Why has my pain inexplicably disappeared?

[BonnieT]

I have been in a lot of pain recently. Easter morning 2 AM I woke up feeling deathly ill. At 8 I had to cancel dinner. I took a Xanax as in previous years ptsd anxiety attacks would waken me out if a sound sleep and I would progressively feel ill as if flu or virus but symptoms only lasted a couple of hours sometimes longer and then be gone. Xanax helped but not yesterday. Didn’t feel better until 3 PM. Ate a bit at 5 PM. felt a bit better. Woke up this morning with no RA pain and only heaviness in my legs from peripheral neuropathy. Where has my pain gone and why. My son says my system is fighting off something else. Any ideas. This feels so wonderfully good and I’m a bit afraid for when the pain returns. Any ideas? Do I continue my MTX?

[helixhelix]

Don’t stop MTX because you have had one pain free day! I started to taper off after three largely pain free years, and that was a mistake! I’ve learnt my lesson that to stay in remission I need to stay on my drugs.

[BonnieT in reply to helixhelix]

I think my son was right that my body was fighting something else which is why my pain subsided. I think I caught some bug from a woman at work who was coughing all over the place and not once covered her mouth, because I am now coughing like crazy, have a temp, and my chest and throat are tight. I’ll be heading to the doctor in the morning. Now I’ll get an antibiotic and have to come off MTX anyway bringing me back to square one. Ugh!

[helixhelix in reply to BonnieT]

Yes, if you have a temp then head to doctors. But a week or two off MTX shouldn’t make a difference as it’s a slow acting drug.

[BonnieT in reply to helixhelix]

Thank you.

[Troygirl in reply to BonnieT]

You can take a non sulfa antibiotic while on methotrexate! I had a chest cold starting and dr did not want it to get worse so he put me on 10 days of doyxicillian. I was on methotrexate.

I dont get why people say you cannot take an antibiotics while on methotrexate.

You can but stay away from SULFA based antibiotics.

Check with your dr.

[BonnieT in reply to Troygirl]

Thank you.

[BonnieT in reply to helixhelix]

Thank you for responding. Believe me it helps a lot.

[Cheylann in reply to helixhelix]

Because you aren't in remission! Your illness is being controlled by drugs as you found out.

[helixhelix in reply to Cheylann]

As far as I’m concerned I’m in remission. In general people with a DAS score below 2.6 are considered to be in remission, no matter how that was brought about - diet, drugs, passage of time. And that is the measure used in research as well. Medically controlled remission is a well accepted concept.

[Cheylann in reply to helixhelix]

Yes but you aren't really in remission. If you were you wouldn't need drugs as your illness would be gone. I think using the word remission is confusing as that to me means the disease has gone due to one reason or another.

Your illness is controlled by drugs and not gone. Or if u like medically controlled remission.

[helixhelix in reply to Cheylann]

Remission of either sort doesn’t mean the disease is gone, just not apparent or active.

Yes I suppose one could always specify it’s medically controlled remission, but that’s a bit of a mouthful. And since it’s so rare that people manage to stay in remission without drugs it seems hardly worth it. Certainly they don’t bother in the literature.

[RheumerHasIt in reply to helixhelix]

Agreed. I was in another thread a few weeks ago asking about the definition of remisssion exactly because it’s so confusing sometimes (And I wanted to know what I could expect). I think the conclusion I made is, if you’re clinically normal in the numbers and you’re asymptomatic in a sustained way, you have successfully put that baby to sleep (Through however means you reached remission doesn’t matter. Using conventional meds, using nothing or eating your weight in turmeric lol)

[Cheylann in reply to RheumerHasIt]

But whilst you are still controlling it with drugs you are not in remission so better to say it's controlled then no confusion as to what you mean.

[Cheylann in reply to helixhelix]

If its not apparent it's gone even for the moment. Splitting hairs! Better to say your disease is controlled not you are in remission as you aren't really then there will be no confusion.

Whatever I'm pleased your illness is controlled as it's difficult to achieve.

[helixhelix in reply to Cheylann]

I’m just following the commonly used terms - disease activity under 2.6 is referred to as being in remission. Perhaps you’d better tell the rheumatologist’s associations that they are being confusing.

[Cheylann in reply to helixhelix]

2.6? Now I'm even more confused.

[Mmrr]

I have good days and bad days, the stiffness, aches and pains come and go it's all part of RD, very unpredictable.

Enjoy the good pain free days when you have them.

I have a wee list of things I want to do when I'm feeling well, and go out and do them, all paced so that I do not exhaust myself with enthusiasm !

[BonnieT in reply to Mmrr]

I Just responded the following to helixhelix: I think my son was right that my body was fighting something else which is why my pain subsided. I think I caught some bug from a woman at work who was coughing all over the place and not once covered her mouth, because I am now coughing like crazy, have a temp, and my chest and throat are tight. I’ll be heading to the doctor in the morning. Now I’ll get an antibiotic and have to come off MTX anyway bringing me back to square one. Ugh!

Thank you Mmrr for responding. I know I sound like I’m ranting. I try so hard not to get sick then it happens on a holiday.

[Mmrr in reply to BonnieT]

You are not ranting, just letting off a bit steam, which we all do. I hope you get something to help from your GP.

[thelmar in reply to BonnieT]

There was a programme on tv this morning (Truth or Scare). Apparently it has been proved that a spoonful of salt in warm water and gargled 3 times a day helps throat and chest infections. Might be worth a try.

[BonnieT in reply to thelmar]

It’s what my mom used to give me as a child.

[Troygirl in reply to Mmrr]

Yes. Yesterday I was telling my husband Look how good I can move today. I was jumping up and down, raising my shoulders in giant circles and was telling him. Wow the xeljanx must be finally working!

As I sit here typing this post on this new morning, I woke up and said oh no what happened.

My wrist is killing me and I feel like crap. Very tired even though I slept all night.

You are so correct, everyday seems to be different. Good days and bad days. Hopefully, tomorrow will be another good day! Lol!

Ps. Even though I feel like crap today, it is nothing compared to the 9 week flare I am finally coming out of! Could not move shoulders without wincing in pain. I will take today’s “little” wrist annoyance and feeling crappy any day over what the flare days felt like. Wow! Now THEY were bad days!

[BonnieT in reply to Troygirl]

Glad you’re out of the flare.

[Mmrr in reply to Troygirl]

I've been on benepali for 7 weeks, I thought things were going well with a slow but gradual improvement and a very good few days recently. Then wham, yesterday was the day from hell, my shoulders were so sore and I felt yeuch all day. I've had not a bad sleep, but quite exhausted today, shoulders better than yesterday, but ache like mad and my right wrist has joined the party too.

The unpredictability from day to day is so frustrating, I'm not sure now if I'll make it to see my daughter on Friday, I arranged the visit because I've been so good recently.

[BonnieT]

Well, I did go to the doctor. No antibiotics. It’s viral. I feel really bad today. Rheumy said stop MTX while I’m sick. I don’t want to swallow anything anyway. Hard to get sips of water down. Hoping it passes quickly.

[helixhelix in reply to BonnieT]

Keep drinking that water, and stay at home!

[Mmrr in reply to BonnieT]

I hope you improve soon

[BonnieT]

One of the girls from work dropped off my administrative support day flowers. Motivated me to pick them up off the step. Then I had some toast and tea. Hope this is a turning point to feeling better. But I do want to go back to bed right now. Thank you one and all. Just for being here.

[PINKY246]

Wow, that is awesome and hopefully it gone for good

[BonnieT in reply to PINKY246]

Unfortunately, it’s still here. No miracles today!