It has come to my attention that every morning now my fingers are fold in and give problems to open. I have been asking myself why is it that I have to deal with my arthritis first thing in the morning. why do i have to feel pain so early in the morning and feel depressed at the same time.
Yes, you're right. Joint pain sucks. A lot. And when your pain isn't managed well, it can make you depressed. What does your rheumatologist say? Are you on medication for your RA? You may want to talk to your doctor about increasing the dose or consider another medication.
I've had RA since I was a kid and learned a great trick about lessening early morning stiffness and pain when I was in the hospital. Set your alarm clock to about two hours before you get up, take a painkiller and a bite of an apple or a couple of crackers to keep it company so it doesn't wreck your stomach and go back to sleep. When you get up, the painkiller is working and you'll find it easier to move. I've been doing this for over 30 years and not only does it make mornings less hard, but feeling better when you get out of bed makes the rest of the day easier, as well.
That depends on what I have been using for pain. For a long time, my primary painkiller was one of the NSAIDs, so I took that (always with a little bit of food, like a bite of apple or a cracker so it wasn't so hard on my stomach). These days, I take Tylenol extra strength or Flexeril (a muscle relaxant). it depends on what works for you and you may need to experiment a little.
Thank you for your reply to my question. I take either Naproxen or Ibuprophen and I get stomach pain every time I take them. (I always take with food.)
I also take weekly injections of Enbrel. It does wonders for my hands, but I'm so afraid of the side effects of that drug! (Have you read about the side effects of Enbrel? Scary!)
I'm going to answer both your comments in one fell swoop...
I definitely wouldn't be taking naproxen on a mostly empty stomach - that stuff burns like acid! Talk to your doctor about e.g., Celebrex - it's a different kind of anti-inflammatory that's easier on the stomach. You may also want to have a discussion about taking a stomach medication like the Losec, Pantoloc or Nexium - almost all the medications related to RA or pain can be hard in the stomach, so getting that extra protection can be important in preventing bad stomach side effects. Last year, I wrote a post about managing side effects and there are couple tips in there that may be helpful for you.
I have been on Enbrel and am now on Humira and you're right, the potential side effects do sound scary. However, when I was considering starting it, I was in a horrific flare that had taken my life away - basically, all I could do was sit around and hurt. I started Enbrel and got my life back.
I've just gotten back the results from my semiannual blood tests and after a lifetime of being extremely anemic, I am no longer anemic. According to my lab results, I'm a perfectly healthy person. And I have my life back, I have a job, I'm able to be there for my family and I laugh every day. Biologics gave me that - they are my miracle drug. So when I talk to people who are frightened of what I call "the big drugs", I ask them what their life is worth - it puts a completely different spin on it.
I've had RA since I was four, so over four decades now and for most of the time that I've had this disease, there hasn't really been any treatment for it. All my joints are affected and in various stages of deformities, including my hands and I've used an electric wheelchair since I was 16. Sometime last year I had two separate doctors on two separate occasions tell me that thanks to the advances in treatment (i.e., the Biologics), if I got RA now, I wouldn't end up in a wheelchair. That's a pretty big change in the prognosis of RA and yes, the Biologics come with potential serious side effects, but they also kick serious butt. I do know of people who have gotten those serious side effects, but most of the people I've encountered who take Biologics have completely manageable side effects. Of course, long-term, who knows what happens when you've had your immune system suppressed for years/decades, but for all that time, you'll have been able to live your life to the fullest and that's something, isn't it?
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Im right there with you, why why why???