Any help on ra pain as in get rid of the pain completly

Witcombed1

As the topic says is there any way to have a full none pain day and I don't mean dull down .

I have ra and my knees are suffering the most at the moment they are both full of fluid to the point of when I bend my leg it feels like the fluid is trying to burst out. Now I have physical demanding job working in a builders merchant and resting up is not an option. The tramadol makes my days bearable but still feels like constant toothache in my knees

So the question is have you guys found any way to get a pain free day no matter if it's homemade remedies ect

Look forward to here from you thanks
Dave

hileena111

Hi Dave
I hope you get some replies soon from the RA people
I have OA and I've got to admit I've never found a method of having a pain free day
I wish I could but the only thing is coping and managing it.
We could say all the things like rest, heat, etc etc but that doesn't sound applicable to you so I'll wait to hear others responses
Love
Hileena

As5567

What type of medication are you on? It sounds like your condition is poorly managed.

There really isn't that much you can do for the pain/inflammation other than the right type of medication to help damper things down. I would also suggest calling your hospital helpline to 1 get an appointment with your doctor and discuss your situation to see if they can alter/add some new medication. I would also see if the nurses can give you a depo steroid injection, these usually work as a temporary fix for some people but you must rest for a couple of days after the injection to give it time to work.

Don't really know what else to suggest. The tramadol seems to be working for you in the meanwhile but don't rely on it as you will build tolerance eventually and will find the dose you're currently on doesn't work as good and then the next type of pain killers are usually morphine based so pain killers are not the answer.

Witcombed1

At this moment in time I'm on tramadol and naproxen the tramadol was for sciatica but they helped a lot more than the cocodamol

I'm starting methodrexate on the 3rd of November but the flare ups are getting unbearable

I know drugs aren't the answer but I'm 32 working and it's all I know I'm struggling with a pip form to maybe get a little help but the job is my only income so if it means go on morphine for how ever long then I don't mind what ever it takes to make my days barable in work with as little time off as possible thanks for the responses

mamasmurf

Don't believe we've met before ; so hello . I was diagnosed with RA when I was 25 , but began feeling pain at the age of 14 . I'm now 59 and have added OA , sjogrens syndrome , dupuytrens contracture and fibromyalgia to my menu . I can honestly say that I don't remember what painfree feels like and the majority of people on this forum , ( if not all of them ) , will say the same . It's more a matter of adjusting and finding your own coping mechanisms . Your GP and rheumatologist can refer you for help with pain ; but in the meantime , a chat with someone on the arthritis care helpline might point you in the right direction .
mamasmurf

stickywicket

I think you're new to all this, Dave, and there is a lot to get your head round. I do hope the methotrexate will help you as it helps me but it can take weeks to kick in so don't expect any quick miracles – or slow ones :roll: It works by damping down the disease and slowing its progress but won't get rid of it completely. Oh and get a flu jab. Flu's the last thing you need with RA.

It must be very hard doing such a physical job. We recently had a dairy farmer – 'keesrotten' – on here, just diagnosed and wondering how, or if, he could continue.

I understand where you're coming from in saying you're willing to “go on morphine for how ever long” but I think you'd need to talk that plan over with your GP. As with tramadol, so with morphine – you'd need more and more to keep the same level of relief. Even if the methotrexate works really well for you, your work is going to put a big strain on your knees and I think, long term, a more realistic approach would be to try to find easier work. Don't go chasing the rainbow of 'painfree'. It really isn't an option and will only lead to misery.

I suggest you enlist the help of the Citizens Advice Bureau with your PIP form. They've helped quite a few on here.

dreamdaisy

The mythical Holy Grail will be found before any of us on here achieve pain-free. I am very thankful that I can no longer remember what that was like and fully accept I will never know it again. I know you are new to this so will be chasing the rainbow but, honestly mate, it's not there. We have to find our own ways of coping, dealing with and managing the pain, doping ourselves up to the point of oblivion is not a realistic answer: the stronger the pain relief the more we are removed from the pain, not vice versa. I remember well the misery of fluid-filled knees because that's how my psoriatic arthritis began. If the meth and naproxen doesn't reduce the swelling then your rheumatologist may suggest having them aspirated (the fluid sucked out via a syringe) and injected with a steroid; this is not guaranteed to help but it may make a difference for a short while. DD

Witcombed1

Thanks for all the answers

the pains no problem most of the days but every now and then I get a day where I just feel physically drained and upset like I just want to have a good cry . This is one of them days .

It's not like it's all new to me the treatment part is but the fluid on my left knee I've had for years to the point where it's slightly twisted my knee cap

But the pain eased but now I have to start all over again with my right knee
And with work as well it's just getting me depressed I thought just 1 day no pain just to have a bit of a rest then back to it but it seems impossable untill my other knee cap shifts

Thanks for listening to my rantings ( as I said just a bad day i dont have them often)

David

theresak

Hi Dave, and welcome. It must be very hard coping with the level of pain you have, as well as a demanding, manual job. As others have said, there is no quick fix, unfortunately. I have tramadol too, but try to ration it to the times when things are really tough, as I don`t want to be dependent on it.

MTX sometimes takes up to 12 weeks to work, and those weeks of waiting usually mean lots of frustration and impatience. Sometimes a rheumy will give a steroid injection to help dampen things down while waiting for drugs to work - mine certainly did. That may be an option for you, but your knees sound as if the fluid needs to be drained off, as DD said in her post.

If you have access to a rheumy team, I would suggest contacting them.

dreamdaisy

What you are saying is absolutely true of any auto-immune arthritis, we get the better times (or make the times better) and then the not-so-good - it's the rollercoaster we're all riding. With luck the meth will soon get to work and slow the progress of the disease, believe you me that is probably the most important aspect of taking the meds. There have been one or two on here who have found that meth is enough and I hope you join their somewhat exclusive club. DD

Boomer13

Hi Dave,

The days you feel like this are rotten for sure. I don't think I can add much except encourage you to ask about a steroid injection, if pin and swelling are that bad. Maybe that would give you relief until the MTX (methotrexate) has a chance to work?

Make sure you tell your doctor you are having that much pain and swelling.

Good luck.

Witcombed1

I already had a steroid injection it lasted about 3 days and it wore off in my right. Knee but it may of worked in my left knee as the pain seemed to have gone completly or my right knees that bad I just can't feel pain in my left knee

But I am going to see my doc on Monday as I need some more naproxen and tramadol hopefully a bit of rest this weekend will help me no end...I hope

Cheers again all

David

stickywicket

I do hope you have get a bit of rest over the weekend.

How long have you had the problem with your knees? I'm asking because I see you're only recently diagnosed with RA yet seem to have had knee problems for some time. Have you had them x-rayed? It's not unheard of but RA doesn't usually begin in knees.

Witcombed1

I had trouble with them about 10 years now but only the left knee... The right knee I've only had trouble the last 6 months or so

It was fluid on the knee from the start I had it drained then a steroid injection that helped for about 2 years no problems at all

In the mean time I had blood tests Mri scan X-rays you name it I done it seen the specialist but it was just after my steroid injection and he needed to see it at its worst but because of the improvement he whipped me off the list

that took all in all about 5 years

Then I snapped I didn't see the doctor I didn't have any pain killers the pain was getting really bad by now and still nothing I went to work carried on as normal in the nights the pain would be that bad I'd just wake up and cry on the bed .knee lock was getting so bad that my girl friend pretty much had to carry me to the toilet

Then finally it got that swolen my knee cap sort of shifted like It got pushed to the side and the pain went no knee lock no nothing

So i thought it was sorted still swollen but no pain
Then it happened the other knee started tightening and swelling so I went back to the doctors she sent me back to the specialist I still accepted no treatment or nothing until I saw the specialist
Then I seen her and she looked through all my records blood test etc
And told me straight away it was ra she took some blood give me a steroid injection in the top of my bum took some X-rays told me they would be in touch within 2 weeks she told me pretty much I could take what I want so I went for tramadol and naproxen

Then I had a confirmation for 3 rd of November to start my meth treatment by now my tramadol supply and naproxen has almost gone so I told her she said get to my docs and give me a repeat of last time

Then when I see the meth docs they'll sought me out and start treating me

And that's the whole story up until now

Sorry it's long winded but i wanted to get my story out thanks
David

stickywicket

Thank you for sharing all that with us, David. You've had a rough, rocky trip, painful both physically and emotionally.

I do hope that, once you are fully established on the methotrexate, it will help a lot with dampening down the disease. This isn't something that ever goes away but, if we can slow down its progress and maybe alleviate some of the pain, that helps a lot.

Your rheumatologist will prescribe the methotrexate and monitor your blood regularly. Your GP will continue to deal with your pain relief ie the tramadol and also the naproxen if you are still to take it. Please ensure rheumatology are happy with you taking the naproxen though as they prefer people not to take both meth and anti-inflammatories if possible.

It might be worth asking what your x-rays showed. It sounds as if there might be some damage in there. Meth can't repair that and you'll need to stick with the pain relief but, hopefully, it won't be as bad.

trepolpen

hi welcome to the forum , as for your knees I would ask to have them drained & steriod injected into them , this can settle them down completely sometimes , it did for my knees when I had it done but nothing for my ankles

as for pain , I find painkillers dont work & prefer not to take any but got RA in every joint & had it for nearly 20 years , hope methotrexate works well for you , as for PIP/DLA you need help when filling in forms like CAB & they would be able to tell you if you got any chance of getting it