Prednisone....thank God only 5 days.

[iamwhatiseem]

I have R.A. ... starting last Thursday my right hip has been a nightmare, so the good doctor put me on 40mg taken at once first thing in the morning. 3rd day now...JESUS CHRIST.
By 8:30 I am bouncing off of walls, so friggin' wired up it is hard to take. Moody...pissy...but the pain is subsiding...

 

[G.T.]

Gracie is very nice and might have helpful advice

 

[iamwhatiseem]

She has RA too?

 

[G.T.]

She has RA too?

Pretty sure, think she better take it from here.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Thanks

 

[edthecynic]

I have R.A. ... starting last Thursday my right hip has been a nightmare, so the good doctor put me on 40mg taken at once first thing in the morning. 3rd day now...JESUS CHRIST.
By 8:30 I am bouncing off of walls, so friggin' wired up it is hard to take. Moody...pissy...but the pain is subsiding...

I know someone who has to take smaller doses, I think 10mg, but every day and after a while their hair started to fall out, so be happy you only have to take it for 5 days.

 

[irosie91]

Short course prednisone is very useful------few side effects and it reduces inflammation like magic-----even reduces the size of tumors----sometimes

 

[OldLady]

Is it making you hungry, too? When I was caring for my mom she was on it for weeks at a time and she nearly killed me a few times. Big appetite, too. Glad it's helping, but I feel for you.

 

[irosie91]

Is it making you hungry, too? When I was caring for my mom she was on it for weeks at a time and she nearly killed me a few times. Big appetite, too. Glad it's helping, but I feel for you.

right-----a hot shot induces appetite and ENNERVATES ------the good news is that short course does not do AFTER EFFECTS

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Is it making you hungry, too? When I was caring for my mom she was on it for weeks at a time and she nearly killed me a few times. Big appetite, too. Glad it's helping, but I feel for you.

It made me hungry yesterday, but today my stomach feels like there is a rock in it...it also for some reason makes me feel like I need to keep taking deep breaths of air.
I am normally very tolerant and calm, but I am wound up tight now. I don't know how anyone can take this long term

 

[Hossfly]

My Granny (born in 1895) used a lot of home remedies. She had RA and used a drink of lemon juice and tumeric. She swore by it and I never remember her ever being sick because of all the home remedies she used..

 

[iamwhatiseem]

My Granny (born in 1895) used a lot of home remedies. She had RA and used a drink of lemon juice and tumeric. She swore by it and I never remember her ever being sick because of all the home remedies she used..

I am on year 6.
It started with both my hands...I kept noticing when I would use a hammer etc. that required a lot of squeezing my hands would just start aching.
Now it is in both knees, my left shoulder, right ankle and right hip.
I have NO days without pain. I have gotten use to it. But this hip...might be another story. I slept only 2-3 hours 4 nights straight. It was getting the best of me.

 

[Gracie]

I have it. I take nothing for it. No med or shots or scarey stuff. I have it in both hands (thumbs, fingers, wrists), both knees, feet including digits, lower back, left shoulder. I have shitloads of wrist braces, ace bandages for when I am in flareup mode. I also stopped eating gluten and went on a major diet with foods and spices that are specifically inclined to halt RA flareups...like Hossflys granny...TUMERIC. Its great in eggs, hashbrowns, etc.

My docs want me on RA meds and I told them to stuff it. Fuckin poison shit, it is. There is no cure so ya gotta deal with it the best that suits YOU. My left hip has a shit hissy, so I walk with trekking poles if I know I am going to be walking far from the car or the house. I also sleep in a recliner because my back kills me if I lay flat on a bed.

Anyway...start with what you put in your mouth. Do's and don'ts. Experiment with yourself on sleep positions. If you are prescribed something that is making your body unhappy, stop, and find another medication if that is the route you are going to go. I chose for myself, to do as my ancestors did...deal with it naturally. However, I do take a pain pill at night.

This is a great place to read. I recommend you browsing it.

RA Warrior

This gal suffers the same thing and did her homework....then blogged about it...and now has this huge website to help others in their own battles.

 

[Gracie]

btw....your hip pain MIGHT be bursitis. That's what mine is. I had a bone density scan done and I am fine in that department. My joints are not all warped and disfigured and Ma gave me the High Tolerance For Pain gene.
Advil is good for inflamation but I can't take it cuz its rough on the intestines, so I take acetenophenmomeninmen or however that shit is spelled. TUMERIC is good for inflammation. So are avocados. So is honey. So is apple cider vinegar. Booze is not good. Gluten is not good. Nightshade family veggies are not good but some people can tolerate it. There are 100's of different forms of arthritis. You have to experiment on your own body to see what works for you.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Thank you Gracie...appreciate it.
I eat an egg every morning I will try turmeric on it....I usually put paprika on them..but I will try it for sure.
I will also check out your link - Thanks!
I am with you on the Arthritis meds...god God...the side effects are worse than the disease! Thankfully my Ortho and Rheumatologist I go to are not fans of these medicines, and use them only if the protein levels are critically high. I am NOT about to take medicines that crash your immune system as well as significantly increase cancer risks.
I am at year 6 so my condition is not yet really bad yet. And like you I have a high pain tolerance. I am thankful for that. But I will say this hip was a doozy. I could find no sleeping position that helped. None. So I ended up in the recliner and nature TV...that usually at least make me fall asleep for a little while.
I am pretty nervous about the future. At 51, and with my family on both sides living well into their 90's...I am not sure I will be able to make it to retirement. If in 6 years it has spread this fast...man..another 6 years - where will I be??
My knees can get pretty bad, I am bone on bone in both...I am betting like me your knees sound like rice crispies walking up stairs
I am trying to wean off of coffee...I am down to only two cups in the morning...snif.
Thanks again for your response...if you don't mind my asking, how many years have you been dealing with it?

 

[Unkotare]

She has RA too?

Rotten Ass?

 

[Gracie]

Thank you Gracie...appreciate it.
I eat an egg every morning I will try turmeric on it....I usually put paprika on them..but I will try it for sure.
I will also check out your link - Thanks!
I am with you on the Arthritis meds...god God...the side effects are worse than the disease! Thankfully my Ortho and Rheumatologist I go to are not fans of these medicines, and use them only if the protein levels are critically high. I am NOT about to take medicines that crash your immune system as well as significantly increase cancer risks.
I am at year 6 so my condition is not yet really bad yet. And like you I have a high pain tolerance. I am thankful for that. But I will say this hip was a doozy. I could find no sleeping position that helped. None. So I ended up in the recliner and nature TV...that usually at least make me fall asleep for a little while.
I am pretty nervous about the future. At 51, and with my family on both sides living well into their 90's...I am not sure I will be able to make it to retirement. If in 6 years it has spread this fast...man..another 6 years - where will I be??
My knees can get pretty bad, I am bone on bone in both...I am betting like me your knees sound like rice crispies walking up stairs
I am trying to wean off of coffee...I am down to only two cups in the morning...snif.
Thanks again for your response...if you don't mind my asking, how many years have you been dealing with it?

I was 58 when diagnosed. Same as you...almost 6 years.
Coffee is fine..just decaf. I have a cup every morning.
Get knee braces or ace bandages. They help with the support. And I avoid stairs.
RA will not get better, but you CAN stop it from getting worse. It all begins in the stomach. Look up Leaky Gut Syndrome. You CAN halt it's progress by being extremely careful what you eat. Your immune system is shot, so you need to wash your hands often, make sure your meat is fully cooked, and go on a RA diet. I love snack foods, but now all I munch on is Cool Ranch Doritos because they are gluten free. GLUTEN is a major culprit. You can eat anything you want...just not pasta, bread or anything with gluten in it. Red meat is a BIG flare up disaster. I never have red meat anymore. Chicken, turkey, ham, fish without breadding, veggies...just no steaks any more, which is fine with me since I was never a beef eater much anyway except for tacos and burgers. Now I have ground turkey burgers on gluten free bread..or better yet, corn tortillas with ground turkey meat. All gluten free, all trigger free.
You might want to check glucosamine tablets too. I never heard of them until my vet said to start my dog on them for her joints. So I asked my pharmacist if that was good for humans and he said of course...its in the suppliment isle! I stopped though, cuz it gave me heartburn.

Again.....every ailment starts in the stomach. You ARE what you eat. Google the Leaky Gut thing...read up on it. It is amazing what doctors do NOT tell you. You have to learn it yourself because each body is unique.So what works for me might not for you, etc.

 

[Gracie]

Role of Nutrition in Rheumatoid Arthrtis Management

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I have learned to not stop doing things, just find other ways to do it.
I read...voraciously...but I can't grip the weight of a book. So I got a Kindle. That worked well until my elbows started acting up, I can't hold my arms in a bent/closed position for long - the waves come in. (Waves...what I call the pain) So I got this small little pillow that I sit on my chest and lean the Kindle on it.
I make beer, but lugging around 5-7 gallons of water is not in my cards anymore. So I bought a couple steel head pumps and built a pulley system. I still make beer.
I like riding a bicycle. I don't peddle it anymore, as little as possible, but we have miles of trails here where volunteers turned old railway lines into bike/walking trails. There is one section that is a slight downhill slope for about six miles...you can coast almost the entire way. So I still ride a bike.
At work, I struggle a bit. As I am sure you know - there is a "window" between keeping mobile and resting. You can't keep active for too long, any you can't stay still too long. We are punished for both. Pain waves for one - stiffness and weakness for the other.
My eyesight is affected. I have a "blur area" ...about a foot away to about 2 feet away. No matter what - I cannot focus on anything in that zone. Which is difficult, because a LOT of things we do are about that far away! At the same time I am sensitive too light. I cannot stand direct lighting. I have to wear the darkest sun glasses they make to be out in the sun. So there is that too.
About the food...I am a firm believer in eating well. We have not bought any meat from grocery store chains for years. All butcher store, all meats are from local farms - all grass fed/free graze etc. And great wild seafood...no farmraised which is higher in mercury and lower in Omega 3...which we both need.
No processed food, no fast food. No soda or sugar water...er...I mean fruit juices people like to call them.
I don't relish going on disability someday. I have ADD, so I have to keep occupied to avoid going insane. Nor do I want to live off of the backs of others...if this day comes, I will struggle with that.

 

[Gracie]

I hear ya. Sounds like you are on the right path. Just know....you aren't alone. There are millions of us right there with you.