger pain pill for break through pain and she said not till I get off the steroids!? How the heck am I supposed to ween off steroids without something stronger for the pain??? I just went down to 4mg of prednisone and having an awful flare, not that my RA has ever been under control as far as am concerned.

I have vicodin and norco 10's now that I take. I typically take at least 4-6 vicodins a day and the norco just when I need it which this week has been everyday, a couple of times a day. I didn't talk to the doctor, just the front desk girl and she said I need to take it regularly, not just as needed. Ok, I pretty much do.

I am so frustrated and in so much pain. They did just give me a tordal shot but even that isn't helping much. I had to have the girl giving me the shot unbutton my pants!!! I thought a pain clinic was supposed to help you with your pain??? Michele, that is totally ridiculous to expect you to be completely off your prednisone in order to take something for pain. The two are totally unrelated. And it shows that the person doing the prescribing has no understanding of RA and its treatment. You can try talking to your Rheumy about it or just getting a referral to a different pain specialist.
Yes, the purpose of the pain specialist is to relieve your pain without the danger of addition or overdose. In many cases, the pain specialist will be an anethesialogist. They should have a wide range of remedies available that not only cover medicines but PT, acupuncture, biofeedback, etc. Mine has prescribe Methadone, Gabitril, Neuorotin and now finally Cymbalta which is helping. It is an art to balance these medicines and they should be working in conjunction with your Rheumatologist and any other specialist that you have.

No, you shouldn't have to go off the Pred. Some people cannot and besides it takes time. Find out what your other alternatives are. I would prefer a different doctor. At a minimum, call your Rheumy. I cannot believe how much trouble you are having for just the simplest things. We must have been born under the same star. Keep fighting.

michele, do you mind if I ask you about your pain? I've had to quit work because my hands and wrists hurt so bad. I've been on prednisone and a medrol pack but neither did anything for me. Nsaids don't work. I can't take Tramadol because I'm allergic. I'm in pain every day. I failed on Humira and I'm starting Remicade in a few weeks but I'm pretty depressed about it all. I seriously can't imagine a future like this. We need our hands for everything. There is no future with constant pain like this. Is this what it's like for you too? I feel like I'm sinking lower everyday. I don't know if my marriage can survive this. I know on a lot of my posts I sound up-beat. I'm not like that inside. I'm too scared to even think about tomorrow.

I don't know if it's normal to feel like this with RA. Is it?

miles2go,

There are times when RA pain is like what you are experiencing right now. Certainly, it's been that way lately for me. But I quit working partly for the same reasons. Once I was off the computer so much, my hands have improved. Slowly, they are finding pain meds that work. And when I did try Remicade, it was a world of difference. The problem is in finding the right meds for you. You have to keep searching until they get the right balance. You also have to learn how much activity your body can handle. For instance, I could only manage 30 hours weekly for the last 3 years and then I took another nose dive. But for those 3 years, I did pretty good. I am hoping that after the knee and shoulder surgeries, after they get the pain meds under control and they find a new biologic that I will once again return to some kind of work.

It is hard to think that it will always be like this. But I've had major ups and downs with RA and others have to. The secret is just to keep looking for answers and having doctors that are determined to help you be better.

Do try all the recommendations under the posts for hands, especially the paraffin baths. Also, check to see if you have developed carpal tunnel or neuropathy as these are treated differently and can be very painful themselves. Ask if there is any kind of PT or exercises that will help. Ask for some Lidocaine 5% ointment to help relieve your pain. Use some sports cream. It really does help. Check into wrist braces at night. And make sure that they have taken recent xrays of your hands to see if there is damage that is occurring.

My experience has been that you hit these bumps in the road with RA where new things need to be addressed. They can be very troublesome. But if you face them head on, you can recover your balance and go on again. Hopefully your husband can understand this. This is just your time to be in the shop for repairs. But you have every chance of being up and running again.

Hang in there. Hope still remains.
Ive been, but those losers just stuck a buncha pain patches on me that did nothing for me

Dear Deanna, Oh my gosh you must be in a terrible amount of pain. The pain doctor gave me gabapentin, ton's of it, and I feel and hit my head in the shower!! I am so sorry to hear you hurt so much as I've , for sure, BEEN THERE. I'd go and do most anything to get rid of the pain as it messes with your brain. (not to mention all those pain killers....that don't seem to be helping you!) I wish you felt better. Please, let me know.

sarah

Dear 'miles to go', I've about decided that ANYTHING can happen with this disease. We have it and 'it' causes us so much stress or we are stressed and it makes it worse??? Who knows? I finally got rid of the pain with prednisone, am trying to cut back, but like you it is sooo painful, makes me stiff, and swollen, so I suffer off of it!! There is nothing like this pain....those of us who have had it understand, completely!! I hope you can get help!!

sarah

Thanks, Deanna. I had carpel tunnel surgery last year but when I had an emg a few weeks ago, my RD told me that I still had carpel tunnel. So the surgery failed. He also told me that I didn't have neuropathy. I was on Lyrica for 1 week and it didn't help the pain and he said if it didn't work by then, to just stop. I have had PT and I try to keep my hands moving as much as possible and I use my paraffin bath sometimes, not as much as I should. I know I need to be patient, that I will eventually find the right medication mix. I'm just frustrated because it seems like this will never end. I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening. Hope your feeling better.Oh Michele I know it hurts so bad. I get Norco 7.5/325 and it only takes the edge off but not enough pain control to do anything. I am afraid of anything stronger and am allergic to Morphine. I have hope for these meds and am having a few days a week with only moderate pain since starting Enbrel.a nurse told me about this patch, it may be what is being discussed but unfortunately I dont know the name. It is stuck on and releases pain medications all day so you are pain free the majority of the time.
These are strong narcotics,

I must warn those interested - that there have been several reports of death, and overdose. The person treating you must be able to evaulate your body size, and type and your sensitivities.

I know i mentioned the lidocain patches I received at the pain management clinic. CLEARLY these people have no understanding of rheumatism. Through careful research, im sure there are plenty of pain clinics that understand rhematism better
MIlestogo, yes, the pain you describe is my pain. My hands are pretty much useless as are my ankles and feet. It used to be mostly my right hand so I learned to do everything left handed, now, that one is just as bad. I did just recently buy a pair of .99 moisture gloves at the drug store. The doctor said that even light stimulation and touch will help the lymphatic system to get rid of some of the swelling. So, I put my gloves on at night than wrap my hands and wrist up in self adhesive ace bandages, they are much more supportive than the older ace bandages. I also wear light weight, soft socks and wrap my feet and ankles, every night.

The pain and swelling is relentless. It didn't matter how much steroids I took, it didn't reduce the swelling or pain. I am now taking the vicodin and norco on a regular schedule to see if that helps any. The tordal injection (pain shot) I got yesterday did help some but now i think I have the tummy flu. Up all night with diarrhea and vomiting!

miles2go and michele you have my empthy.

miles2go I have a wonderful hand surgeon that does cortisone injections for me in my wrists, thumbs, and elbow joints - whatever is especially wicked at the time. He has a real talent for getting the stuff exactly where it needs to go. If you have not had cort inj in your wrists, start with your rhuemy. Maybe you can get a couple months relief that way. Repeated injections every3 months for a year might just solve your problem. My guess is that your nerves are no longer compressed but are still inflamed.

Also anti-depressents really help me. It is the last drug I would give up.