Hi, Kimberly,

Have you been diagnosed w/RA, or are you a new patient? If you are not on meds now, you could take OTC anti-inflammatory drugs if your stomach will tolerate them.  Things like Aleve, Advil, Motrin, are all anti-inflammatories.  Heat and/or cold can make your joints feel better, too.  If you have already seen your rheumatologist previously, you could call and let him/her know how much pain your are in.  He/she might move your appointment up and/or prescribe a burst of prednsisone to help w/the flare.

I'm sorry to hear that your husband does not understand.  RA is a complicated condition, and, unfortunately, some people hear the arthritis word and they think all arthritis is the same.  And...they seem to think that all arthritis can be treated with aspirin. Has your husband ever gone to a rheumatology appointment with you?  I don't know how long you have been diagnosed. Maybe your husband hasn't had time to process everything that is going on.

I certainly hope you get some relief soon.  Take care, and let un know how you are doing, okay?

V

Kimberley

3/ 7/11 5:54pm

Thank you! I was diagnosed with RA in 2006 even though it didn't show up in my blood work. I was then put aggressively on Mexotrrexate and Humira. The symptoms went away so I stopped taken anything for over 2 years and was  feeling like I was misdiagnosed because I felt great. Since then the dr retired and a closer office moved around the corner from my house. The one I use to go to was an hour away. When I started to have this major flare up, I thought it would pass but it hasn't I had to get a referral to see a specialist from my primary and was given oxycodone for pain. I still work full time in a special needs class where there is lifting. The new office doesn't have any openings until the 20 of April. My husband doesnt understand I guess because I hadn't had any pain for years now it is back. I stayed up all night just to go to work today. I was taking Alleve but my regular dr told me to stop because I was taking too much and it messed my stomach up.

Lisa Emrich, Health Guide

3/13/11 2:25pm

Hi Kimberley,

Sorry to hear that it will take so long to see the specialist.  You might call the office and see if they have a cancellation (or get on a list for any openings which come up).  It's great that the medication worked for you initially.  So tempting to what to stop taking it when you feel better, but RA is always at work in your body even if your joints feel good.  RA can attack the lungs and other internal organs.  It's important to stay on treatment.  Please talk about that with your new doctor.  In the meantime, you might want to call your primary doctor about taking some steroids (prednisone) to relieve some of the immediate flare.  Hope you feel better soon.

Lisa

 

Kimberley

3/14/11 7:45pm

Thank you Lisa,

 I am going to contact my doctor to see if I can get on some prednisone until I can get in to the specialist.

Sorry I didn't see this before now...

The first thing you can do is to call your rheumatologist's office to ask to be put on the cancellation list. If someone cancels their appointment, you may get in sooner. You should also talk to your primary care physician about some anti-inflammatories or some prednisone - narcotic painkillers may ease the pain, but you want to deal with the information so you don't risk damage to joints while you're flaring. However, be aware that if you do take anti-inflammatories or prednisone, it will reduce your symptoms, which may make it harder to get a diagnosis/treatment when you do see the rheumatologist. It's a bit of a Catch-22 and there are some pros and cons to each. However, anti-inflammatories will at least help reduce the symptoms and you can always go off them for several days before your appointment so you can see the doctor while you're feeling as bad as possible. Sadly, it is sometimes necessary in order to get the help you need.

You mentioned that your husband doesn't understand. It's often hard for family and friends to understand what's going on and it's an unfortunate reality that while you're in the middle of dealing with something really awful, you have to educate those you love, as well. Can you give some more details about what your husband doesn't understand? It will make it more likely that any advice to give you will be relevant to your situation.