Painful legs

Billymeg123

Hello. I would love your advice on pain relief please. I started with reactive arthritis a few years ago due to a bug I picked up at the nursery where I teach. I was in a wheelchair for a bit and ended up on medication for a few years while it got under control.

Last year, I had another flare up and have been in pain in both legs throughout. I have been told it is now sieronegative inflammatory arthritis. I have tried so many medications all without joy, I'm now waiting for my course of biologics to start in a few weeks but am in so much pain daily. The pain is more throughout my whole leg and not particularly the knee joint. I struggle to walk and feel like my legs are lead weights. I have had 2 courses of steroids which helped but am not allowed any more now. I'm currently on sulfasalazine, leflunomide, cocodamol and etoricoxib but not sure I can cope with this pain for much longer.

How do you all cope with the constant pain?

Ellen

Hello@Billymeg123

Good to meet you. I see you originally were diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis, but now your diagnosis is Seronegative Inflammatory Arthritis. I hope you aren't waiting too much longer for your biologics to start.

Pain is a real issue, as you can imagine, for most of our members I will leave them to give you their tips, but in the meantime this might be worth a read:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

Do please join in wherever you like everyone is very welcoming.

Best wishes

Ellen.

JoeB

"How do you all cope with the constant pain?"

Pain is a failure of the prescriber - not the patient.

This is the 21st century - no one should be in pain not least when the cause is something relatively common such as is your case.

Don't wait until you start biologics - see a GP and make it their problem - not yours.

Arthur

frogmorton

@Billymeg123

Have you tried a pain clinic? they specialise in just that - pain.

I have to be honest and admit that I do have pain pretty well all the time. The days of taking a paracetamol and it being 'cured' are over, but it's ok and manageable. I have it under control about 3 out of 10 on the whole.

Years ago I went on an Arthritis Care course I think versus arthritis call them self-management. I learnt a lot about pain, the brain how we feel it etc and got some really useful tips on managing it. Distraction.....mindfulness a few techniques to add to the medication arsenal at my disposal.

I also have non-medicinal things up my sleeve to for when needed. A warm wheatbag, aloe gel, tens....

In your case I very much hope the biolic you are being prescribed helps a lot to reduce your pain.

Take care and keep 'talking' it helps.

Mike1

Nothing which is prescribed can take the pain away totally, I have tried every med over the years and am left with increasing amounts of Morphine, even that only knocks the edge off. Hand in hand with the meds is to do something that you enjoy doing - and can still do - as a form of distraction. Ask for a referral to a Pain Clinic though, they are the experts and can try a plethora of meds and treatments that your GP may not be aware of.