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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / July 2004Re: hands and wrists (Duckie)
You mentioned in a post about it taking years before there was enough damage showing on xray before you were believed. How did you make it thru all that. I still keep going back to the way certain joints look and RA but they keep saying no. I also believe that this rib cage deforming like it does has something to do with RA. I never have heard or read that costo can cause such deformities. But anyways do you have any secrets for how to make it thru the wait till someone wises up and says oh yeah that is what you were dealing with all these years.  SignatureLove and hugs to all Good thoughts coming your way too. Squirrely Jo I lived on Arnica; I found a osteopathic doctor who managed to break loose my frozen neck and shoulders [man that was painful] and about 6 weeks into therapy, he suggested he try dr. strength homeopathic medications on me. Arnica was the first and I went home that night and failed to take the aspirin I had been eating until about 9pm when I began to stiffen up again. He also tried Rus Tox on a different week. The Arnica worked best. I was taking 14 aspirin a day. My father had done that and had lived. :) Although it did eat his stomach so I was careful to be sure I had those chewable Maalox in the house to eat before. That was what he did. I actually would sit on his lap when little and when he took his Maalox I asked for one too. Every now and again, he would give me one. Meant that I did not find the flavor awful as an adult. So between aspirin and Arnica, I got by. I think I was 35 when I was diagnosed. I was 28 when Jen was born. The pain started when I was 21 and married just a bit. BTW, I tried that coated aspirin and it passed straight through me without dissolving. I remember my father saying the same thing. That bright orange pill is really noticeable when it is still there in the bowl. Also, Jen was around 6 or so when things began to get really bad. That 14 a day didn't start until the last two years before diagnosis. I really would not suggest that for anyone. It is way to hard on the tummy and finding a good RD is the best route. The other thing I have working for me is my very high pain threshold. It takes a lot for me to feel pain. and when I get to about 8, the pain fades and I get nauseated. Only nausea with no pain and I know I am at 9 or 10. Wonder what my 8 is compared to most peoples? Duckie > You mentioned in a post about it taking years before there was enough damage > showing on xray before you were believed. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > someone wises up and says oh yeah that is what you were dealing with all > these years. Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) > BTW, I tried that coated aspirin and it passed straight through me > without dissolving. I remember my father saying the same thing. That > bright orange pill is really noticeable when it is still there in the bowl. My dad took the old 8 hour aspirin for a while and had it to thank for a nice hole in his stomach. The nice old days. Fortuantely it healed fine with the change in meds and diet but it was surely a good thing when Mother finally got him to go to an RD instead of just the GP. > Also, Jen was around 6 or so when things began to get really bad. That > 14 a day didn't start until the last two years before diagnosis. I still can't believe you managed. I was taking the equivalent of 16 OTC ibuprofen/day and that just dulled the edge. I still had several times/day I had to choke back the screams and I dreaded things like picking up a pen or pulling on my socks. Still don't know how I did it. Thank God that unexplained near-remission came along!! > The other thing I have working for me is my very high pain threshold. It > takes a lot for me to feel pain. and when I get to about 8, the pain > fades and I get nauseated. Only nausea with no pain and I know I am at 9 > or 10. Wonder what my 8 is compared to most peoples? Unique reaction to pain. I'll get the nausea added at a 9 or 10, certainly at 10, but the pain stays as well. Do you judge your 8 by that scale we post periodically here? I had to move up a couple of numbers when I started looking at that scale. I try not to think about the scale too much because it makes me realize I'm hurting even more than I thought! LOL SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare What was the scale post? Can you post it again and I will let you know. I am going by the smiley face card they have at the doctor's. When I think I have no pain but am asked about it, I have to say it is sitting at about 2.5. There is pain there in reality but so quiet that I didn't notice until asked about it. And I am not sure how I made it either. lol And it is the reason I stay here and scream 'get to a RD' as much as possible. Wish someone done that for me -- I might have got an early diagnosis. Duckie .... > Unique reaction to pain. I'll get the nausea added at a 9 or 10, certainly > at 10, but the pain stays as well. Do you judge your 8 by that scale we post > periodically here? I had to move up a couple of numbers when I started > looking at that scale. I try not to think about the scale too much because > it makes me realize I'm hurting even more than I thought! LOL Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) > What was the scale post? Can you post it again and I will let you know. Here you go....... I used to always go by how I felt AFTER pain meds, now I know to partly go by how much pain meds help....... (not that it matters with the bozo RD!) 0-Pain free 1-Very minor annoyance mild aches to some parts of the body. No pain medication needed. 2-Minor annoyance dull aches to some parts of the body. No pain medication needed. 3-Annoying enough to be distracting Over-the-Counter pain relievers take care of it. 4-Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting Over-the-Counter pain relievers remove pain for 3-4 hours. 5-Can't be ignored for more than 30 minutes Over-the-Counter pain relievers help somewhat (bring pain level from 5 to a 3 or 4) with pain for 3-4 hours. 6-Can't be ignored for any length of time Can still go to work and participate in social activities. Stronger painkillers relieve pain for 3-4 hours. 7-Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep Can still function with effort. Stronger painkillers are only partially effective. (Stronger pain killers bring pain from a 7 to 4-6.) 8-Physical activity severely limited Can read and converse with effort. Stronger pain killers are not effective. (Narcotic pain killers do bring this pain down to a level 3 or lower.) 9-Non functional for all practical purposes Cannot concentrate. Physical activity halted. Panic sets in. (Narcotic Pain killers bring the pain level from 9 to the 4-6 level.) 10-Totally non-functional Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare >> What was the scale post? Can you post it again and I will let you know. This pain scale is flawed. I can not be an 8. Char "Remember, I'm pulling for ya'. We're all in this together." Red Green > This pain scale is flawed. I can not be an 8. > Char I hear you. I felt that way. Even now when I get to hover "comfortably" in the 6 range (though last weekend was pushing a 9 at times!), I still feel that way. That's why I don't look at it much. If I use that scale, I find it harder to convince myself that it isn't that bad and I can do this. How many of us thought we could ever deal with pain as well as we have learned to? On the positive side, when you feel like a total wimp because you can't deal with it any longer, it is a comfort to realize just how high on the scale you are! SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare where is this scale you're talking about? diane > where is this scale you're talking about? > > diane Here. It's been posted here periodically. I posted it earlier in this thread but didn't think to alter the subject line at that time. 0-Pain free 1-Very minor annoyance mild aches to some parts of the body. No pain medication needed. 2-Minor annoyance dull aches to some parts of the body. No pain medication needed. 3-Annoying enough to be distracting Over-the-Counter pain relievers take care of it. 4-Can be ignored if you are really involved in your work, but still distracting Over-the-Counter pain relievers remove pain for 3-4 hours. 5-Can't be ignored for more than 30 minutes Over-the-Counter pain relievers help somewhat (bring pain level from 5 to a 3 or 4) with pain for 3-4 hours. 6-Can't be ignored for any length of time Can still go to work and participate in social activities. Stronger painkillers relieve pain for 3-4 hours. 7-Makes it difficult to concentrate, interferes with sleep Can still function with effort. Stronger painkillers are only partially effective. (Stronger pain killers bring pain from a 7 to 4-6.) 8-Physical activity severely limited Can read and converse with effort. Stronger pain killers are not effective. (Narcotic pain killers do bring this pain down to a level 3 or lower.) 9-Non functional for all practical purposes Cannot concentrate. Physical activity halted. Panic sets in. (Narcotic Pain killers bring the pain level from 9 to the 4-6 level.) 10-Totally non-functional Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare Nann, Thanks for posting this, I am going to keep it. It will help with telling what pain level I am at and giving the dr an idea of what it goes with. SignatureLove and hugs to all Good thoughts coming your way too. Squirrely Jo > Here. It's been posted here periodically. I posted it earlier in this thread > but didn't think to alter the subject line at that time. [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > 10-Totally non-functional > Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. this pain scale made me realize how much i've improved thanks to remicade and before that enbrel. i remember days--no YEARS--of the 8-9 variety. now i'm between a 4 and a 6 most of the time. diane Her is a good site for determaning your pain level. http://www.burnsurvivorsttw.org/articles/painass4.html > Nann, > [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > > 10-Totally non-functional > > Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. >> This pain scale is flawed. I can not be an 8. >> Char > > I hear you. I felt that way. Even now when I get to hover "comfortably" in > the 6 range (though last weekend was pushing a 9 at times!), I still feel > that way. I take that back. I actually looked at the scale and I guess my "normal" day is a 7. Sigh. Not looking again for awhile! LOL It has been useful for making an impression on Mike in the past. SignatureNann remove the Gator cheer to email me Simply the thing I am shall make me live --- William Shakespeare Hmmm I take an NSAID almost all the time [unless I forget]. My good days which are still at the 2.5 mark -- it is with an NSAID in my body. I think my 8 still is an 8 but reading to concentrate is out of the question but still not matching the 9 description. Now with the nausea and "no pain", I still find myself crying and John says that sometimes when it is bad, I moan in my sleep so not sure it is at a 10 but it is not good and I wouldn't want another human being to have to live like that. :) When it kicks to 6 or 7, I take my Ultram. It helps. So I guess I am pretty much on with my guesses. Duckie >>What was the scale post? Can you post it again and I will let you know. > [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > 10-Totally non-functional > Unable to speak. Crying out or moaning uncontrollably - near delirium. Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) Thank you so much for sharing this with me Duckie. It helps me to get thru what I have to seeing that others survived it too. ;-) SignatureLove and hugs to all Good thoughts coming your way too. Squirrely Jo > I lived on Arnica; I found a osteopathic doctor who managed to break > loose my frozen neck and shoulders [man that was painful] and about 6 [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > someone wises up and says oh yeah that is what you were dealing with all > > these years. |
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