Pain relief can anybody help please?

doobiesma

Hey, Im new to the forum so please forgive me if this topic has already been discussed. I have been diagnosed with many different illnesses and each time I have been to my GP complaining of pain, shoulder, feet, back etc they have given me different reasons, there was a period when I was always tripping over and my feet hurt so much but they told me it was my shoes! anyway I also suffer with severe depression and am in the middle of an episode. I am now on my tenth combination of drug treatment for the depression. Over the last three months I have had such awful flu like aches and pains. The GP told me that one of my mental health meds were the probable cause and took me off them. But I am still in pain. It hurts me to type and if i sit in one position too long I am very stiff when getting up. I dropped the kettle and pan this week. My GP told me on Wednesday that my recent bloods were higher on inflammation markers nd I probably have early stage inflammatory arthritis. However, because they are changing my mental health meds over the next couple of weeks he doesn't want to inlclude any pain relief at this stage. Every morning when I wake up my hands are heavy, numb and have pins and needles. I am so sorry for the long winded explanation but my question is, are there any over the counter meds which may help. Normal paracetamol isn't working? I would be so grateful for any advice. thanks xxx

stickywicket

Hello doobiesma. Welcome to the forum but I'm sorry you had to come here. You sound to have quite a lot going on healthwise and it can't be easy for you. It's normally a rheumatologist who diagnoses inflammatory arthritis but it sounds like your GP has done the blood tests.

I can only assume he wants to hold off on the pain relief because he feels it might clash with, or interfere with your new anti-depressants. I know that some anti-deps can, in themselves, help with pain relief to some extent. Unfortunately, we can't advise because anything we suggested might clash with your other meds. I guess a pharmacist might be able to help but it does sound like your GP has a plan which could be thwarted by your adding other meds to the mix.

I would suggest though that you ask about seeing a rheumatologist and I do hope things ease up for you.

doobiesma

thank you so much for replying I really do appreciate it I didn't know that it has to be diagnosed by a rheumatologist, thanks for the heads up. I don't know why he said that then. I'm really confused now but I do see him Wednesday so hopefully he can help out further then. It's just that I am in so much pain and discomfort, mainly on my right side and hoped there may be something I could take to ease it a bit until I see him. Thanks for the advice and fingers crossed it will ease soon x

hileena111

Hi
Be very careful of trying things you know nothing about especially since
the person advising them has just joined the forum.
Look at the joining date please.
Normally this is the sort of thing that would be reported and deleted by mods.
Please be careful.
It sounds as if your GP knows what he is doing and even "medical/herbal/natural" remedies can have side effects.
Can you not get an emergency appt with your GP before Wed?
I'm not a doctor either but these are just my feelings.
Love
Hileena

stickywicket

Hello doobiesma. How are you feeling this morning?

dreamdaisy

Hello doobiesma, it's lovely to meet you but I am sorry you have had to find us. GPs deal with osteo-arthritis but those with an inflammatory version are (usually) referred to a rheumatologist. I won the arthritis lottery in that I have both types so my rheumatologist ignores the OA and the GP doesn't interefere with the inflammatory.

You sound as though you have a great deal to cope with and joint pain on top of all that is not fun. I too have the numb hands thing going on and I'm off to see a rheumatology nurse on Wednesday to discover if it's carpal tunnel or a trapped nerve in my neck. (I am in my sixteenth year of arthritis with trouble all over the shop.) I too urge you to ignore M12's post - I suspect someone is trying to flog summat which is irresponsible (to say the least) as they know nothing about our individual situations, health status or meds intake but hey-ho, they care not, as long as they separate us from our money. I wish you well. DD

wendgro

Hi you will have lots of help and advice from the forum on most subjects but one thing we all know about is pain and the relief of it. Your GP is your best bet be guided by him/her discuss it with them maybe a pain relief clinic appt may help you are not alone and keep chatting to the forum that alone helps a problem shared etc. All the best Wendy

frogmorton

Hi Doobiesma

Sorry I am late on this one.

I too understand that the GP is being sensibly cautious with your meds due to teh other stuff you need to take.

Have You tried an icepack or a wheatbag (heat or cold) in the meantime??

Also your pharmacist will be able to advise re over the counter meds which should be ok to take while you are waiting for effective treatment.

Take care and I am so sorry you are so sore

Love

Toni xx

doobiesma

Hey everyone, thanks so much to everyone who replied what a gorgeous group you are so sorry Im only just replying i was exhausted yesterday and couldnt even lift the kettle to make a drink without pain. I didn't see a post about herbal remedies, I guess it has been removed. Thank you to everyone for your advice, heat pads sound good I will try and get out to get some tomorrow.

I will speak to the GP again on Wednesday and try and encourage him to consider further tests. I tried to do some gardening last week with power tools and my right hand just swelled up so much and hurt so badly I had to stop, I think at the minute they are attributing everything to my MH and not really considering alternative causes. Whilst I understand this to some extent, the pain is really having an impact on my low mood. Thanks to all for your lovely replies and I hope youre having a good day today

TC Karen xxx

dreamdaisy

Living with pain is not easy, it drains your spirits like nothing else. I can remember my last pain-free days, they were in March 1997, since then pain has been my constant companion. One useful strategy is pacing yourself with whatever chores you are doing. I stop when I think I can do more, that seems to work well enough. Resting affected joints is important, my Ma rests her hands on her hot water bottle when they are playing up as she finds that heat helps her. I'm the opposite - bags of frozen peas are my best bet! I hope you are having a better day. DD

doobiesma

1997! oh you poor thing. I am so sorry to hear that. In my case the problem is getting started rather than over use. I will try anything once so will use a hot water bottle and frozen peas, thanks so much for that DD, hope you're day is good too xxx

dreamdaisy

We are all different in what helps and what doesn't, so before you go and buy anything too expensive try both hot and cold with the household basics - it could be that both could help but not at the same time! I empathise on the getting started thing - the constant tiredness which I am experiencing at the moment means that I have to make a real effort to get even the basics done. I use cocodamol 30/500 tablets for pain relief - they only blunt the sharper edges but that is usually sufficient to enable me to get on, albeit slowly. I managed to go into town today, it was nice to get out and about for a while. Now I can sit and watch the tennis without feeling too guilty about sitting around! DD

doobiesma

Ahh hope you enjoy the tennis DD. I think I have some codeine and diclofenac somewhere I'll have a look for them. My back went completely a few weeks ago I couldnt sit down or even get into bed, I rang the doctor and they told me to ring the pharmacist and check they were ok to take with my meds, they did help a little. I had forgotten about them, I've got a head like a sieve lately

skezier

Hi Karen

I am late here but a welcome from me as well.

Its good that the gp has done bloods but with the inflammation markers being raised it would be a good idea to ask to be sent to see a rumo. In the mean time though you do need to get some help with pain control.

I don't know how meds work with anti depressants but surely there must be something you could take with a better result for you. Some people do well with paracetamol and some don;t so please tell your gp how bad it it and get them to understand that pain is very bad for depression as well.

Hang in there and try and get the gp to understand that you need pain relief help and to see a rumo. Nice to meet you. Cris x

doobiesma

Thanks lovely Cris, I really do appreciate everyone's help and advice. GP was a bit flippant but surgery was running over by an hour He told me it was probably inflammatory arth given the other symptoms and not to worry because they could control the pain with meds but as I explained not at the minute. I wasn't even in there 5 mins! I am probably being over anxious cos my mum has OA as did my nanna along with curvature of the spine, her sister also had RA from her twenties. I do't know if there is usually a family link but Ive seen them all suffer so much. I've just done the dishes and its painful even turning the tap on

I will deffo try and get him to refer me to a rheumatologist if possible, thank you so much Cris x

dreamdaisy

Inflammatory conditions do run in families, my parents dodged the bullets they so thoughtfully passed on to me, bless 'em! I got the asthma and eczema from my Ma's side and the psoriasis from Pa. Thinking is now changing about the cause of OA especially with regard to the possibility that there could be a genetic link. I know that I have OA thanks to the joint damage caused by my PsA (psoriatic arthritis), it's in my knees and ankles. DD

doobiesma

Oh DD it's so awful the amount of related conditions, now you've mentioned it my ma has severe psoriasis and also an auto immune disease primary billary cirrhosis (PBC), she also has osteoporosis so it certainly seems like there is a link somewhere. So grateful for this forum as I've learnt so much in a few short days, you're all such a blessing. Thanks so much xxx

Annah

Although inflammatory conditions do run in families, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll get the same one as your relatives.

For instance, I have severe allergies, asthma, eczema and mild psoriasis, my mother has sarcoidosis, my sister gets quite bad eczema, my uncle had crohn's and MS (which is now thought to be an autoimmune condition), my grandfather had psoriasis and my grandmother had allergic migraines, an autoimmune thyroid condition and inflammatory arthritis of the spine (not sure which sort).

Every time they test my blood for inflammatory markers, I am positive for the general markers, but negative for things like rheumatoid factor, but as my doctor says, with so many autoimmune conditions in my family, it's a bit of a tangled web of problems.

Incidentally, there was a program on Radio 4 the other day which talked about research that clinical depression may also be an inflammatory, autoimmune problem, which I thought was very interesting.

Unfortunately, as things stands with medicine, there aren't any easy, risk-free ways of treating generalised inflammatory conditions like this. For instance, I'm great on steroids - I feel really healthy! But they do have side-effects and in my case, its a bit of a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Maybe in the future, the medications will be better and have fewer side-effects.

In the meantime, I'm afraid we have to be patient patients!

doobiesma

Hey Annah, thanks for your post. I haven't had half the stuff my relatives have had and I've been really lucky to enjoy relatively good health up to now (ripe old age of 41). I will definitely be looking up that Radio 4 piece about the clinical depression as I am in the middle of the tenth combination trial of medication for this and nothing has worked thus far.

Cheers for the info

tc, karen xxx

dreamdaisy

I saw my then GP when I was sixteen about my intolerances etc and that was when I found out that I was a conduit for the dross, not necessarily to my children but that my grandchildren could be at a greater risk. There are three things that I am proud about with my life, and my decision not to have children is one of them. My childhood was wretched - how the hell could I risk passing that on? I couldn't and I don't regret it for one moment. I must make it clear that this was MY decision and it is not the right one for everyone. Eat your hearts out, you drugs barons - once I'm gone that's it, no more money for you! DD

Heather65

Hi doobiesma and welcom sorry its a bit late ,i hope you can get a appointment and get this sorted its horrible to have to put up with all these problems
Heather

doobiesma

Hey DD, we were told my daughter had arthritis in her knees, she was about six when this was diagnosed but she grew out of it thankfully. She used to cry with the pain and her knees where always swollen and red. She's just been here and reminded me that I used to put the hairdryer on and the warmth helped the pain. Told you my heads like a sieve!

Thanks Heather, it does feel horrible, my right index finger looks like its been broken, its all swollen and lumpy and my right elbow is red and swollen but I've just been brought a bar of galaxy which has cheered me right up

Hope you all have a lovely evening xxx

Harlansmummy

Hi

I also have mental health problems and was initially fobbed off by doctors who blamed my depression.

I do think that depression and pain can be a vicious cycle, and they do affect each other, but you may find you have to keep stamping your feet (so to speak!) to get help for the pain.

I use a combination of painkillers, heat therapy and TENS machine, but I know different things work for different people.

barbara12

Hi Karen
And a warm welcome from me to the forum
The others have said everything , your GP does seem to be on the ball, they do have to be very careful with meds clashing.
I really do wish you well with everything, and we are always here to talk to, and this in itself can be a great help.xx

doobiesma

Thank you Barbara and harlansmummy for your warm welcome and advice. I've been to see GP this morning without much success sadly. Although he told me last time my markers were raised and I had "probably" had inflammatory arth. today everything is being attributed to my mental health and medication withdrawal. He has given me a weeks supply of anti-inflammatory meds and a stomach protector, he basically said joint pain, aches and night sweats were a product of weaning me off the current MH meds, even tho I have been reducing the medication for two weeks and I have been presenting to them with the pain, swelling and night sweats consistently over the last five months, hence why they sent me for blood tests. I appreciate that they feel my MH is the priority at the moment but I am struggling so much with the pain I feel very disheartened.

Hope everyone is well and thanks again for all the fab advice and support

stickywicket

I can feel your disappointment, doobiesma. He does seem pretty confident though. I very much hope he is right and things will settle of their own accord once your MH meds are properly sorted. I suggest you keep a pain diary to show him at your next visit. That way you have a record of how thing are, or are not progressing. Meanwhile, stick with us. We’ll try to help you through it.