Morning stiffness | Arthritis Information

Everything I read says that morning stiffness lasting 30 minutes or longer is a common symptom of RA. In fact, not just a common symptom, but more like, if you aren't stiff in the am for at least that, it's not RA. I'm just wondering if that's everyone's experience.

Honestly...I'm not hardly stiff at all in the morning. Not to the extent that it keeps me in bed or anything. There's only been once where I literally couldn't get out of bed...I also couldn't open my hands that day.

That's probably another reason I'm in denial about even having this disease....I only experience morning stiffness right before and during a flare.I experience stiffness every morning. I make sure I go to bed with a full glass of water and my morning meds on my nightstand. Some mornings I sit up take my meds and hobble around for a few hours. Other times, I know as soon as I roll over that I will not be able to put weight on my legs or be able to hold my self up, so I take my meds and snuggle with my dogs in bed and watch tv until meds kick in. I never know what kind of day I will have until I wake up....I am stiff in the am but the serious pain kicks in as the day progresses. The dreaded morning stiffness

I used to do this too before I went on Biologics. I'd set the alarm an hour early, take my pain meds while laying in bed, snooze for an hour and then I was good to go.

Oh stiffness...yesterday morning I was so stiff I tried to stand up out of bed and feel down into bed again...not by choice. I thought it was funny except I had to go to the bathroom, lol. And I have woken up so stiff my body was 'locked' down.

I think we are all different and also go through different phases. I will sometimes be very stiff and also have times when I am not. Are you flaring or not? It's always different.

My solution to stiffness is to move. It hurts like hell but I do find it works and since I hurt like hell anyway, I figure I might as well hurt and be loosened up than hurt and be stiff.

Well, no I'm not flaring. And some of these posts did jog my memory, the ones where you keep your meds and a bottle of water by your bed (or chair in my case) so you can swallow them down before you have to get up. I did have to do that very thing during the great and terrible flare of '07. How could I have forgotten? It's only been a couple of months.I actually don't have really bad morning stiffness much now, and mostly just in my shoulders and hips. When I wake up (if I don't have to go to the loo in a hurry LOL) I usually lay in bed for about 20 minutes doing gentle stretches - (bit like a pussy cat really).

Then when I do get out of bed, really carefully, I test the weight on my feet, cos I usually feel as if my legs and feet have no bones in them and aren't going to hold me - but they always do!!

Then I just quietly go to the bathroom, and have my lovely hot shower!!

But if I have been sitting down during the day or evening for any more than about 1/2 hr - I must think I'm still a spring chicken or something - I get the no bones feeling again when I stand up and walk. So I'm trying to remember to take that action quietly as well. Once I get going though, I'm fine, only a couple of seconds again really. Now if only I could get a "no joints" feeling as well. That would be lovely.
No bones? Like spaghetti legs? Wow. I have not had that feeling (except when I've gone too hard on the elliptical!!!). I do notice though that if I've been sitting awhile I can really feel it in my hips and ankels.Yep. That's it - spaghetti legs - that's a great description Linncn

oh yeah.

some mornings I can tell I cant even get my feet under me. or I will wake at 6 and stretch and writhe until I can stand.

sometimes its not so much stiff as feeling utterly exhausted like I am under water and cant move at all.

Some mornings are just fine. others I pray the baby wont wake till Ive at least had a chance to stand upright. really bad mornings I avoid going to to toilet because I cant wipe.

I do not have much morning stiffness, because I take my pred in the early am (3am) before I go to sleep. That way while I am sleeping the pred kicks in and I am not so stiff and can tend to my son like I need to. Only down side is... by the time hubby gets home (4pm), the pred has already started to ware off and it gets worse as the day progresses. By the time I am to take my next dose of pred (2-3am) I am swelled, stiff, and hurting.

For me it is an even trade, have night stiffness and not so much stiffness when my son depends on me most.

I do have stiffness that will last what seems all day... when I am flaring. No matter what time I take my pred.

Oh yeah, I am suppose to be taking my pred in the morning at least that is what my pill bottle says... so I take it in the early morning

So now I'm kinda excited because I'm thinking the Plaquenil is going to maybe be my ticket. I've been on it now for almost 5 months. I'm down to 5mg of pred too and "seem" to be doing ok. At 8mg, I was in a lot of pain, but I just kept going down. I'm not by all means pain free, but not in out of control pain.

I'm stiff every morning and my husband is stiff too!!** Seriously though, the pain in my hands generally wakes me between 4 and 5am. I tentatively stretch and move and once I'm up it eases. However, if I'm having a flare up it aches bone deep all day. I find my best times are when I'm premenstral. Lets here it of eostrogen although come to think about its hard to decide wether I prefer stiffness to boobs like bolders. I agree, leave the dusting, cleaning etc and rest when baby is resting. There's nothing that cant wait.

Sarah

[QUOTE=Sparky41]I am of the thought that the more I move the better I feel, but I work at a lawfirm and sit most of the time at a computer... so I have taken to getting up frequently and just walking around which has helped.[/QUOTE]

It is called "gelling".

"gelling"...

kel