Constant flare?

happy_feet

Hi
Ive recently been diagnosed with arthritis, Ive yet to see a specialist so not sure whats going on exactly but have raised rhuematoid factor.. the pain seems to be everywhere, its terrible in my hips it hurts to sit and it hurts to stand... thank God the doc gave me a sick note for three weeks! I was on Jobseekers and really struggling with the pain and stress of running around and the "Get a job and fast!" attitude of the advisors at the Jobcentre.
Anyway Im rambling again. I seem to be in pain constantly, I dont know if this is normal I know about flares now but I seem to be having a constant flare up, for as long as I can think back Ive been in pain and feeling ill. Only one or two days in the past month have I felt "OK" The doc said I was probably having a big flare and has given me codeine 15 mg and said to take one or two up to four times a day. They arent working. They just make me feel wiped out and constipated. Is it normal for the pain to be constant? Or to have a constant flare? I only got the Codeine off the doc two days ago and I dont want to be a pest and go back allready to say theyre not working. :?

madness1985

Hello Wendy,

Firstly welcome to the form. Im a realtivly newbie to arthritis ive had it for a 1 year and i can safely say that 10 months out of this was pain pain pain, im currently having another flare up .. which had forced me in my bed for 2 days. But what im trying to say is that yes it is normal to be in pain unfortunatly. I personally found painkillers unhelpful at the start but now they help but i do calpol and co-codomol when on a flare alternative and it does help.

If you need a different painkiller then GO BACK to the doctors. They understand .. last year i was at the doctors every day for about 2 months until i saw my rhmy cuz of the pain and they didnt mind .. they were so supportive. Somtimes you just have to see your gp alot.

I hope things get better,

Ra suffer x

mistywillow

Hi Wendy
It's so hard in the beginning when you have more questions than answers and just dont know what is going on with your body. Whilst codeine can be an effective pain killer it isnt treating your actual arthritis or calming down the flare so you might not feel much better on it. When you see your specialist he/she will work out which are going to be the best drugs for you. In the meantime, maybe a pain killer with an anti inflammatory action might help more. I obviously dont know if there is any reason you should not take an NSAID (non steroidal anti inflammatory drug) but you should go back to your GP if the codeine isnt helping you and discuss what else you can take whilst waiting for your appointment with the specialist.
I hope you get something that calms your pain down soon.
Gillx

skezier

Hi Wendy,

I can only echo what Madness and Gill have said and I do hope you soon find something better and get your appointment through soon. Take care, Cris

happy_feet

Thanks for the replies.
I thought arthritis pain just came and went and the flares were periods of pain that went away. Oh no. My house is a disgrace heres me thinking Id get it all done when this "Flare" wears off.
I cant take Brufen I had an ulcer years ago when I was about 27, Im 43 now and when I take Brufen I get awful stomach pain. I could cope with the stomach pain as brufen seemed to be good for the arthritis pain but the doc said no dont take it. I will go back to the doc and see what he says.
Im sorry for anyone suffering this. :x

skezier

Oh Wendy I am sorry your having this. There are other pain tablets and I think it dos under line you have to go back and see your gp. As to flares, my last one went from march to september and I may be having another one starting. If they come up with the right kind of control I think you will find such an improvement. You take care, ((( ))) Cris x

topcatt

Only thing that helped me was a steroid injection which gave me so much relief, so hoping to get another one today when I see my rheumy as the last one was in August and am increasingly in pain now and without one Christmas will be miserable. Tablets didn't work for me although a tens machine helped.

happy_feet

Hi Topcatt
Sorry to sound thick but do the injections actually go into the bone or the muscle?

breane

Hi Wendy,Earlier this year I had a bad flare which lasted about three weeks and my GP put me on a course of steroid tablets for a few weeks and the flare was gone within a couple of days.I know steroids don't work for everyone but I thik they are worth a try.Take care,Breane.

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wendyx wrote:

Hi Topcatt
Sorry to sound thick but do the injections actually go into the bone or the muscle?

Hi Wendy
the injections go in your buttock, that one is a kind of all over jab to help with a flare or at the beginning to help the meds start.
you can also have localised injections, eg i had injections into my hand in the tendons (i think?) as couldnt move my fingers much.
hope you get some treatment to help you soon
page

happy_feet

Thank you, thats a relief! I havent been told Id need it done, I havent been to the specialist yet but was getting a bit panicky about it. Im not frightened of needles but was terrified at the thought of a needle going in the painful bones! :shock: :shock: :shock:

salamander

hi Wendy, you sound quite similar to me when I first got arthritis. I was in pain all the time in several joints. Nothing the GP gave me worked apart from ibuprofen (a bit) but I got a blood clot in my throat from that so won't touch it now. Codeine was useless as was Tramadol. I was in a lot of pain until I got my rheumatolgy appointment. They gave me a steroid injection in the clinic, took fluid from my knee and injected steroids into it. Injections didn't hurt at all and, to be honest, it couldn't have been as bad as the pain I already had. They admitted me into hospital from the clinic. and I was there 10 days having tests etc. but the steroid injection worked almost within 24 hours and I could walk again, albeit badly! I've had dozens of visits to gp, hospital etc. Don't worry about what they may or may not think, they are there to help you. I had to really push for an early rheumatology appointment and so did my GP. I can't remember if you said you were seeing one or not but I would push hard for one soonest. I've been on steroids since I left hospital in August and they have worked very well but you can't take them forever, it seems. Good luck with everything. I hope you get some relief from your pain soon.
x