Ow.
Have you ever had a problem with your car making a funny noise, so you took it to the mechanic, but the entire time it was in the shop, it refused to make the funny noise, so the mechanic sent you home without doing anything to your car, and then shortly after you drove away, the funny noise returned?
Well.
I had an appointment with my rheumatologist on Wednesday morning, and he was very pleased with how well I appeared to be doing. He noted some inflammation and swelling in my left hand, but aside from that, he said I was doing just as well as can be expected of an RA patient, and he sent me on my way with no changes to my course of treatment, and with an appointment for another check-up in four months.
The next evening (last night after I got home from work), my RA decided to rear its ugly head with a vengeance it has not shown since the early days following my diagnosis. It has decided to concentrate on my right shoulder, which was the most painful joint by far around the time I was diagnosed. I cannot even describe to you this level of pain.
Any movement of my arm, or even my torso, sends sharp, searing pain through my shoulder and arm. When I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock this morning, I was unable to move my arm to turn it off. I had to lie in bed for several minutes, while being driven insane by the incessant "BEEP BEEP BEEP" of the alarm clock, until I was able to sit up and reach over with my left arm to turn the damn thing off. Sitting up was excruciating. I was unable to move or use my right arm for about three hours after I got up. Showering and getting ready for work caused pain like I have not felt in nearly three years. Every little movement caused me to yelp in pain.
I would rather have any other joint besides my shoulder flare up like this. It's unbearable, not to mention a real pain in the ass to be unable to use one arm.
Fortunately, the pain lessened some during the day, but I dread going to sleep tonight because I know that when I wake up, I will have to go through the entire excruciating ordeal again.
The good news is that when this shoulder flares up, it usually lasts for just a few days and then calms down again. If it ever reaches the point where it does not go away after a few days, I will have to have shoulder-replacement surgery. Ugh.
Well.
I had an appointment with my rheumatologist on Wednesday morning, and he was very pleased with how well I appeared to be doing. He noted some inflammation and swelling in my left hand, but aside from that, he said I was doing just as well as can be expected of an RA patient, and he sent me on my way with no changes to my course of treatment, and with an appointment for another check-up in four months.
The next evening (last night after I got home from work), my RA decided to rear its ugly head with a vengeance it has not shown since the early days following my diagnosis. It has decided to concentrate on my right shoulder, which was the most painful joint by far around the time I was diagnosed. I cannot even describe to you this level of pain.
Any movement of my arm, or even my torso, sends sharp, searing pain through my shoulder and arm. When I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock this morning, I was unable to move my arm to turn it off. I had to lie in bed for several minutes, while being driven insane by the incessant "BEEP BEEP BEEP" of the alarm clock, until I was able to sit up and reach over with my left arm to turn the damn thing off. Sitting up was excruciating. I was unable to move or use my right arm for about three hours after I got up. Showering and getting ready for work caused pain like I have not felt in nearly three years. Every little movement caused me to yelp in pain.
I would rather have any other joint besides my shoulder flare up like this. It's unbearable, not to mention a real pain in the ass to be unable to use one arm.
Fortunately, the pain lessened some during the day, but I dread going to sleep tonight because I know that when I wake up, I will have to go through the entire excruciating ordeal again.
The good news is that when this shoulder flares up, it usually lasts for just a few days and then calms down again. If it ever reaches the point where it does not go away after a few days, I will have to have shoulder-replacement surgery. Ugh.
posted by Catherine at 10:42 PM
5 Comments:
It's interesting that I am reading your post this morning, because I woke up in excrusiating pain today. I'm sitting here waiting for the morphine to kick in.
Hang in there Kat, we'll make it through this too.
*** TEDDY BEAR HUG ***
**HUGS** to you, too, Bear! I hope your morphine kicks in soon!
I think the morphine isn't strong enough anymore, or my break through pain is getting stronger. I just seem to hurt more these days. Maybe it's the brutally cold weather of the last 3 weeks.
I don't know.
That really sucks, Rick. :(
I've been noticing a lot stronger pain lately, too. I think the cold weather does have something to do with it. I love the cold weather, though, so I hate to complain. :)
Hang in there! **HUGS**
I finally talked the doc into giving me Norco to help the morphine. I'm not sure if it's helping that much either.
There's gotta be something we could take...
I had a psychologist tell me about something new called Lyrica. It is supposed to help with nerve pain, but I'm not going to be a guinea pig for no one.
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