Gee, that is terrible. I have no idea of what would relieve the pain. Maybe you need some physical therapy or to see a chiropactor.

Good luck.

I meant to say acupucturist.

I feel for you. Bextra was the only thing that helped me & because some people didn't follow basic directions, it was taken off the market.

I use Aspercreme or a generic form. Problem is you forget to use it when you don't hurt & you start over.

Heat helps me & one of my cousins. We have "bed warmers" on our bed year around. These work by thermostat like an electric blanket but they fit the mattress like a mattress pad. If it is damp or damp & cool, I turn it on. If I wake up hurting during the night, I turn it on. Winter nights it is always on.

As far as over the counter meds, I have to be careful because I have asthma too & many things have an asprin base which triggers asthma attacks in many. I took perscription drugs of Feldene for years. Then Celebrex with very little improvement. From there, I went to Bextra. Very next morning, my legs felt like they were not mine as I awoke & started stirring around under the covers. They moved freer & didn't hurt. I stayed on Bextra for over a year after it went off the market because I was able to get samples before it was removed from the market. I have been on Mobec for a couple of months & will not refill it. My doctor says we can go back to Celebrex. My source of samples found 2 pkg of 3 that were 1/2 the dose I took. I have taken one pack of them with 3 tablets left. My daughter told me to check into Canadian sources for Bextra & I spent several hours crusing the internet & it seems it is not available from Canada now either. I don't trust Mexican sources. Seems Celebrex is my only choice.

I have Osteoarthritis & Fibromyalgia & see a Rheumatologist. I would just search for a good doctor that is a specialist if that is not who you are seeing. There will be good days & bad & the bad sometimes outweighs the good. Besides not being able to do what you want &/or need to do, you have people in your life you just do not understand WHY you always feel bad. That feeling brings addition issues. Managing to get a good nights sleep is a start for most.

There is probably not a room in my house without a tube of Aspercreme because I want it close when I think about using it. I don't want to get side tracked by not stopping for it because it is too much of a hassle to go find a tube & wind up hurting worse when it crosses my mind again. I also keep one in my purse. When I go out & somebody's air conditioner chills my problem spots, I know the quicker I use it the better.

I am afraid many pills & tablets will interfere with other meds or my stomach or my asthma. Heat & the creme seem safer as backups with perscription meds. Good luck finding relief. I know how hard it gets. My right knee has bruised finger prints now because I squeeze or mash on it when it hurts because the pressure & heat from my hand seems to help "right then". I spent time traveling over the weekend & church services. I know those times are when it happened.

Cathy, I too understand. I have found taking the Aleve and alternating with Tylenol helps. The Handeze gloves will help some. Mostly I just have to get up and move every 15-20 minutes. My left thumb is pretty bad and limits a lot of hand work. My neck and back are the really what limits my activity. I get very stiff and then have to get up and walk for a few minutes and change my position. I try to sew (quilt) for a while then get up and iron something or cut something out. I would love to be able to do an entire project and cut everything out, sew it together, quilt it, bind it, but that just isn't possible. So I cut a while, sew a while, quilt on one for a while, iron for a while. Cold air makes it much worse so try not to sit under a vent or fan. I did get some exercises from my orthopedist that help some and about once a year I get so stiff I can barely bend my neck or shoulders, then I have to get cortisone shots. Good luck, hope this helps.

beverly

Here is a link that might be useful: Handeze

Thankyou so much for your responses. Today is a good day.

I will give those things a try and I'll have to force myself to take breaks because I don't want to stop sewing forever.

my dh's father gave me some glucosamine joint therapy supplemtents to try. I have been taking them for three days now, it's supposed to nurish and repair the cartilage, I had my doubts and still do but my wrists' aren't as stiff or painful now. but i can still feel it. he said it takes a little time though. we'll see

I use the thermacare wrap thingy's for individual areas of stiffness and pain back, knees etc, my dh swears by the ones for the back. During winter to help i do use an electric blanket but that only helps the side that the heat touchs.

we decided to get a sofa instead of a futon because our futon frame was breaking so i asked dh to put the cotton futon mattress on our bed for an additional barrier against the cold. My dh says he hasn't slept that good in years and for an early mothers day present he got me one of those thera pudic foam pillows. so far it's been pretty good. I'm getting my mom one of these pillows too.

please if any of my ideas help let me know

I forgot to say, we invested (they are expensive) in a Tempur Pedic mattres and it has been wonderful. Instead of saying he is going to bed now DH says he is going to climb into his carton. I have been able to cut down on my meds most days as long as I remember to keep moving regularly.

beverly

My sister swears by the glucosamine too but says it does take several weeks to really kick in. It gets expensive so when she quits hurting, she stops taking it & has to go through the begining stages all over. I have seen reports on TV & I heard some folks talking in the doctor's waiting room about their success with it.

I have the same problems you do - but I'm "older". I have taken the glucosamine/condroitin/MSM for about 8 years and it has worked wonders on my back. I damaged my spine many years ago and have problems there for 48 years. Last year my primary care doctor told me to take 3 of the pills spread thru the day. It really makes a difference in my pain level. Make sure you buy a good brand.

Yes, Bextra made me feel new again, but it was slowly killing me. My body is still damaged and will never recover. Be very careful with those new wonder drugs.

Go to the Arthritus Foundation web site and you can get free books, etc. mailed to you with lots of info. Great site. Good luck,

Hi Cathy, I have RA.Just recently have been putting on aspercream (any rub) on my hands,then put on my dishwashing gloves & immerse my hands in really hotwater (use something deep) for a min. or as long as I can take it.Keep dunking your hands for 5min. or so.Really helps me,hope it helps you.Gotta keep sewing.
Trudy :)

I don't have RA,but i do have Osteo.I take Glucosamine/chondroitin with msm and it really helps.Takes several weeks(4 to 6) for some for it to kick in,but when it does,it makes life more bearable.It's a lot cheaper too than some of the prescribed stuff without all the side effects.Several of my friends take it as well.
Kathi