permanent pain from back along to ribs

[farmerswife06]

just wondered what advice I can get to help me cope with the above. i'm on codamol and codeine most of the time but they don't seem to help my dr is very good but I don't see my consultant till april this year.

[Sockknitter]

Just giving someone painkillers is not enough unless your GP expects the problem to heal itself over time.

Do you have a Rheumie nurse helpline to call for advice? Or contact the NRAS helpline.

You may need to push for a more urgent appointment.

[farmerswife06 in reply to Sockknitter]

thank you for replying I must admit I am getting worried as for the past few days I just cannot keep warm my hand are like ice and I feel so cold. I am going to try to get to see my doctor or nurse tomorrow I really need advice. thank you

[Hidden]

That doesn't really sound like a direct effect of RA but there are a few possible things even non medically qualified me can think of such as stomach problems from the drugs we take orally (especially if you take them without food and without a PPI drug such as omeprazole), you can get back pain with gallstones (very small op can fix that if that's the cause and worth knowing often runs down the female lines of a family) , or you could have pulled a muscle or got a prolapsed disc because we can't move normally and the painkillers we're on mean you don't necessarily notice when you hurt yourself. I think it can even very unhelpfully be a side effect of long term PPI use.

Taking it relatively easy but still moving about with heat packs and painkillers is the standard advice for most back problems as it usually works for most people. It's very hard for your GP to know what the cause is as there are a lot of possibilities though bear in mind a lot aren't serious or very painful to fix. If it hasn't eased at all after a couple of weeks I'd press the gp to investigate further.

Hope it eases up for you very soon.

I also sometimes get the cold extremities but putting some normal body lotion or cream on helps (maybe mild massage effect?) socks and gloves on at all times and hot wheat bags (preferably whilst under a duvet) and it generally gets better after a few days. I think soaking in hot water helps too but I can't lift a washing up bowl to do that any more. Hope you get back on track with that too very soon. Otherwise Google Reynauds syndrome - may have spelt that wrong - but bear in mind we move less than others so are more prone to just a sluggish circulation.

[farmerswife06 in reply to Hidden]

thank you very much for replying to my post I am going to try to get an apt with my doctor in morning just to try to see what he can do xx

[Hobbledehoy in reply to farmerswife06]

Hope you have accessed some effective treatment by now. If things are still in a fog, as well as Lancashire Rachel's suggestions, it wouldn't do any harm to ask a question about your chest. Best wishes. Let us know how you go on. x

[farmerswife06 in reply to Hobbledehoy]

Thank you very much for replying to my post I did see the doctor yesterday but was told all my blood results were normal so I still have the pain but not sure now what to do xxxx

[Hidden in reply to farmerswife06]

Presumably your bloods though were RA monitoring rather than the back pain. I think you need to go back if this is a persistent problem for you - would it help you to take someone with you? They can confirm what you are saying is true (shouldn't need to but some doctors take more notice then) and also act as a witness. That's really for you to judge as you know how the consultations have been going.

[farmerswife06 in reply to Hidden]

Hi thank you for your reply my nurse when I saw her last week did actually say that if the pain’s didn’t go she would try to get me an apt for an mri. So I think I’m going to see her again to get her to do this xxxxx