Tips for “everything hurts” days?

Lilymary
Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740
edited 7. Jun 2020, 22:29 in Living with arthritis

I’m having a spell of everything hurting, even though the OA is mainly in one hip, I overdid it at work on Friday and now I hurt all over, even my hands. My joints are clicking all over like castanets. I’ve taken my max permissible dose of painkillers, but still feel rubbish. What do people find helps on says like this? Hot baths? stay in bed? Heat pad? Cold compress? Stretching exercises? Sofa day with Netflix? I’ d have expected it to have worn off by now but it’s just getting worse atm.

Comments

  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992

    Nothing!

  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520

    If you have the ability to divert your attention in anyway from what is going on then do so. I know I am rough when that deserts me: a long-awaited new piece of hefty crafting kit arrived ten days ago and I have not been able to summon the enthusiasm to try it out. I have instead kept within the confines of using the kit I know.

    I alter my intake of pain dullers to one 30/500 cocodamol every two to three hours rather than two every four, this smooths the very brief peaks and very deep troughs of dulling into something more continual.

    The amount of TV I watch increases on my poorer days and I always get up and walk around during the ads. I think that must do my circulation, lungs and heart some good even though I do not get out of breath. I read more on my Kindle and again ensure I get up and move around at least twice an hour.

    When both arthritis gorillas are having a go (as they are at the moment) then it's bed and sleep. The sleep is neither restorative or restful but it is all I can manage to do. You could stand at the end of the bed waving a milion in cash and suggesting a trip to de Beers diamonds and I will roll over and nod off. Which is what I am going to do now. DD

    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    Thanks DD, your tip for keeping busy to take your mind off the pain when I first joined this forum has been the most helpful. For me this is usually manifest as pottering in the garden, but as I never know when to stop, I usually end up in even worse pain! (Lack of moderation being another flaw in our family genes, along with arthritis 🙄). That usually pins me to the sofa for a few days, surfing the net (and nattering on here), watching terrible tv and doing a bit more tapestry (the slowest method of painting by umbers ever devised). I need to learn to moderate my activity more, but I’m a bit “all or nothing”, and haven’t got the hang of reining myself in yet, even when exhausted or in pain. As a consequence, after an unplanned heavy day at work on Friday, on my feet for 8 hours instead of 3, as the client kept asking questions and nattering, all I could manage today, ie 3 days later, was a very brief shuffle round the village with my stick.

    I haven’t really got the hang of the optimum drug routine, but I try to take as few as possible, usually 5 or 6 x 30/500s a day, + 2 naproxen and 1 omeprazole. I spoke to the doc last week to see if there was anything else I could try, but the short answer was no. Deep joy. So Mike, it seems you may be right. 🙁

  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520

    If I have helped in anyway then that is a good thing. I have an advantage over many in that good health together with the ability to do what I want, when I want, for how long I want and without any payback has never been a feature of my existence. From early childhood I had to learn to keep myself occupied despite and because of physical restrictions. There was a brief spurt of something resembling life as people expect to live it once inhalers and steroid creams came along but all bad things end (and it was a bad thing) and my normality was resumed. So what? A better quality and quantity of life was always for others and as a result they have far fewer strategies for adjusting, coping and dealing with physical impairment - even those with temporary conditions such as broken limbs complain how they 'don't do ill' (as if it is a choice).

    I was by nature impatient and it still shows now but now mostly behind the wheel: it is such a pity I have missed out on empty roads in recent months! I was the one who strode round the ditherers on the pavement, now I am permanently in the slow lane with my rollator. My Ma drummed into me that poor health was no excuse for bad manners, she was the one who taught me you carry on with caution and from that I developed the theory that if I want to do more I need to do less. It kinda works! My Pa brought me up on a diet of The Goon Show and Round the Horn - as well as psoriasis he gave me the great gift of a sense of humour: my parents had all bases covered.

    I wasn't clear about my pain relief, my normal is two co-cos every six hours but the 'in extremis' approach I switch to does offer better relief which is why I deny it to myself when things are less bad.

    Right, time for a cuppa and stage one of changing the bed. Today that will take a deal of time as it will be done in bursts and I need to conserve some precious energy for hoovering. I recommend cordless vacuums, mine have changed my life. Gawd, isn't that sad? 😂 DD

    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    You’re quite right, humour is vital to get through stuff like this. I am a Goons addict and love Round the Horn, but can also highly recommend Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (now known as an iPad!).

    My new joy-bringing machine is a steam mop. No more getting down on hands and knees to scrub the floor, as if that was an option these days anyway. Conventional mops are only good for drenching everything imho, and means you have to keep off the floor for an hour while they dry. But with this little beauty I have spotless and dry floors in minutes.

    I let my husband go out and choose the new cordless vac, which was a brilliant idea as he now views it as a man-toy and does all the vacuuming. Result!

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 29,332
    edited 9. Jun 2020, 12:17

    On bad days I am kind to myself Lilymary. I think your bad TV on the sofa plan is ideal - with a nice blankie in colder weather. I do take my prescribed does of pain meds too on such days and even throw in my wheatbag if it helps.

    If the fatigue gets to me I am happy have a nap too, but generally set myself an alarm as i want stand a chance of sleeping at night.

    I am glad you love your steam mop. As for sending husband to buy the cordless hoover - why didn't I think of that!!!!

    I hope things ease off for you again soon.

  • Crookesey
    Crookesey Bots Posts: 119

    I hear that the medical profession is now prescribing cannabis to arthritis sufferers, this may be because of inflammation of the joints. 😎

  • KazandNoo
    KazandNoo Member Posts: 129

    I'm all in favour of us being able to access medicinal cannabis,surely the side efffects must be less than some of the meds they give us!

    Lilymary,I know exactly what you mean about overdoing it and trying to learn from it,not easy is it especially when we're doers (or try to,depending on which joint is causing pain) I've often wondered if this a common link in people with arthritis and why we've got it.

    I have psoriatic arthritis,still coming to terms with accepting it,and 2 of my near neighbours have rheumatoid arthritis and we're all people that like,or have liked to just get on with things and get them done.

    Hey ho,at least on this forum everyone understands and supports each other,which is great.😊

  • Airwave!
    Airwave! Member Posts: 2,458

    Tea, chocolate biscuits and maybe a whisky later on, after another tea of course. Bovril has its uses? Toast with raspberry jam on serves a purpose, note the common selfish theme?

    Weather and the changes in pressure and moisture in the air have a hand in all this, see cloudy with a chance of pain on the web. Our joints have aN internal pressure around 8.5 psi as compared to the 14.7psi that the earth has at ground level, this changes as the air pressure changes between high pressure and low pressure. A generalisation is that high pressure could be somewhere around 1007hg dropping to 980hg, the lowest low was 945hg recorded in the North Atlantic during 1942, (mind of useless info aren’t I!)

    Did that take your mind off of things😀😀?

    its a grin, honest!

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,740

    That’s really interesting about the changes in air pressure, Airwave, that does explain a lot re weather and joint pain, ie it’s not an old wives’ tale. I did a lot of high altitude walking in my fitter days, and always assumed my joints were hurting at the time because of the abuse they were getting, but it may have been air pressure too. The really strong wind (ie air pressure changes?) may account for why my joints hurt so much more than usual atm?

    but you’re right about toast and raspberry jam too! I’m trying to shift a bit of weight to take the pressure off my joints (at least another stone to go), so I’ve had to lay off the jam and alcohol hwhich would probably see me barred from most WI meetings!).

    KazandNoo, I’m desperate to get out and up a hill, even a small one, even if I do pay for it the next day. But we did just a short stroll round the village today and now I’m in agony. Maybe not this week then..... 😢

  • Airwave!
    Airwave! Member Posts: 2,458

    Use a wheat bag, micro wave with a old mug with 1/2” of water and the wheat takes up the steam. Use repeatedly. Heat will ease the aches and pains, cold will reduce swelling. As well as easing the pain, the heat increases the flow of blood and increases the rate of healing.

    Cognisant power is perhaps a stronger antidote to pain, do things you enjoy, a hobby or read a good book be kind to yourself.

    Exercise can release endorphins. Just a few ways to help yourself.