painful

[saskia15]

I am not too sure if when my hands, wrists and other parts hurt what to do? Do I carry on as normal or stop no one has told me if I am causing more damage?

[Hidden]

Hi Saskia. You haven't said which drugs you take and how long you have taken them for? I carried on working on as normal when my hands and wrists were bad but I did use good splints ordered by my occupational therapist, a paraffin wax bath and I did have intensive physio for a few months. So I learned what I should and shouldn't do with my hands while they were bad. Things like how to open doors, how to lift the kettle or pans causing minimal pain and strain etc. I found writing very hard for a while and learned to use my larger joints for manual tasks wherever possible. I also had some exercises to avoid drift in fingers and prevent my almost fused finger joints from fusing.

Can you get a referral to a rheumy physio and an occupational therapist because both should be the best people to advise you on how to take care of your hands?

Twitchy

[saskia15 in reply to Hidden]

I am not on any meds now because of extreme reaction to steroids. I am seeing Physio next week for first time. thanks for your reply

[Simone_Holly]

Hello! I'm so glad you posted this as its something I've been unsure about too, as I was only diagnosed in feb! I'm desperate to try and keeping exercising but have stopped at the moment as it does cause pain, mostly afterwards, and I'm never sure how much to push it or what damage is being done. Are RA nurses able to refer to physio? Good luck with your appointment! Hope it helps manage the situation x

[saskia15]

Hi, i Went to my GP and asked if I could have Physio and he arranged it within two weeks It has to be RA Physio though. I feel happier in myself now they are taking notice of me even though its painful.

[npkb]

Hi

Difficult one! In general exercise is good - speaking as someone with almost 40 yrs of RA - as it is so important to maintain as much strength and mobility as possible. But do get advice from a suitably qualified physio. Keep moving but don't overdo it, and find ways to avoid putting undue stress on joints (lots of tips on the nras website)

In the early years of my RA I had virtually no advice on managing day to day, so either I felt miserable and moved as little as possible, or I would excercise manically and regret it afterwards. Neither was I very good at asking for help - the number of times I attended appointments where the Rheumy asked "how are you?" and I'd reply "oh, I'm fine" even if in previous days/weeks I'd been really struggling.

Ask for as much help and advice as you can - this site is brilliant - but make sure you let the rheumatologist know what you are suffering (they are busy people and it must be very tempting in a busy clinic to quickly pass over mrs/miss/mr "I'm fine") and that you want to be able to do everything possible to maximise your health and minimise damage.

All the best

[saskia15 in reply to npkb]

Hi Thank you I love this site every ones so helpful. Has any one tried alternative therapy with a good outcome?