Great props - including drugs!

Hi All. First morning at home with husband and middle boy away "Doon Sooth". About to do hoovering, clean bathrooms, stir youngest son to come for dog walk out there although its windy and cold brrr I've been round our steep garden 3 times already and hands now bluish!

I'm blogging to tell of my best old new props for wrists in flare. I think I've mentioned it before but last year the OT at the hospital made me a bespoke resting splint. It looks hideous but it is amazing and I would recommend anyone who struggles at night with wrists to have one for each side. I've only got one for my right wrist, which is generally much worse than left - but she pointed out to me that if you wore both simultaneously you might not find it easy to get out of bed at night as it incarcerates the whole hand and wrist in a lovely, firm but slightly vice like grip! It was so comforting yesterday and last night I slept far better for wearing it.

This morning the dogs woke me at 7am and I gingerly put my wrists out to see how things would be and lo the pain and stiffness is almost away! Feet still sore and achy but ankle swelling has lessened dramatically and I feel like a new woman! This isn't down to my lovely, ugly prop but it must be all down to Naproxen. Not for the first time this drug has saved my bacon and I love it! It does make me retain fluid so I appear to gain weight but frankly if I can drive and walk the dogs and work and clean up - and get to my first reflexology apt later today then its worth its weight in gold! First time I've woken up without my hands being very stiff and swollen in - well since the last time I took it last June.

So me and my drugs and my ugly firm night splint are best buddies now and I should add that the black splints my physio customised for me last year are brilliant too. They are held by my thumbs so avoid knuckles and as I wear a lot of black they are barely noticeable. Hopefully a rare outing for all of these props and Naproxen once I get back into my Metoject. Just wanted to say something positive about meds and life today.

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i do agree with you Tilda, most of the time naproxen works with pain and inflammation. Yours is a lovely blue splint mine is ugly a big plastic skin colour one.

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Mine is actually peachy pink only the straps are blue but i took one with my hand in to show how it works - but really who cares - its hardly sexy undies!! I am SO lucky that Naproxen works this well although still fizzing with pins and needles but can move my right wrist again and that's the thing!! Xxx

[hamble99b]

I'm glad that you've found things that work for you

thanks for sharing,

sandra.

[trace65]

Hi Tilda I'm getting naproxen envy reading your blog. My hands are really bad at the moment but gp trying me with ibuprofen gel first because of my stomach,which isn't helping. I'm on the verge of not being able to drive and definitely not doing any cleaning. The pain is bad enough but when it stops you doing everyday things it drives you mad. 5th dose of mtx tomorrow so hopefully things will improve soon.

I look forward to reading your blogs Tilda,they are so honest and its such a help knowing how other people feel and are coping. Thank you

Tracy xx

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Poor you - but your GP could have put you on Ibrupofen or Naproxen with stomach protectors. Thing is that Ibuprofen worked really well for me too when RA started but then I had what I thought was a gallstone flare 6 weeks into MTX and at the same time by liver tests came back very elevated so he took me off the ibuprofen in case that was the cause. Now I'm having abdominal discomfort again for first time in ages but he said that Naproxen wouldn't impact on this at all - only on severe gastrointeritis possibly - so should be fine for a few days until I'm back on MTX again next week. Its great having wrists and hands mobile again too but tummy is still not quite right? Ah well I can't expect to have it all I guess! X

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hi tilda just reading the above blogg and it rang bells, I have been taking ibuprofen and paracetamol for the pain but recently i have started to get stomach pains and feeling very nausea i am not on any stomach protectors, i've never been given any, do you think this could be the ibuprofen ? Maybe i should go and have a chat with my GP i have been on them since my diagnosis back in Sept 2012. Lena xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

You should definitely have been using stomach protectors and the liquid ones are less hard on the stomach too. I wasn't given stomach protectors either until I was told to reintroduce them after a short time on Prednisolone and then it seemed to occur to him. The stomach pain could be gallstones as I do have these for sure and they can flare after weightloss for some reason so I've been half expecting them to flare. But GP said it probably would have shown up in my liver tests earlier this week if it was the stones. X

[trace65]

Think gp is being ultra cautious ,already taking pantoprazole for stomach. Seem to remember gastro Dr mentioning new type of anti-inflammatories that were more gentle on stomach, wonder if naproxen is one of those? Will do some research later and suggest something to gp next week. Hope your stomach settles down. How quickly do you think your MTX will take to work when you restart it? Hopefully not too long.

Tracy x

[earthwitch in reply to trace65]

Tracy, there are probably a dozen or more different NSAIDs, and as they are all very slightly different, it is worth trying even up to 5 or 6 different ones before you give up on them - its not necessarily just the new ones either. They all affect each of us in different ways, so what might work best for me, might not be the one you tolerate best. NSAIDs are the firstline treatment for spondyloarthritis, and I know loads of people who have had to try 4 or 5 or more before they settled on one. I know I went through 6 different ones before I finally had to give up, and I did get three good years out of one of them.

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I think it will work pretty fast Tracy. For one thing I take it by injection which is stronger and more quickly absorbed, and for the other its been in my system for about 17 months so it shouldn't have fully left yet. This wee flare has just been half a flare compared to previous ones but enough of a taster to tell me I do need the mtx. It took a while to really work for me - maybe about 12 weeks or more before I stopped having mini flare ups so hang in there hopefully you won't need the NSAIDs at all eventually. Tilda x

[sciqueen]

Hi T

I've got some that my physio made for me last year as also, althoughr mine have natural coloured straps on them. Like you mine wad made to sleep in.

Does this mean you are restarting all your drugs again? Glad that naproxen seems to be working. That was my first anti flam that the gp prescribed for me, until I got the confirmation that I indeed have RA.

Take care, hope your wrist/hands get better soon.

Joanne x

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I am starting MTX again on Tuesday evening Joanne but not Hydroxy as we think it was this that caused the constant nausea and wasn't actually impacting on my RA much so its out. I've just taken Naproxen again as wrist is hurting again which shoes that it must be inflammation. When I was diagnosed I explained to my consultant that Ibuprofen worked really well for me if I took the full prescribed dose 24/7. I think I was hoping he would say that this was enough and I wouldn't need DMARDs but of course he didn't! He said it shows that this inflammatory and its good that NSAIDs help you but you can't live on them forever and they won't slow down the disease. I can't take steroids - they always send me seriously nuts so glad I've got Naproxen in my drawer! X