Any Ideas welcomed.......

skezier

Hi,

I'm having a bit of a problem at the mo, I really don't know whats going on but maybe some of you would be willing to give some advice or ideas please.

For some time now I have had swelling in my hands and feet (the wrist/ankles and small bones) They were there when I saw my Rumo in April, and he said it looked like classic ra. blood tests all done, I have the result of the rf, it was top end of normal and the 2 others both letters c and e something I have to wait till I see the Rumo in October as the 'lovely helpful' gp's said they couldn't get them......... :x :shock: :x

I knuckled down and opened and closed the sheep saloon, it washed me out! I did 2 and then felt so ill I threw up. Then did the rest the next day and have been feeling really wished ever since. I have about 3 hours a day with any energy the rest is spent with muscle and bone ache all over the place and having to remind my self to pick up my feet to walk. Concrete fairies have been in and filled up my arms and legs. So does any one know, have any ideas whats going on here please?

Oh and muscle ache second to none as well and I haven't done anything to annoy them since the sheepis and they are used to being used and I am kinda fit (not in a look at sense as I seem to have turned into a very old person in the mirror..... Maybe its a magic one...... I want the other kind of magic mirror! ) So, if it is a flair....... and I am not saying it is....... How long do they last for and if I get some treatment will it go away and let me be a bit less lethargic?

You all take care, Cris x

valval

sounds like i get when i have a flare up when u get the right meds it will get much better some days have loads of energy (others none ) hope u get sorted soon sure u will get lots of good advice on here

mash65

hi cris,i dont know the answers for you.i have oa,but i know what you mean,my muscles ache along with the joints.ive sat today doing nothing & the pain is still as bad as when i carry on all day cleaning etc.my arms(muscles)really feel as though ive done a workout,pulled them but i know ive not.
sometimes with me the way i sleep also effects what hurts the nx day.but the joint pain is the same everyday,same joints just each 1 joining in over the last few months now there all affected by pain & stiffness.but i dont know why the muscles all ache,perhaps lack of use in my case,using them differently maybe the cause.
i hope some1 can answer the question,im also having trouble getting my results,the gp has written to rhymy to ask why he's keeping the results to himself,gp cant change my meds unless he knows whether there are nerve problems or not.
i'll be watching this post to see if any1 comes up with an answer,well im nosey aswell debsx

suncatcher

I am sorry to here you are not well send you cyber hug. This sounds like a bad flare ive had many and the gps sound like mine they leave everything to the rumy. :roll: :roll:
Can you bring appointment forward to put you mind at ease ?
I can under stand you being worryed and you need the strenth and health for you furry friends and you. I would ask to bring appointment forward i hate to think of you suffering like this. I wonder if your meds are strong enough ? I hope you will come out of this bad fase soon but there is no telling how long flare will last i hope you get some rest tonight and will feel better soon joanne

skezier

Hi Valval,

Thanks for your message, I am sure I know whats wrong but time will tell I guess. Hope your having a decent day? x

Hi Debs,

Think we may have simular problems eh? I see the pain clinic again in August, bless her I have to say the lumber jab did very little but I don't half abuse it! I took the line it didn't ask to take up lodgings so I don't have to be nice to it either! Some would say thats silly but its the only way I could cope when it first happened..... Shane I didn't bump into you people back then I might not have done it so much damage, though I still think I would have! Trouble is this isn't my known oa and its a very different kind of pain........... Lets hope we both get some answers eh?

I better go and drag my self round evening duties, I think Slipper boy needs bathing as well...... he looked a bit green to me..... x

mash65

hi cris,i can relate to the different type of pain.
my left knee & right wrist ive suffered with few yrs but i just tubigripped them & carried on working.my job involved a lot of kneeling,lifting & carrying(machinary & heavy money bags)i do mean heavy money bags too,i.e £2000+ in £1 coins,plus dealing with that type of job was quiet stressful,driving,dealing with angry customers etc.i then got to the stage that my neck wouldnt move,since march 08 everything has joined in,but the pain i have in my knees has changed,i still have all the clicking & cracking & the pain inthe side of knees,but the new pain seems now to be in the front of my knee caps & they both feel unstable.rhymy did say the oa has worsened & is now in both knees(well i already knew that)when he tried to lift my legs through the normal range they didnt do what he was asking them to do :shock: then he asked me why :roll: my shoulders & neck are the same limited range of movement.ive been told i'll never work again(im now 42)& im getting so bored,the black cloud of depression keeps trying to break through,but my lovely o/h keeps kicking me up the bum if my gp can get the MRI results then he'll give me the gabiten(sp)til then ive got to suffer,debsx

skezier

Hi Joanne,

I'm not stopping cus i really am in the middle of evening duties but I think you may be right and it is a flair. I get feverish during the day a bit but badly at night and the tiredness is the same kind that the crohn's brings. The swelling, well its fluid in my hands and the wrists and I might see if I can get some answers from the pain clinic doctor, or phone my rumo's secretary maybe. Hey I'm still holding my own....... though could do with a hand to dig out the sheepies shed if your about?! Thanks for the hug and ((( ))) back for you as well. x

Hi Debs,

Ask him to use the pregabalin if the gabapeptin doesn't work but if they do you have them in reserve eh? I wish I knew how to get treated and diagnosed but if we go on a quest maybe one of us will eh?!

I must go feed and tablet the sheep and read them their good night story.......... xx

mash65

hi cris,what do you read them..
baa,baa black sheep
have you any wool,
no cris, no cris youve gone n knicked it all
sorry couldnt resist that,i'll keep you informed if i get any answers.
its like a dog chasing his tail with the dx & treatment,ive got to the stage that i dont even know if the drs know what to do with us not to worry we'll keep battling on. hope evening duties went ok & youve now got your feet up.debsx

elnafinn

Dear Cris

I am very sorry to hear that you are not feeling at all good at the moment. I cannot offer any advice other than it sounds like a nasty flare or flair, however you spell it, I don't suppose it is going to magically disappear overnight, but I wish it would, for your sake and your four legged friends.

It is no good telling you to take it a little easy because I know you cannot do that but try to only do what definitely has to be done and leave the rest. There is always the next day or the day after, to do those tasks.

I sincerely hope you get some zeeeeees tonight and feel better tomorrow, even if only the tiniest bit better. That's a start ain't it?

Luv
Elna x(())

joyful164

Hi Skezier

Sorry you are having such a struggle at the moment. I know my problems are not as bad as yours, but after having an injection in my left wrist a week last Monday, it doesn't seem to have worked and the pain in my forearm, wrist and fingers is terrible again and very hot and swollen. My consultant thinks it's CTS So he said I should wear the hard splint, but my arm is so swollen, I can get it round, so I wear a tubigrip. At night, I put a cold compress (wrapped round with a cloth mind you so that it doesn't damage nerves any worse than they are. For me it did relieve the intense pain. Was told to keep rhuemy consultant informed, so hope he will see me soon.

Really do hope things settle down for yo u soon

joyful

Wonkylegs

Hi Chris,

so sorry to hear that the employers have been taking advantage of your good nature (sheep salon when you hurt????? :shock: :roll: ) rather than giving you an easy /easier time. Shame on them!

as to your symptoms, sounds very like my current symptoms I'm afraid. Certainly the swelling hands / feet etc fit the bill, as does the feverishness, and also that it comes and goes without any apparent reason. I know it is almost impossible for you to do this, so promise I will only whisper it .......it may help if you cut down on what you do, and when you do anything cut it into smaller chunks (no, not the employers! :roll: the tasks! ) so your body gets a break to recover.

I know, easier said ........ but it may help.

As to blood results ....... I assume they were checking ESP (or PV) and CRP which are all indicators of activity, but sadly don't discriminate between arthritis-related stuff and other stuff, so you may not find them very easy to use as a guide.

I know all your issues regarding past experiences with your doctors makes you unwilling to go too often, but they really should be listening to you when you tell them somehting new is happening.

i really really do hope that if it is a flare of something or an infection that you manage to throw it off soon, and that the employers in the meantime show you more consideration.

lots and lots of friendly tail wags for you from littlelegs, and huge but gentle hugs from me.

tkae care,
Wonky

skezier

Hi Debs,

I loved that but please don't give them a mirror....... They look worse than they ever looked and so many furrows I could probably plant seeds in them........ BUT they are sheared how ever badly! I often tell them aesop's fables cus I am sad........ x

Hi Joy,

It's not a nice feeling is it? I hope yours settles and soon at that x

Hi Elna,

Thanks for the hugs and I just am getting very worn out cus this started back in March. Its not often it gets to me but the feeling sick is starting to 'bite' if I do too much but I have got a bit of swelling in the soft tissue in my back and I know before the operated on me it used to aggravate the vascular nerve and maybe thats all that bit is. the rest I am sure is a flair or flare (Hey if its that spelling it will be the first time I have shown a flare for anything much )

I hope things are a bit less hectic for you and take care,

Luv

Cris x

Hi Wonkey,

I really do think when he said he wouldn't believe a negative result he told me what it is eh? How long does a flare/flair last or id=s that like how long is a piece of string? Will the flare stop on its own or does it need help to? All the useless gp's will do is tell me to wait till October but I have the drip in september again and I know the nurses well enough to ask them if they could grovel for my Rumo to come down and have a quick look at me if I should?

Thank You to you and little legs and a big stroke and pat for her and a ((( ))) for you x

Oh and I'm sorry I do seem to got a bit of sense of humour failure at the mo, it's not like me to show that but it wont be far away...... x

Wonkylegs

HI Chris,

I really can't say I've found the answer to the eternal question of how long a flare may last .... wish I could, would make planning to do things so much easier!

If it is because I have been overworking my body then if I can have a couple of easier days (but still keep moving) then things often get better, but if it gets to the stage of me neeeding to sleep during the day (like now) then it can be weeks rather than days, as the inactivity causes more problems than it solves, so have to find a balance between the two.

If it is a flare caused by an infection, the weather changing suddenly, or arthur just going off on one, then it really is how long is a piece of string! ..... or even perhaps how long is the ball of string :oops:

sorry, can't really ehlp - but it may well depend on how much you can rest up. I do small busts of activity followed by equal bursts of quieter stuff if I can, or I end up having to sleep for 3 hours in the afternoon like today.

sorry, rambling now, so will stop wittering.

thanks for the hugs,
Don't worry about the sense of humour tempory bypas - it happens to us all on occasions when arthur is battling us!

hillwalker

I'm new to this forum so I've just been reading through some latest messages and came across yours regarding your aches and pains.
I've suffered from RA for about 3 years now, mainly in my hands and knee joints (which is a REAL pain as I love hillwalking so much) which can get very painful at times. I've tried numerous natural "remedies" as I'm not keen at all on taking drugs.
Nothing has really helped me but a friend of my wife told me about something she was taking called Intra which is meant to help RA sufferers.
She showed me a load of newspaper cuttings of people with all sorts of muscular aches and pains taking this stuff and feeling a lot better.
As it's a natural herbal supplement I thought I'd give it a go.
Well, it's not had much effect yet that I can tell but I've only been taking it for about 4 weeks and it says that some people have to take it for 2 or 3 months before they feel any effect.
However, one benefit I have noticed is since I've been taking it I've been sleeping like a baby!!
I'll keep you posted if it helps me in any other way!

Bye for now,

George

skezier

Hi George,

Welcome to the site and please let me know how the sleep thing goes cus I think a few decent nights kip may be helpful. Take care, Cris

vonski

Hi Cris

Only just caught your post. Sounds like a flare up to me too, not sure that there is any set length of time for them but might be wrong. Have you thought about ringing your rheumy and asking if your appointment can be brought forward. You can't carry on like this and you shouldn't have to. I know taking a rest isn't an option for you but please try and slow down a bit.

Love
Vonski x

skezier

Hi Vonski,

I promise you I am going much slower and will even think about having a kip in the day for a min. I will make an appointment with the useless doctors....... possibly....... well I know what they will say and I shall run the risk of another rant from one...... That's I am reluctant to set my self u for but may see if I can get different ones again, I haven't tried for 5 years and maybe some of the others have widened their catchment area.......

Love

Cris x

elnafinn

Hi Cris

Dare I ask if you feel an insy winsy bit better today? Try to make that nap today for 1.5 minutes if you can!! It will make all the difference. Seriously though hope today will be better for you.

Love
Elna x(())

hillwalker

skezier wrote:

Hi George,

Welcome to the site and please let me know how the sleep thing goes cus I think a few decent nights kip may be helpful. Take care, Cris

Hi Cris,

Thanks for the welcome reply.
How do you guys get those dogs, butterflies etc. artwork next to your posts? I want one!!!!

Anyway, just as a follow up to the improved ZZZZZZZ's....I work in a very stressful sales environment (business leasing finance....bit of an old buffer for that but I digress) and I was regularly waking up in the middle of the night unable to get back to sleep mulling my work problems over and over in my mind.
Over the past few weeks I've been sleeping right through and going to work far more refreshed. Whether it's down to this drink I've been taking I don't know but it just seems a bit of a co-incidence otherwise.
My knee joints still ache, however, especially the right one, even more so after we've been on one of our walks so the jury is still out on whether this "amazing herbal blend" (that's what they say it is) is going to be any good.

I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,

George

woodbon

Hello George and welcome.

I can't really add a lot to what has been said and as I have oa I dont have the experience that some of the others have. I just hope you soon feel a lot better. Sounds as if you could also have overdone things a bit. Love Sue

elnafinn

hillwalker wrote:

skezier wrote:

Hi George,
How do you guys get those dogs, butterflies etc. artwork next to your posts? I want one!!!!

Hi George

We can't have you feeling left out can we?!! 8) Go to Your Profile at top of this page and scroll down and you will see where you can get your avatar. Choose one and then save. Hope those instructions make sense.

Have a good day,
Elna

lindalegs

Hi Cris,

I've only just seen your thread and sorry you're not so brilliant at the moment

When I have concrete legs it's because I have fluid on my joints and that impairs their functionability and strength. This sounds like a massive flare especially if you feel so ill it makes you sick.

Your problem is you work too hard and don't give your body chance to get over a flare, it's having all on fighting your RA and then you expect it to cope with a heavy workload too. I really don't know what the answer is because your employers rely on you and you also love them very much and can't let them down.

Just a word of warning though I started a bad flare in Novemer 2007 - it just sort of crept up on me - and I kept plodding on and on without doing anything about it and then in February my joints closed down and wouldn't work and I ended up in hospital for 4 days whilst they got the RA under control.

Ask yourself what is your contingency plan if you push yourself too far and end up being admitted into hospital for a spell - what would you do with your employers then - you must have already thought about this? Can you not turn to that plan now and give yourself chance to get on top of this flare?

Meanwhile try to reduce the fluid on your joints with ice and heat whichever suits you best and ring the hospital to try to bring your Rheumy appointment forward - that's my advice.

Hope you feel better very soon my pal.

Lots of love Legs

skezier

Hi Elna,

I hate sundays.......... I have come home early and feel so sick again I think I shall just go to bed! Its hard to do that as I only do it if I am ill....... and you know what I think I might qualify on that one eh?!

You are kind and i would hate to worry you but thank you cus I often feel so alone in the real world. x

Hi George,

I might try it if it helps to relax a mind if nothing else. Let us know how your joints get on though, and are you having medicine for the knees as well? Take care, Cris

Hi Sue,

Over done it a bit i think but its never done this one before! I will see if the kip helps, it will me even if it doesn't the wrists eh? Hope your hand is doing ok? x

Hi Legs,

You give good advice there, I am trying to see if the contingency plan can be used for a day or two but the trouble is these people are very helpful if I am in hospital or when I had my feet done have a physical sign but tend to not believe me really as I look ok but i shall do my best to persuade them.

I will give the Rumo's secretary a ring and ask if there is any chance of being seen before October and hope she can swing it. If my circulation played up he would see me immediately so he might be able to for the bones eh?

I am def starting to feel/be sick if I do too much and recon I will take on bored what you have said about the joints locking up, I ain't no good to them like that eh? I shall see if a rest helps today and hopefully wake up feeling a bit better.

Luv

Cris x

joyful164

Hi Skezier

Do hope you are feeling a bit better today.

Have thought about your symptoms and think half of what you are going through is an infection or bug of some kind especially if you are feeling extra feverish with aches and pains.

I had two bouts of feeling like you do and after 24 hrs of it went to see gp.

Also, at the onset of my Polymyalgeria Rheumatica (PMR), I felt exactly the same. I felt as if every arm and leg was filled with concrete. I think you may have to see gp to have a check up.

I am in the middle of a flare up but luckily only in my arms. Having to type with just one hand at the moment. The only thing that seems to relieve it at the moment is the ice bag.

Anyway, do hope things settle down.

joyful

vonski

Hi Cris

Sorry you are still feeling so bad. You must ring the Dr. try and get one you haven't seen before. Do you have an out of hours surgery that you could go to today? Our Dr. joins in with others in the area and runs one from the hospital. You have to ring Drs. surgery and they give you a no. to ring and then make an appointment. If yes please try that, it might be a Dr. from another surgery. They do this evenings and weekends so hope yours do to.

Love and gentle hugs
Vonski x

dachshund

Hi Cris.
Sorry to hear of your ache's and pain's that is the same as i have arm's and leg's filled with cement and to heavy to lift.
i hope you feel better soon love to the sheep and the dog my dog send's his love to your's.
joan xx