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...

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Neuropathy?

GabrielAngel
GabrielAngel
I have developed pain in my right arm on the underside of where your arm bends. I can't even have my shirt sleeve touch it. I have had the all over pain where you couldn't touch a single part of me because it hurt so bad. My rheumy said that was a flare-up. I am wondering if I am now developing neuropathy since this is in a localized place or could it be a flare that is localized. Anybody every experience anything like this? I am not scheduled to see my rheumy until March. I am considering making an appointment with my GP since he is here where I live. I have a 3-1/2 drive to the rheumy and not really in the mood for it. My GP is really good about working with my rheumy so I am lucky there. So sick and tired of being sick and tired! Now this!! Thanks for any advice and have a Merry Christmas :)
bcatz
bcatz
My flares are never all over although I've heard of that being common. I typically have a wrist attacked, then the other wrist, then an elbow, then a knee, the other elbow, the other knee, several fingers, etc. So mine is usually local.

Does your doctor give you prednisone to keep on hand for these days?
GabrielAngel
GabrielAngel
BCATZ - thanks. Yes, I have a standing script of Prednisone and started taking it yesterday. I hate taking it though. Also have a standing script of pain med and really hate taking it (may have to tonight tho so I can sleep.) My flares have always been whole body so this is a new one for me. I guess RA likes to keep you one your toes. Sure am tired of it.
51percent
51percent
I remember when my elbows would flare, it was really sensitive for some reason....as you describe. No other joints have hurt that way other than my elbows. So I'm with you...probably a flare and a cortisone shot helped resolve mine...does your PCP do them?

Jen
GabrielAngel
GabrielAngel
51percent - never had to ask my PCP about a cortisone shot but bet he would. After 2 days of Prednisone and pain med at night so I could sleep I am actually not as sensitive so guessing it is a flare. How strange to have just one little area hurt like that. If I had to chose between just an area hurting and the all over body pain I usually get with a flare I would take the one area any day! RA never stops the surprises does it.

Thanks for all the help. Merry Christmas and blessed New Year to everyone.

Dana
jteach
jteach
I usually get all-over flares- hurts all over and I feel like a deflated balloon. I'm glad the prednisone and pain meds helped. I used to feel guilty (?) or some bad feeling taking meds. Now I'm like, whatever helps my quality of life!
Hope you can enjoy your holiday now.

Juls
MarleneJ
MarleneJ
My flares used to be confined to my joints, these days, my hands especially seem to be all the hands, I thought neuropathy too. I see my rheumy in 2 weeks, so I will have some questions to ask.

The only time the pain was so bad in one spot that I could not have anything touch it was when I had gout for 3 days in my left big toe. Not even a sheet could touch it. And then it went away forever. It was weird, because I really didn't have any risk factors for gout at all.

I sounds like you do not have gout because of the location, but if you are seeing your GP anyway you might want to bring it up. And please, do NOT google pictures of gout. They are still freaking my brain out, although what I had was not even close to those worst case scenerio pics!

Keep us updated on what you find out.
steffie63
steffie63
I had/have this same pain in my L arm for years. I complained to rheumatologist for weeks and he said I had "tennis elbow". I did not!! I have a cubital nerve entrapment and by the time I got a referral to an ortho. surgeon and was operated on to move the nerve, it was too late. He told me the nerve looked like "gray jelly" and he could not help me. I still have the pain, intermittently, although they did manage to get the nerve out of the cubital tunnel but could not put in the muscle like they had hoped. The pain affects the outer two fingers as well and can be sever.
azmo
azmo
Just started the group so I hope my advice isn't to late. Long story short I had scoliosis as a child and had a Harrington Rod put in. As an adult my lumbar spine started to have scoliosis and I took it to far to wait for the surgery and I pinched the L4-L5 nerve so I have neuropathy for a totally different reason. I am on Gabapentin (Neurotin) 1200mg through out the day. It works for my neuropathy but I had that long before I had RA. Just a suggestion. Good luck!