Good news - sort of

craftyuk

Well the good news is that i have a definite diagnosis of oa in my ankle, although they are saying it is mild. They are now upping my medication again and not finding it all that easy at work. I am now on Naproxen 500mg x 2 a day and 250 x 1 a day, plus up to 8 tramadol's a day. he is now giving me stomach protectors as well.

i just want to get this pain under control - which i am finding really hard. feeling tired all the time and not sleeping, banging into things some of the time, and just really down. can't seem to stop crying.

just hope this new regime gives me some relief.


crafty

frogmorton

Hi Crafty
Well at least it IS a daiagnosis of sorts....mild eh? Not for you though is it?! :shock:
I too hope the upping of the meds will help you and that you can get some sleep. When that happens you might stop bumping into things :!:
take care
Toni x

woodbon

Hello, I'm glad you have a diagnosis, although noone wants to have arthritis, at least now you know what it is and can have the medication thats best for you. Love Sue

elnafinn

Hiya Crafty!

As others say at least you have a diagnosis which is better I suppose than wandering around thinking what the heck is wrong with me .......

Hopefully the upping of the meds will help and if not, and you are still not sleeping and feeling like you do now, then it is unfortunately another trip to the docs and tell him how it is. If you don't tell him, he will not know. When he knows, hopefully he will be sympathetic and sort something out for you.

Hope your weekend goes well,

Luv
Elna x

lindalegs

The pain will make you tired Crafty, you're not sleeping well and that obviously makes you tired and also you've just been diagnosed with OA so I would say put all these together and the absolutely normal outcome is tears, tears and more tears. I would think you're banging into things because you're tired and not your usual self.

If you can, try to rest your ankle during the day and snatch a bit of sleep whenever you're able - the best regime when you feel like this is 'do a bit then rest a bit'. I know this isn't possible for everyones lifestyle, especially if you're working, bit it would give your ankle a chance to settle down a bit.

Take heart - it will get better, I promise.

Luv Legs

skezier

Hi Crafty,

I'm sorry you have had that news but as you say at least you have a diagnosis. I think the Naproxen makes you feel tired and I know tramadol can but your body will adjust to the drugs and then it gets easier.

You have had a shock,and it takes a bit of time to process it all but I found the fears were far worse than the reality really and they can do a lot to help your ankle on a bit. You just need a bit of time and I am sending you a cyber ((( ))) and hope tomorrow ill be better for you. take care, Cris x

elnafinn

Hello it is me again

Perhaps you could try RICE - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevate. Cannot do any harm can it, and may do some good along with the painkillers.

Luv
Elna x

craftyuk

i have been feeling a bit better with the increase in meds, but unfortunately due to something beyond my control, i spent a lot of time on my feet on saturday. the upshot was that i was in absolute agony yesterday and had to take tramadol as well as the anti-inflams. feeling a bit better today, but as per normal (and probably a bit worse) pain is starting to take over. i always seem to get worse as the day goes on.

still not sleeping great, yet really tired. there have been a number of times today i have wanted to put my head down on the desk and go to sleep when i'm supposed to be working.

I'm supposed to be out tonight, but not sure that i can handle going. if i'm not feeling better in a few days i guess it's back to the doctors for me and see what he says. i was wondering if a referral might help, but for what i am not sure. i also have a shiatsu(not sure of spelling) massage on thursday which might help

must go - oh is here now

crafty

frogmorton

Hi Crafty
pace yourself and don't beat yourself up for sometimes overdoing it or needing to take the tramadol!
Did you get anything to help you sleep? or is that ok? rest is what you need - so take it at every oprotunity
Take care
Toni x

joyful164

craftyuk wrote:

Well the good news is that i have a definite diagnosis of oa in my ankle, although they are saying it is mild. They are now upping my medication again and not finding it all that easy at work. I am now on Naproxen 500mg x 2 a day and 250 x 1 a day, plus up to 8 tramadol's a day. he is now giving me stomach protectors as well.

i just want to get this pain under control - which i am finding really hard. feeling tired all the time and not sleeping, banging into things some of the time, and just really down. can't seem to stop crying.

just hope this new regime gives me some relief.


crafty

Hi Crafty

You really must be feeling miserable at the moment and struggling with work aswell. I was looking at the number of Tramadols your gp as prescribed for you. Since I was prescribed these, I have, on about 3 occasions tried to up my 1 x 4 times a day to 2 because I am getting increased pain in lots of areas I have never suffered before. On the occasions I tried to add an extra Tramadol, I haven't been able to keep my eyes open and they just make me want to sleep. I can understand you finding it difficult at work.
Especially on top of the side effects of the Naproxen which can make you dizzy and bump into things. Do you have to drive to work?
I haven't been able to drive for about 3 months now because of the medication I am on. Luckily, I retired on the grounds of ill health last November after being off work nearly 11 months. Is it possible to be signed off for about 3 weeks or more until you have settled into your medication properly. My gp said to me that as I had RA and PA at the beginning of illness, he had no qualms about signing me off for 3 months.

Hope you get sorted and good luck.

joyful

valval

hi its hard till u get meds sorted working is hard only do 4 hours a day but is all can manage when having a flare up some times rest is best listen to your body it will tell u when to push things and when to rest good luck hope u sorted soon

craftyuk

frogmorton wrote:

Hi Crafty
pace yourself and don't beat yourself up for sometimes overdoing it or needing to take the tramadol!
Did you get anything to help you sleep? or is that ok? rest is what you need - so take it at every oprotunity
Take care
Toni x

i think i only woke up twice last night, so it was a better night than some that i have - just in absolute agony today. really did not want to get up and face the world today. anyway, here I am for another day of it.

crafty

craftyuk

joyful164 wrote:

craftyuk wrote:

Well the good news is that i have a definite diagnosis of oa in my ankle, although they are saying it is mild. They are now upping my medication again and not finding it all that easy at work. I am now on Naproxen 500mg x 2 a day and 250 x 1 a day, plus up to 8 tramadol's a day. he is now giving me stomach protectors as well.

i just want to get this pain under control - which i am finding really hard. feeling tired all the time and not sleeping, banging into things some of the time, and just really down. can't seem to stop crying.

just hope this new regime gives me some relief.


crafty

Hi Crafty

You really must be feeling miserable at the moment and struggling with work aswell. I was looking at the number of Tramadols your gp as prescribed for you. Since I was prescribed these, I have, on about 3 occasions tried to up my 1 x 4 times a day to 2 because I am getting increased pain in lots of areas I have never suffered before. On the occasions I tried to add an extra Tramadol, I haven't been able to keep my eyes open and they just make me want to sleep. I can understand you finding it difficult at work.
Especially on top of the side effects of the Naproxen which can make you dizzy and bump into things. Do you have to drive to work?
I haven't been able to drive for about 3 months now because of the medication I am on. Luckily, I retired on the grounds of ill health last November after being off work nearly 11 months. Is it possible to be signed off for about 3 weeks or more until you have settled into your medication properly. My gp said to me that as I had RA and PA at the beginning of illness, he had no qualms about signing me off for 3 months.

Hope you get sorted and good luck.

joyful

i have on occasions tried to take 1, but i get absolutely no pain relief from it so 2 is all i can take to be honest. they do make me very tired and out of it to a certain extent, but i am slowly getting used to it.

I do not drive at the moment because of the medication, which means my oh is doing all the driving. he is also having to do overtime at the moment as well, which means it is a long day out of the house. altogether we left the house about 7.15 this morning and will be lucky to be back by 7.30 tonight probably, but 2 - 3 hrs of this is travelling as well.

i think i probably need to go back to see the doctor, because of the driving and everything i do a lot of my doctors stuff over the phone but i'm really not coping at the moment.

thank you for all your assistance and input though.

crafty

debatat

Hi Crafty, sorry you are having such a hard time with arthur at the moment. I was just thinking do you use a stick when you go out? I wondered if that would help ease the pain as it would take the pressure of your bad ankle. Otherwise those gel packs you can heat or freeze are marvellous. Rest up and I hope it improves soon.

Deb

ritwren

Hi Crafty, so sorry to hear of your struggle with pain. Dr's and folk describing your condition as mild is no help whatsoever I was really upset at one stage when some of the areas I have affected were described as mild too. Pain can affect us in many different ways and some days our ability to cope with it are better than others. I think it would be a good idea if you can cut back your working hours a bit while you are in this much pain. Perhaps you could use annual leave or something? Also think you should see your GP and explain how difficult it is to get adequate pain relief from what you are taking. I'd also ask him to referr you to the pain clinic to see if they can help.
I've got OA too and take Tramadol and at times Brufen. I also get acupuncture and use a tens machine which I bought myself. I've asked to be referred to the pain clinic at the local hospital because despite taking maximum doses of tramadol my pain is still too much for me sometimes.
Hang in there as best you can, do let us know how you get on.
big hugs rita

craftyuk

debatat wrote:

Hi Crafty, sorry you are having such a hard time with arthur at the moment. I was just thinking do you use a stick when you go out? I wondered if that would help ease the pain as it would take the pressure of your bad ankle. Otherwise those gel packs you can heat or freeze are marvellous. Rest up and I hope it improves soon.

Deb

i had wondered about a stick, but i don't know where to get one from and i want to be sure i am doing the right thing as well. guess that's another question to add to my growing list for the doctors.

at least it's a bit better than it was this morning and i just need to rest tonight - even if i do need to do the ironing!!!!

craftyuk

craftyuk

ritwren wrote:

Hi Crafty, so sorry to hear of your struggle with pain. Dr's and folk describing your condition as mild is no help whatsoever I was really upset at one stage when some of the areas I have affected were described as mild too. Pain can affect us in many different ways and some days our ability to cope with it are better than others. I think it would be a good idea if you can cut back your working hours a bit while you are in this much pain. Perhaps you could use annual leave or something? Also think you should see your GP and explain how difficult it is to get adequate pain relief from what you are taking. I'd also ask him to referr you to the pain clinic to see if they can help.
I've got OA too and take Tramadol and at times Brufen. I also get acupuncture and use a tens machine which I bought myself. I've asked to be referred to the pain clinic at the local hospital because despite taking maximum doses of tramadol my pain is still too much for me sometimes.
Hang in there as best you can, do let us know how you get on.
big hugs rita

thank you for your advice. i definitley need to get back to the doctors i think. i have a tens machine but i'm not sure where to place it on my ankle so i haven't used it.

mild is such a horrible word isn't it. what i am learning is that people feel pain differently and that there is not really any such thing as mild.

craftyuk

joyful164

craftyuk wrote:

ritwren wrote:

Hi Crafty, so sorry to hear of your struggle with pain. Dr's and folk describing your condition as mild is no help whatsoever I was really upset at one stage when some of the areas I have affected were described as mild too. Pain can affect us in many different ways and some days our ability to cope with it are better than others. I think it would be a good idea if you can cut back your working hours a bit while you are in this much pain. Perhaps you could use annual leave or something? Also think you should see your GP and explain how difficult it is to get adequate pain relief from what you are taking. I'd also ask him to referr you to the pain clinic to see if they can help.
I've got OA too and take Tramadol and at times Brufen. I also get acupuncture and use a tens machine which I bought myself. I've asked to be referred to the pain clinic at the local hospital because despite taking maximum doses of tramadol my pain is still too much for me sometimes.
Hang in there as best you can, do let us know how you get on.
big hugs rita

thank you for your advice. i definitley need to get back to the doctors i think. i have a tens machine but i'm not sure where to place it on my ankle so i haven't used it.

mild is such a horrible word isn't it. what i am learning is that people feel pain differently and that there is not really any such thing as mild.

craftyuk

Hi Crafty

When I saw my gp and asked him about the Tens m/c and where to put the pads, he said only either side of the spine. I think the instructions tell you that anyway. Not on the area of pain.
So if the pain is in your legs you put it either side of your spine, lower back. The message then goes from your spine, brain to nerve. If you need verification, you could ask the helpline, or see your own GP to confirm.

joyful

craftyuk

joyful164 wrote:

craftyuk wrote:

ritwren wrote:

Hi Crafty, so sorry to hear of your struggle with pain. Dr's and folk describing your condition as mild is no help whatsoever I was really upset at one stage when some of the areas I have affected were described as mild too. Pain can affect us in many different ways and some days our ability to cope with it are better than others. I think it would be a good idea if you can cut back your working hours a bit while you are in this much pain. Perhaps you could use annual leave or something? Also think you should see your GP and explain how difficult it is to get adequate pain relief from what you are taking. I'd also ask him to referr you to the pain clinic to see if they can help.
I've got OA too and take Tramadol and at times Brufen. I also get acupuncture and use a tens machine which I bought myself. I've asked to be referred to the pain clinic at the local hospital because despite taking maximum doses of tramadol my pain is still too much for me sometimes.
Hang in there as best you can, do let us know how you get on.
big hugs rita

thank you for your advice. i definitley need to get back to the doctors i think. i have a tens machine but i'm not sure where to place it on my ankle so i haven't used it.

mild is such a horrible word isn't it. what i am learning is that people feel pain differently and that there is not really any such thing as mild.

craftyuk

Hi Crafty

When I saw my gp and asked him about the Tens m/c and where to put the pads, he said only either side of the spine. I think the instructions tell you that anyway. Not on the area of pain.
So if the pain is in your legs you put it either side of your spine, lower back. The message then goes from your spine, brain to nerve. If you need verification, you could ask the helpline, or see your own GP to confirm.

joyful

thanks i will try the helpline, with it being in my ankle i am not sure it would work putting it on my spine. i have always used it on my back near the pain before. i also need to source some new pads for it as well.

craftyuk