Spasms of horrible pain - somewhere in right arm but ... - NRAS

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Spasms of horrible pain - somewhere in right arm but can't quite locate?

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Woke last night with a sore shoulder - everything on the right side these days. Thought it was RSI from stitching all day with a huge embroidery hoop - or that I'd slept in a bad angle. All day the shoulder has been twinging but nothing like flares in the first year so I've ignored it. Now it's all down my arm with sickening spasms in my right wrist and both hands so I'm keeping this short. Also feel rubbish too with slightly sore throat, aching all over with deep heat and the usual fracture like pain I get in right wrist now. But never had spasms before. UGH! Anyone had RA like this?

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16 Replies
sammiebabe70 profile image
sammiebabe70

I get spasms in my left leg, not all the time, but its very annoying, before it happens i get a shooting pain going through my knee, its very weird, and cant wait for my next appointment so i can tell the rhuemy nurse x

Thanks. I don't have a nurse and don't see rheumy 'til August (if I'm on the list) but hoping now I'm back on my injectable MTX it will get it under control again soon. Tell me what rheumy says about it if you can remember. Feels like trapped nerve but wrist playing fracture again so think its a flare. Tilda x

I get something similar and my ocupatinal therapist says its my ulnar nerve pinched so gave me exercises to help only like arm rolls, shoulder rolls clenching fist in and out etc, really just range off movement exercises they help me massiv,y don't know if our could be something similar but worth a try , oh and neck rolls to for the shoulders.

Thanks Julie. Is pinched nerve RA or something I've overdone (work) do you know?I'm feeling really out of it this morning after only 3 hours sleep max - probably 2. The Naproxen only kicked in at about 4 am and now I've woken with the same ulnar agony - but shoulder pain has lessened at least. Not sure what to do now as was meant to be leaving clear drug path to properly assess the reintroduction of MTX. Also got really behind with hospital art commission with last week's flare. Need to work but couldn't even open door for dogs just now!

Ah well just have to hope the torture lessens. Woke a son and dogs crying out a couple of times last night - not like me but haven't had a screamer like this for over a year and its getting more intense. Can't move it let alone do the physio exercises I was shown ages ago. Even using iPhone hurts! Xxx

BossyB profile image
BossyB in reply to

Hi Tilda

I get this when the flat side of my wrist flares. the pain shoots right up my arm past my elbow and my fingers go numb and cant move them. If almost feels like a strong pulsating pain shooting up and down my arm right up to my fingers and it stems from the flare in my wrist. had one of these on Wednesday and was up most of the night. i try moving my arm up and down to get some feeling back in it but the pain is horrendous. Pins and needles also come and go when i get this type of flare.

in reply to

I googled ulnar nerve excesses and found this for you I can't watch it on my mobile but from the pic I seen it looks like some I was given

Hope you can get some ease so you can sleep toningt xxx

in reply to

m.youtube.com/#/watch?autop...

in reply to

Thanks Julie that's really good of you. Xx

in reply to

Your welcome hope you get some ease soon xxx

in reply to

For anyone who needs it this is one of the ulnar nerve

Entrapment YouTube videos I think Julie was meaning. I'm going to start these exercises today as its really bad this morning. youtu.be/d85QKyWvrbI

Thanks Debbie. I just went to see a young GP to check out which meds I can take now i'm back on Metoject. She said take Naproxen for a few days and try Tramadol and bring forward my next blood tests by a week because of MTX and Naproxen mix. Of course it was much better by time I went into see her and I was all of a mess and muddle and could hardly string two words! She agreed that it was ulnar related and something about the elbow (where it seems to be coming from) and little finger - which is more skew than ever!

She was confident that its not infected at least which is apparently what she wanted to check. The good thing was I explained the work I've been doing which I know is making it worse because it involves repetitive motion of my right hand. She said she and the other GPs will have to make sure I can continue to work somehow even if that means increasing NSAID intake. Horrible being tortured like this at night isn't it? And yes all movement made me yell, moan and wimper again last night - 3rd night in ten days! Xx

What a horrible time you're having Tilda. I hope you can nip it in the bud soon with the NSAID's. I've only ever had the intense pain up the arm once and admit I sat in the lounge quietly crying to myself in the middle of the night as it was agony. Just remember this is temporary and the drugs will kick in soon. Thinking of you and wishing you all the best

Paula x

Thanks Paula. I had it really nastily in the run up to diagnosis but thought it was just what everyone with RA went through so never even told the GP or rheumy. I had been wondering and hoping that it was just a short lived thing.I get little swelling with it but ESR was rising again even before these flare ups. Not sure I'd ever do this drug break again though - its turned into the holiday from hell and I'm a bit freaked that my rheumy was right to say he would be concerned. Perhaps if he had actually spoken to my GP or me directly and explained that nose blisters and dry eyes, mouth etc were almost certainly autoimmune stuff (secondary Sjogrens) we might not have risked it but to us it just seemed a knee jerk reaction and wanted to rule these unpleasant things as drug side effects.

I rarely react to pain enough to consider pain killers (took nothing with childbirth) but am ready to try almost anything tonight not to have another screamer to bear. Thanks for your sympathy though.

How are you and are you having to stop MTX for your operation? Hope not you don't need any of this on top of hysterectomy do you. Been thinking about you lots. Tilda xxx

in reply to

You've certainly paid for your time off Tilda but at least now you can accept that you really do need the drugs. Once they kick in you can move on and get back to feeling fab again...give or take a few spots lol. I'm like you, didn't take pain relief in childbirth either but the pain of RA is dreadful and needs to be hit with whatever works best. My op is on Monday and I'm suitably scared but holding my own. Told my daughter last night and telling my son tonight. I had to hold off as it was my son's 21st on Tuesday and I didn't want to spoil it for him, then there just never seemed to be the right moment. Andy forced my hand last night and threatened that if I didn't tell them he would! We never stop worrying about our children do we. I've been advised to continue with my mtx and given your experiences of late I will do so gladly x

earthwitch profile image
earthwitch

Nope, but I've had spondy enthesitis and inflammation around nerves with pain like that (which of course is rather irrelevant for you!)

Oh I don't know - I don't differentiate as much between conditions as you do perhaps Earthwitch - so anyone's experience is relevant here. Now I've accepted that RA takes a different guise for each of us and that its a broad term for a multitude of symptoms I feel more able to accept it. That is surely why we all use this site - commonality rather than differences? So its interesting to know this goes with other types of inflammatory arthritis not only RA. Tildax x

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