I have been up since 4.30am this morning with pain in both shoulders, I'm fed up now of painkillers, does anyone else suffer with their shoulders, I feel so tired but cant lie down as I don't know where to put my shoulders for comfort.
Hope you are all feeling good and not in too much pain.
Wendy xx
Hi Nellysgran have you tried with a v shaped cushion? Personally as yet don't have this problem. My poor dad when he was ill used this type of cushion it can alleviate the pressure on your sore shoulders. Hope this might help you xxx
Hi Nelly, I can't offer much advice I'm afraid but just wanted to show you some support! I had a flare in my left shoulder last week and the pain was agonising so know just how you're feeling:(. I treated it with painkillers, naproxen, pain gel, hot water bottles etc. Hope it improves for you very soon xx
Hi Nelly, yes I'm there with you re the shoulder dept....about 2/3 weeks ago I started getting pain in my right shoulder which also seemed to affect the top of my right arm. Its eased off a bit but I can still feel a niggling ache and I have a feeling it may come back!
Awful at night because I'd forget and go and turn over in bed and whoosh....extreme pain shooting from my shoulder down my arm. As Amanda, it's a variety of painkillers.....plus Pred helps a bit. In the end I'd lay on my left side with a cushion to support my right arm so it was raised...not sure what to do if both shoulders are afflicted! Hope you manage to find a pain free position and it starts to feel better soon. xxx
Hiya yes my main problems are my shoulders,I have a v cushion like miss said,very supportive as when laying flat my shoulders really hurt,but a bit of support and slightly leaning forward helps greatly.i also use heat pads and then freeze gel,they are much better now but I do remember at night they kept me awake with immense pain.i also take zapain and rub ibuleve gel in my shoulders.but take heart I sleep all night now :))))my hubby had to rub from my shoulders down to my elbows in the middle of the night,but it helped greatly.i couldn't have a bath for 3 months this time last year even to soothe them as the pain and stiffness was unreal !! But I do now hope you feel better soon love Michelle xxx
Owww! The day I got stuck in the bath was when I had bad shoulder pain. I ran a deep hot bath so I could immerse them (which did help) but then realised it was almost impossible to get out without using some kind of shoulder effort. Eventually I managed to roll over on to my front then get up on my knees, but it wasn't fun. What helped more than my comedy-bathing was sitting upright with my shoulder pressed into the corner of the sofa with a hot water bottle. Each shoulder had to take turns. I hope you find some relief soon.
Dotty xx
Thank you all for your replies, my right shoulder is fine now its just my left one that's hurting now, I think a hot water bottle tonight,,
Oh Dotty I can imagine your predicament in the bath, but I couldn't even do that as I cant put any pressure on my knees !!
Me neither I tried rolling over in the bath to get up with my knees but I swiftly turned round again lol,hubby hoisted me out under my arms in the end lol xx
Evening Gran, I'm in agony too ATM with both shoulders, I went for injection last time I was like this but it didn't work, so here I am again in agony, I try to keep them as warm as possible and this helps a bit and I'm on morphine patches and trauma doll plus paracetamol . If you find anything that's does work please let me know.
Also I hope your pains ease real fast.
Philip xxx
Hi Wendy I can really sympathise with you as the pain is soooooo!! excrutiating. I have had problems with my shoulders now for many years the pain is so bad it makes you feel physically sick doesn't it. I have had steroid injections in both my shoulders and they have generally worked very well. Last year I had 12 frozen shoulders and had physiotherapy to help prevent further problems and strengthen the ligaments and it has worked fairly well. When I feel the start of a problem it helps to keep things mobile although this is painful it is not as bad as when they freeze.
Other things that I found are deep heat spray after a hot shower with the directed spray to the affected area then a hot pack. I have been relatively lucky so far this year as I have not had many problems with shoulders ( touch wood) but can remember having difficulty pulling knickers up opening the door turning a key, and picking up a coffee cup amongst many other simple actions
Hope this helps and that you get some pain relief soon
crisxx
Oh yes, very much identify with this. Cant lay on my side at all and only on my back due to the pain. Trouble is I like to move around quite a bit before I get comfy so cant do it when my shoulders are bad. I take paracetemol but also rub Voltarol in, which helps greatly. The other boon is a microwave heated bag that I lay gently across my shoulders and the relief is almost instant. Just one more symptom of the lovely RA! At first I thought I'd been lifting weights in my sleep as couldnt understand where the pain came from, but with me the pain hits everywhere in my body - not usually all at once, but when it hits in one particular place, you wonder why but there is no rhyme or reason.
Try Voltarol and the heat bag - really works for me. Also try gentle movement exercises - rolling shoulders back and forth to loosen up.
Lynn x
Hi
I use carnival gel. You can use as many times as you like in day as it's a natural remedy. Also you can arnica bath soak. To relieve my aches & pain I use heat treatments such as hot baths & hit water bottle. They help immensely.
Consider talking to your gp about changing anti flam to a more effective one. I use arcoxia 90mgs as it treats more stubborn inflammation, where as naproxen is used for light to moderate pain/inflammation relief.
Hope that helps
Sci x
Hi
I sympathise with you as my shoulders are so painful. I use a V pillow in bed, painkillers, TENS machine and massage. My RA started in my shoulders which seemed to be one of the reasons it took a long time to diagnosis.
Hope your pain settles.xx
Hi,
Shoulder pain is the most uncomfortable pain and very difficult to make go way I suffered from a lot of shoulder pain. I had lots of physio but nothing helped. I went to see an Orthapediac surgeon and ended up with one torn rotator cuff repair on mh left shoulder, and four rotator cuff repairs, plus two replacement shoulder operations on the right one. I know this sounds a lot of operations, but my shoulder pain is now gone. Perhaps you need to see an orthapedic surgeon.
Muffin.
Thank you all for your different solutions ,I use a hot wheat bag and a rub,and take paracetamol and tramadol. I cant take anti-inflam because I have tummy troubles, this morning at 4am the pain had moved to my shoulder blade and seemed like my ribs. Like Lynn the pain also hits every part of my body, luckily not all at once !!
Hope you are all painfree at the moment.
Wendt xx
Yes I do suffer and esp after the latest accident. Do find nights hard as you are laying on the hurt bit. I get up and make tea and sit so as not to press on the hurt part. Yes the V shaped pillow is wonderful and do often sit up against it with the hurt not touching it.
Hi all you angels
I see a chiropractor regularly as got hypermobility and my shoulder went on me, i sleep on my front with my arm under the pillow, and that's what caused it.
I now have shocking pink sports tape holding everything in place till it's healed. My favourite colour is purple, he's done it as punishment the swine!
I am also using a tens machine on it and if you can stand it and the laughter from your family as you arm jumps around with the beat, it keeps the pain barable for a while, and as others have said ice packs to numb it.
For all of you who need a gentle hug i give you my special poem.
When angels sense you need them
And angels always do
They come unseen from everywhere
To help and comfort you
They hover close beside you
Till all your cares are gone
Till they can see you're ready
Once again to carry on
Then some of them fly away
And take their gentle touch
To other hearts that need the love
Of angels very much
But one at least stays with you
As your constant friend and guide
For guardian angels never leave you
They are always by your side!
Take care everyone and angel blessings to you all xx
Hi my very special angel friend, another lovely poem. I hope your Chiro helped you last Monday. I was reading this post as both my shoulder have been giving me pain for quite some time, I use heat and volterol which does help. I am taking naproxen and it doesn't help very much. I am on Enbrel injection which use to work until I had to stop them for 6 weeks, now they seem to have stopped working also. I am seeing the specialist nurse at rhumey in October and they will decide whether I need to change my meds? I really hope you get some relief with your shoulders knowing how hard it is to get some sleep. I was up sitting in the chair 3 times last night to take the pressure off my shoulders.
All the best to those who suffer with RA.
Bye my special angel friend, hope you are doing ok.
Lots of gentle hugs and angels kisses to you and your family. Sue xxooxxo
Hi I relate to this but from 2 years ago not so much now when most of my pain is in my feet and ankles. I was on holiday and got in a hot bath - exactly as described - in order to warm up. Husband and sons were both out shopping and I spent an hour running out all the hot water and trying to think of ways to get out of the bath. In the end I heard them at the door and was horrified at the idea of care worker husband helping me out so I heaved and landed like a beached whale on the floor with half the bath contents all about me! I used to squish pillows all around me to try and soften things but I almost always woke up crying out in agony. Very glad not to have had this pain in shoulders since and hope it stays away. I took cocodamol and Voltarol gel but will read these suggestions just in case as shoulder pain could easily come back again now I'm off all RA meds. Tilda x
I know exactly how you feel, I spend most of the night in my lazy boy chair because my shoulders are so sore I can't lie down in bed,I'm exhausted all day long, in to have another steroid injection in shoulder shortly, had one 2 years ago and it did help
Shoulder Steroid shots
Excruciating shoulder pain
Update on my shoulder replacement. 
A week after shoulder injections 
shoulder and arm pain
