Aa
i thought fibro wasn't supposed to be progressive
if fibro isn't sup[posed to be progressive--why am i getting progressively worse? i've had a little bid of arthritis that would come and go in various joints for years, tendonitis here and there, occasionaly fluid retention in my hands, feeling worse with barometric changes., etc. however, recently my arthritis is really flaring. my hands and feet were recently x-rayed and both show arthritis. i have pain in the big joint of both feet--not gout--but it spreads up into the arch of my foot. my knees ache almost unbearably at times and i have to wear those tight sleeve things over them almost all the time. i started out almost 12 years ago with only daily headaches and neck pain. i could take one darvocet with an excedrine and be good for the rest of the day. now i take norco and soma with a little cafeinne and some days the amount i am allowed doesn't cut it---some days i will have a little left at the end of the day. i take lots of aspirin----i alternate with aleve, ibuprofin and mobic for periods of time. none of them seems to be better than the other. just feeling frustrated. i wish i could take something that lasted all day so i didn't have to constantly be checking how much i have left for the day and deciding when is the best time to take it.
don't they sometimes give a long acting medication with something short acting for breakthrough pain?
don't they sometimes give a long acting medication with something short acting for breakthrough pain?
You really need t see a rheumatologist and get tested and treated for the right arthritis(s). There are over 100 kinds and some can also affect your muscles. If it is autoimmune you need to get on treatment to avoid damage to your other organs. Yes, lyme testing is also a good option but not without the others. Good luck.
i assume it is osteoarthritis. i had to have orthoscopic surgery on my left knee before i turned 40 because i was having so much trouble. when i went to stand up my knee would often buckle on me, i couldn't ride a bike or pedal a paddel boat. i had an MRI and they told me it was a torn miniscus--but when they did the surgery my miniscus was fine--it was just roughed up cartilage from arthritis. the nurse told me that it was a little more than was normal for my age. in my early 30s i woke up one morning and could hardly even walk because the joint in my big toe was so painful--it had been fine when i went to bed. the doc put me on some sort of anti-inflammatory and it took about 5 deays for the pain to go away. i know that that joint has bothered me since i was around 22. i remember i had just had a baby and the blanket felt really uncomfortable against that joint.
i went to a rheumatologist once for my fibromyalgia----we never even talked about arthritis, even though it was after i had had my knee surgery. he told me if i had fibromyalgia i shouldn't be on pain meds---but didn't give me any other options or suggestions. i left his office and cried on the way home and never went back. he did do a bunch of blood work that came back normal.
my knee joints don't seem to hurt and i can move them fine---usually without any pain---i guess what i am trying to say is that it doesn't feel like the pain is in the bony part of the joint---it feels more like it is in the soft tissue part of the joint. it hurts really bad if i press on my leg just below my knee--the inside edge, not directly below my knee. in fact--the entire shin bone hurts all the way down if you press on it--almost like shin splints.
my knees both bulge out on either side of the tendon and across it if i straighten my legs---it almost looks like i have fluid in my knees.
i don't think i have the enough symptoms to consider that it might be rheumatoid arthritis, although we do have alot of auto-immune diseases in my family. i have 3 children with celiac disease and i carry one of the main celiac genes myself--but i don't have celiac. my sister has about 4 autoimmune diseases and my brother has type1 diabetes. i do have a couple of glands,in front of my ear and right behind my jaw that hurt all the time. what would be different about arthritis that would make me suspect it could be rheumatoid?
i'm 48 1/2 years old---i don't know if i have more or less arthritis than most people my age----i think maybe i started getting it a little younger than some people, but it would come and go, so except for the few times it got really painful, i've kind of ignored it. this sudden flare of it worsening in a lot of joints has just come on recently. i can't even walk past the end of the block (4 houses) without the joint in my foot just starting to burn.
the arthritis is definitely worsening---but my muscle pain is worsening also---it seems like what i am getting is a worsening of both the arthritis and the fibromyalgia.
i'm planning on getting tested for lyme disease. i was bit by a tick years ago, but only in recent years did i learn that lyme disease can become chronic and that there is a connection to it and arthritis and fibromyalgia.
we don't have insurance until october, so i'm trying not avoid the docs until then if i can. i was diagnosed with secondary adrenal insufficiency 2 years ago and have been on 30 mgs of hydrocortisone. my hormone were all screwed up at the time. i have seen a new endocrinologist who asked the right questions----and has decided that the adrenal insufficiency was caused by two steroid shots i got---one in each heel, for pain, shortly before my adrenals were tested. i have been lowered to 20 mgs of hydrocortisone----i wonder if this could have anything to do with the increased pain in my joints. i know that my atopic dermatitis really flared on my hands with the lower dose of hydrosortisone.
i went to a rheumatologist once for my fibromyalgia----we never even talked about arthritis, even though it was after i had had my knee surgery. he told me if i had fibromyalgia i shouldn't be on pain meds---but didn't give me any other options or suggestions. i left his office and cried on the way home and never went back. he did do a bunch of blood work that came back normal.
my knee joints don't seem to hurt and i can move them fine---usually without any pain---i guess what i am trying to say is that it doesn't feel like the pain is in the bony part of the joint---it feels more like it is in the soft tissue part of the joint. it hurts really bad if i press on my leg just below my knee--the inside edge, not directly below my knee. in fact--the entire shin bone hurts all the way down if you press on it--almost like shin splints.
my knees both bulge out on either side of the tendon and across it if i straighten my legs---it almost looks like i have fluid in my knees.
i don't think i have the enough symptoms to consider that it might be rheumatoid arthritis, although we do have alot of auto-immune diseases in my family. i have 3 children with celiac disease and i carry one of the main celiac genes myself--but i don't have celiac. my sister has about 4 autoimmune diseases and my brother has type1 diabetes. i do have a couple of glands,in front of my ear and right behind my jaw that hurt all the time. what would be different about arthritis that would make me suspect it could be rheumatoid?
i'm 48 1/2 years old---i don't know if i have more or less arthritis than most people my age----i think maybe i started getting it a little younger than some people, but it would come and go, so except for the few times it got really painful, i've kind of ignored it. this sudden flare of it worsening in a lot of joints has just come on recently. i can't even walk past the end of the block (4 houses) without the joint in my foot just starting to burn.
the arthritis is definitely worsening---but my muscle pain is worsening also---it seems like what i am getting is a worsening of both the arthritis and the fibromyalgia.
i'm planning on getting tested for lyme disease. i was bit by a tick years ago, but only in recent years did i learn that lyme disease can become chronic and that there is a connection to it and arthritis and fibromyalgia.
we don't have insurance until october, so i'm trying not avoid the docs until then if i can. i was diagnosed with secondary adrenal insufficiency 2 years ago and have been on 30 mgs of hydrocortisone. my hormone were all screwed up at the time. i have seen a new endocrinologist who asked the right questions----and has decided that the adrenal insufficiency was caused by two steroid shots i got---one in each heel, for pain, shortly before my adrenals were tested. i have been lowered to 20 mgs of hydrocortisone----i wonder if this could have anything to do with the increased pain in my joints. i know that my atopic dermatitis really flared on my hands with the lower dose of hydrosortisone.
Fibro itself is not "progressive" in the true sense of the word. However, it's quite common with fibro to have flares where your symptoms are worse than at other times.
And as TrudieC said, fibro and arthritis ARE two different conditions, however, they are often seen together in the same patient. What you're experiencing is probably a worsening of your arthritis as opposed to a worsening of fibro symptoms. TrudieC also hit the nail on the head when she said that there are different types of arthritis. Do you know which kind you have (rheumatoid or osteo?) whiel some of the treatments for either type are similar (like for pain control), there other treatments that differ depenending on which kind you have. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto immune disease, whereas osteo arthritis is sometimes also called "wear and tear" arthritis, meaning the breakdown of joints, etc., from wear and tear over the years.
I would be careful about the amount of aspirin, aleve, ibuprofen, etc., that you are taking - those meds can be extremely hard on the stomach, especially when combined with caffeine, and you certainly don't need gastric bleeding on top of everything else! Perhaps talk to your doctor about another type of anti inflammtory that might be easier on the stomach.
I also agree if you're not already being seen by a rheumatologist, you need to see one. They would be the best type of doctor to treat not only the fibro, but either type of arthritis.
As far as long acting pain meds - yes, there are many of them and some doctors do also prescribe a short acting pain med for breakthrough pain to "go along" with the long acting one. However, the decision as to whether to try a long acting med and which one is something that will have to be decided between you and your doctor.
I wish you the best of luck - I also have both fibro and arthritis (osteo, however, am also being checked for rheumatoid), so I can definitely relate to the pain. I also have lupus, which only adds to the "fun" of it all - NOT!!
And as TrudieC said, fibro and arthritis ARE two different conditions, however, they are often seen together in the same patient. What you're experiencing is probably a worsening of your arthritis as opposed to a worsening of fibro symptoms. TrudieC also hit the nail on the head when she said that there are different types of arthritis. Do you know which kind you have (rheumatoid or osteo?) whiel some of the treatments for either type are similar (like for pain control), there other treatments that differ depenending on which kind you have. Rheumatoid arthritis is an auto immune disease, whereas osteo arthritis is sometimes also called "wear and tear" arthritis, meaning the breakdown of joints, etc., from wear and tear over the years.
I would be careful about the amount of aspirin, aleve, ibuprofen, etc., that you are taking - those meds can be extremely hard on the stomach, especially when combined with caffeine, and you certainly don't need gastric bleeding on top of everything else! Perhaps talk to your doctor about another type of anti inflammtory that might be easier on the stomach.
I also agree if you're not already being seen by a rheumatologist, you need to see one. They would be the best type of doctor to treat not only the fibro, but either type of arthritis.
As far as long acting pain meds - yes, there are many of them and some doctors do also prescribe a short acting pain med for breakthrough pain to "go along" with the long acting one. However, the decision as to whether to try a long acting med and which one is something that will have to be decided between you and your doctor.
I wish you the best of luck - I also have both fibro and arthritis (osteo, however, am also being checked for rheumatoid), so I can definitely relate to the pain. I also have lupus, which only adds to the "fun" of it all - NOT!!
Most drugs that you're trying activate the JNK gene. Prolonged JNK gene activation leads to worsening of symptoms and possibly the onset of other auto-immune or neuro-systemic disease.
This is true for most fibro sufferers.
Look into GSH (glutathione), as it is one of the few elements-it is a tri-peptide- that will keep JNK gene down. By all the chemical imbalance, high oxidation levels and other negative factors, GSH cannot keep up with all this and probably is at critically low levels, in cases like yours. Best way to boost your body's GSH production is Un-denatured whey protein powder.
It must be certified undenatured -isolate, not concentrate- and taken away from meals.
No heat, no blender, 3x daily 10-20gr per dose, mix well in juice, smoothie or yogurt.
If you really want to treat FMS, just go to Dr. Garth Nicolson's website :
www.immed.org/. He might be one of the few Doctors anywhere, that can help you
treat FMS successfully.
Blessings
Nikodicreta
P.S
Message me if you want info about a non-drug pain remedy, with no side affects.
This is true for most fibro sufferers.
Look into GSH (glutathione), as it is one of the few elements-it is a tri-peptide- that will keep JNK gene down. By all the chemical imbalance, high oxidation levels and other negative factors, GSH cannot keep up with all this and probably is at critically low levels, in cases like yours. Best way to boost your body's GSH production is Un-denatured whey protein powder.
It must be certified undenatured -isolate, not concentrate- and taken away from meals.
No heat, no blender, 3x daily 10-20gr per dose, mix well in juice, smoothie or yogurt.
If you really want to treat FMS, just go to Dr. Garth Nicolson's website :
www.immed.org/. He might be one of the few Doctors anywhere, that can help you
treat FMS successfully.
Blessings
Nikodicreta
P.S
Message me if you want info about a non-drug pain remedy, with no side affects.
Fibro and arthritis are two different things. Have you been diagnosed with arthritis? What kind? Fibro can often go hand in hand with it. You really need to be seen by a rheumatologist to ensure that the arthritis gets treated appropriately as many kinds can affect more than just your joints.
Changing hormones, stress, and the chronic pain from other issues like arthritis can all make fibro flare more. I would approach treating your arthritis and perhaps looking at one of the fibro drugs to help.
Changing hormones, stress, and the chronic pain from other issues like arthritis can all make fibro flare more. I would approach treating your arthritis and perhaps looking at one of the fibro drugs to help.
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