swollen hands & wrists

[trish1957]

Hi All

Last night when I came home from work I started to have the most terrible pain in my shoulders, hands and wrists. I hardly slept last night and this morning noticed my wrists are all swollen and very red. I was diagnosed January 2013 and currently take methotrexate and sulphasalazine. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Hidden]

Hi there, sorry to read of your pain. Well maybe you over did it at work and maybe you didnt but im sure all of us would agree you are having a "flare up", none of us can usually determine exactly what kicks off a flare but we often learn through bitter experience some things that can cause them and do our best not to repeat them, then when we think we are starting to get control the flare up occurs in a different joint and for a different reason and the learning process starts again. In other words the disease has either kicked up a notch because of something you have done or tiredness or because your meds have started to cope less or as the bitter cynics among us who get these frequently may feel just because it bloody well felt like it. How you cope with the flare up best is also a very individual thing and a strategy you will hopefully develop succesfully for yourself with experience, not that I would wish you another flare up but ( here comes the bad news put as gently as possible) this may not be your last.

Listen to EVERYONE that tells you how they cope and try all that you can, you will find the best solution for you. I will advise you what NOT to try, being the stubborn, bull headed, determined to win at all costs individual I was at the beginning of this disease I forced myself to carry on regardless, I tried to train my way through it, exercise my way through it, work my way through it and push myself harder and the harder the disease hit me the harder I fought it.

Then I started to hear a familiar sound, it went like this... Boom! Ouch!, BOom! OUch,

BOOm! OUCh!, BOOOOOM! OOOUUUCH!.

That was the sound of me beating my head against a brick wall. Now most would stop after once, but not me, oh no, my lip just curled up further teeth clenched tighter and I just ran at the wall harder and harder.

This is a coping strategy to be avoided at all costs. I know cope by taking within sensible limits sufficient analgesia to take away the pain or make it bearable and I rest as much as I possibly can as comfortably as I possibly can.

One thing I will add is that if you have had this disease since January 2013 and this is the first time you have experienced this you are very very fortunate or your disease is being managed extremely well or both!.

Good luck. Leon.

[oldtimer]

sounds as if you need a larger dose of MTX or else a change of medication. You need to either ring your Rheumy help line if you have one, or see your own doctor so that they can contact the rheumatologist. Your disease is not under control!