Does pain equate to damage?
!4 weeks into my new medication I still have pain in my hips and hands. So is this as good as it gets or can I expect this to ease in the same way as the rest of my body has calmed down? Is the pain a sign of continuing damage to these joints ? My rheumy nurse is somewhat dismissive - at your age you must expect some wear and tear and of course you have OA as well. Well I had no pain anywhere prior to my diagnosis at Christmas 2020
Do you mean 4 weeks or 14 weeks?If the former..you need to give it much longer.....for most meds12 weeks is a good time scale to start expecting to feel the benefit.
Your rheumy nurse may mean if be the pain you are still experiencing is the OA...... the RA meds might not cope with that...ask her if you need something else.
Thanks for the reply. Yes it’s 14 weeks and most of the pain has now gone. But not right hip and hand. X-ray on hand at start of this but not hip Have not been taking pain killers as trying to assess whether the mtx and hydroxychloroquine is working
I’d try whatever painkiller you usually use...if the pain lessens that’s your answer...if not ....you might be tried on triple therapy which seems to work well...but as I say....ask your rheumy nurse’s advice.....most of those nurses are better at knowing what meds suit which patients at the start of getting settled on the right drugs.
I have pain in a knee that is moderately damaged with RA/OA and no pain in the other which is severely damaged so .. doesn’t always follow where there is pain there is damage but pain should always be investigated. x
Thanks for the reply. I will try not to be fobbed off when I see the nurse in a couple of weeks. Am keeping a diary
Diary keeping is a huge bonus in terms of being listened too. RA tends to improve during the day, mornings being the worst, whilst OA tends to become more painful with use, improving with resting.
A simple overview, but may help untangle the cause of your pain.
Good idea .. diary! It depends on what med you are on as to how long it takes to take best effect and some meds such as my own (Rituximab) are said to improve for many people after the second round of infusions months later. Sulphasalazine and Methotrexate can be slower to work for some. Your blood tests should also show if the med is successful in reducing inflammation levels/rheumatoid activity.
As AC said, the RA meds won’t take away the OA pain and likely you may need something for that to relieve the OA pain. Have you had your troublesome joints xrayed? I hope your consultation goes well.
I would recommend you push for a scan of your most painful joints. It’s impossibly to tell what’s really going on by the pain levels and external appearance.
I have very swollen knees, one has been bad for 15 years and yet my scans show hardly any actual damage. I have one elbow that is excruciating but looks fine from the outside and I kept being told I was complaining about nothing. I paid for a scan myself and it showed a large swelling around the joint and significant cartilage erosion.
The nurses are quite often a bit dismissive, unfortunately x
Hi - yes, it could be - I say this as the excruciating pain in my feet damaged my tendons and flattened my feet. I am better now with meds; however, my left hand has always been a continued issue, sore and tender, painful most days - I pray it doesn't cause untold damage. It's as if RA resides in this area and is not shifting.... - like you I had no pain 3 years ago in my hand - such is the wickedness of RA! Hope you can sort your pain.
I also have the added bonus of Oa in my hips and both knees. I’m on methz and sulz along with a few others and I get my good days and bad with mine. Every time I go to hospital with my arthritis. It’s always the same thing I moan about the pain I still getting and I just keep getting told if it’s too bad rest and take regular painkillers. I’ve even got heat pads. But I’ve being told it’s my fibo side telling my body I’m in pain when I’m not. But my body doesn’t agree with my brain and I know I am in pain lol
I find the posts on this subject of pain very interesting. I had never had trouble with my back until I started on the biologic Remsima (Infliximab). I start the day well enough - perfectly upright- but by the middle of the afternoon I'm bending over with the pain. The nurse on the Helpline said it had nothing to do with the drug; I should speak to my GP. Well, he was quite clear; it had everything to do with the drug! Looking into it myself, I found that back pain was indeed a side effect of Infliximab.
Since the drug has prevented flares ( the point of it, after all) I am coping with the pain with various pain killers and exercises. The drug also causes skin problems - again denied by the rheumy nurse, but confirmed by the GP and my own investigations.
I've concluded that we all react differently and although we should listen to those who advise us, we must be aware of our individuality and weigh up the pros and cons of our treatments by our own experiences. These are powerful drugs and in order to work they will inevitably cause unwanted symptoms - they are interfering with the body's system, after all.
So, stay positive, keep a record, and, if necessary, there will always be another drug to try - boring though it is to chop and change. Only you know how you feel.
Good Luck, bienassis.
I phoned my rheumatology nurse because was experiencing bad knee pain and she said the same to me about what could I expect at my age implying it is OA and I should talk to my GP. I felt so upset at being dismissed like that when I knew it was inflammation. When I did speak to my GP I explained and asked if he could say I did not want to see that nurse again. He was very kind and actually listened. It is awful that we should be subject to this type of predjudice and dismissal on top of being ill. I wonder how common this attitude is in the health service?
I am thinking now the hip pain is most likely to be RA as it came on in the same random way as my other joints have been affected. They are now clear of pain. So I am going to try to get right hip properly assessed by scan or X-ray if it is still hurting when I see her next Have not had an answer re D 28 score Either
I do hope you can get the xray or scan. I find pain still randomly occurs in joints even though my bloods are relatively fine. Hastings hospital does not seem keen to offer scans or physio but it does seem different depending on where you are in the country and who you see. Good luck
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