Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
Hi guys. First I want to say thanks to everyone. Every time I write I get so encouraged and feel better after your comments. I read them over and over. Today I would like some advice.
These past two-three months I can tell I've been getting worse. My pain is not well controlled and my remicade has not been working. Apparently my rheumatolist said he can't prescribe me pain meds and I have to go through my family dr. Is this right?? My fam dr is hard to get ahold of.
Every morning I wake up an hour before I'm suppose to get up. I take a naproxen and 1 or 2 Tylenol threes. Then go back to sleep hoping to be able to get out of bed in an hour. Throughtout the day I still take t3s just to function at work. The side effects of constipation are annoying. But I feel like I need something stronger so I don't have to take so much as my liver already is finding a hard time to take in all my drugs. What do u guys take for pain and how did u explain to the doctor that u needed it and u weren't some drug seeker.
My rheumy wants to start me on actemera because remicade hasn't done anything and I've been on it for a year.
Will I go into remission with this drug? What's actemera like? I just want to be able to function again. The routine in the morning is always pain. I almost don't rememeber what it's like to not have pain.
I need some real proven hope that ill get better one day. I've had RA for almost 3 years and people say it gets better but mine keeps spreading.
I think about dying young so much these days, not Sucidde but just that what if this takes me down?
My upper chest hurts now all the time and I know u can get RA there.
Ugh, I hate being scared I want to be tough but I'm losing hope it feels like.
Help?
Brittany
These past two-three months I can tell I've been getting worse. My pain is not well controlled and my remicade has not been working. Apparently my rheumatolist said he can't prescribe me pain meds and I have to go through my family dr. Is this right?? My fam dr is hard to get ahold of.
Every morning I wake up an hour before I'm suppose to get up. I take a naproxen and 1 or 2 Tylenol threes. Then go back to sleep hoping to be able to get out of bed in an hour. Throughtout the day I still take t3s just to function at work. The side effects of constipation are annoying. But I feel like I need something stronger so I don't have to take so much as my liver already is finding a hard time to take in all my drugs. What do u guys take for pain and how did u explain to the doctor that u needed it and u weren't some drug seeker.
My rheumy wants to start me on actemera because remicade hasn't done anything and I've been on it for a year.
Will I go into remission with this drug? What's actemera like? I just want to be able to function again. The routine in the morning is always pain. I almost don't rememeber what it's like to not have pain.
I need some real proven hope that ill get better one day. I've had RA for almost 3 years and people say it gets better but mine keeps spreading.
I think about dying young so much these days, not Sucidde but just that what if this takes me down?
My upper chest hurts now all the time and I know u can get RA there.
Ugh, I hate being scared I want to be tough but I'm losing hope it feels like.
Help?
Brittany
Rheumatologists, we all have found on this site, do NOT like prescribing pain meds. When I called my family prac to inquire if they can do my pain management and be in charge of giving me pain medication, they flat out said no.
Pain management doctors are the way to go. If you have private healthcare ppo, then search around and call pain docs. Tell them your condition and you're desire to begin management. Ask what they need. Usually it's the rheumatologists last notes and diagnosis faxed over. They review your case, and they decide whether or not they can help. If you run into road blocks, call your rheumy office and ask who they recommend for pain management. Maybe they know someone. Then you're in and you go to them, only them for pain meds. They must be informed of emergency room, dentist visit pain meds etc. It's like a contract you have with them. They drug test and see if you're taking other meds etc. So if you have leftover Tylenol 3 and pop those, and the doc prescribed say hydrocodone, and you test positive for the Tylenol 3 the doc may drop you. It's a lot I know, but pain management docs are worth their weight in gold with this disease in my opinion.
So you must be real responsible with your meds if you see one.
The right meds and ra can be a TON better. Unfortunately it takes time finding that perfect combo. My gma had ra. Diagnosed at 50, she lived to her mid 70s and ra didn't get her, cancer did. So try and not think about tomorrow. Worry about the moment to moment living, getting through the next hour. The next day. Let tomorrow worry for and take care of itself. Being young (you look young lol), you and I both have an extra 15-20 yrs on top of persons like my gma, but that doesn't mean it will destroy us. Try and stay positive. Your emotional state can drive the pain into unbearable territory sometimes, I find. I hope you can findrelief soon.
I see you are in Canada, and I'm sure drug laws are different there than in the US. Here, getting pain meds gets more difficult by the month, it seems.
Ill look into pain management doctors
Pain management is the best solution for managing ra pain if you don't have a great understanding family physician that's willing to long term treat your pain.
Oh, and no real way of knowing if you can definitely go into remission, but many experience much less pain and virtually no swelling with some med combos. A select few do make remission. I was doing so much better once I started enbrel (adding it to arava and Plaquenil). I was feeling almost normal, well until I had to stop all meds. That's a whole other story. Good luck switching. Hopefully it is a great help!
Pain management may be the way to go.