I'm sorry. I understand your pain, it's excrutiating, which is why I'm always amazed when someone can say they went undiagnosed for 10 years or that they can jump rope. Good for them but they haven't the same RA experience that I have.

Are you on prednisone? I know that's a bad drug but I need it to function. Sometimes it's quality vs quantity. I hope you find relief soon. Percocet, vicodin never touched my RA pain.

Sue

Ilalm so very sorry to hear of your pain. A steroids could help out; I am still trying to find the magic mixture of treatment but I know after a round of steroids I can at least function.

I'm so sorry. My initial X-rays did not show damage either. I just had a bone scan and that showed all sorts of arthritic changes. I really hope you get some relief soon.

Xrays wont sometimes show anything, but mris will. Your bones will look like swiss cheese with damage.

I understand. People find it hard to believe, but it is possible to have severe pain all over your body all of the time.

@suera - I'm fairly certain I had RA long before I was finally dx'd. My right hip has given me trouble since 2000. I was dx'd with fibromyalgia shortly after that. It wasn't until some xrays in 2010 that they realized I had some type of inflammatory arthritis that they then dx'd as Ankylosing Spondylitis. Now they're pretty sure it's RA.

I've always been in a great deal of pain, and had horrible fatigue. It wasn't until the extreme stiffness and weakness that I pushed for more testing because it was so much more debilitating to me than the severe pain. I was in my early 20s then and RA just wasn't on their radar.

Sharon, so sorry that you are in so much pain..I would be on the phone first thing in the morning to your r.a. doc...there is no reason to suffer like that....

April....I believe...I am one of those people too...constant dull aching pain all over everyday...sometimes worse in some areas but it is always there....

HI Sharon, so sorry to hear you are in pain as well. I hope you find the right combo soon too. I am Plaquenil and MTX as well, along with Rituxan which I understand you cannot take biologics. prednisone does help to break the pain and stiffness cycle and is good to use periodically. I use Tramadol most of the time for pain. Sometimes that does not help. I have Percocet and Nucenta for strong pain. Nucenta is even stronger than Percocet, and makes me very loopy quick so that is only taken when I am ready to go to bed and in a great deal of pain. I agree with Cassie2U that I would be calling the RA doctor to get a script for something that will help you. You can also visit a pain management doctor to access what you made need as well, feel better soon.