I'm Pretty Sure I Have Arthritis :(

thats what it is yes...google it with the words arthritis in the search


and dont forget the first rule about arthritis is to never complain about it because everyone else in the world thinks theirs is worse

 

Glucosamine, try it.

My son has had this recommended for acute medical joint issues by surgeons. It works but takes time to build up in the body.

If the pain is joint, this will ease it.

Edit: This was started as treatment when he was 12, he is now 16 and continues it as it is a benefit to him.

 

get some Sun..
http://www.natural-health-restored.com/benefits-of-sunlight.html

 

does the arthritis get worse in certain situations?

 

what do you mean by situations?

 

perhaps say in rainy/humid weather or colder weather etc...

 

low barometric pressure sure doesnt help

 

Situation, beyond what has been mentioned above, could also be stress.... stress can cause some forms of arthritis to "flair"...


But yeah, cold/damp really wipe me out.... always have.

 

this is definitely true. Stress can cause arthritis to flare and increase pain, this I know from experience. Like I said before, I have not yet been diagnosed. My rheumatologist says I have lupus or a "lupus like condition" my blood work has him confused, but he is leaning more towards the lupus like condition. He is one of the country's best rheumatologists and he has seen conditions like mine before. I have many of the symptoms of lupus including recent rashes caused by sunlight which I have never had in my life before this past summer. But even after spending 30 mins in the sun in my bathing suit with sunscreen on my face I walk away with a rash that covers all parts of my upper body except where my bikini top was covering my skin.

Stress definitely plays a role like I have already said. after receiving my bachelor degree from a top ranking, university that is approaching ivy league status my previous job at Toys R Us where I worked after graduating left me feeling worthless and questioning my degree. Of course the economy had something to do with it, so did my major (although I have no regrets, because I as a person have grown drastically due to what I studied).

Anyway, within weeks of getting my new job, which is temporary, at a food bank, my stress level declined. I feel like I am making a difference with each day I work and feel like I am accomplishing something everyday. This has reduced my stress level. And yes while I still curse many times a day due to searing pain. I don't find myself crying each night as I lay in bed trying to find a comfortable position for my arms, specifically my wrists. Reducing STRESS is huge, so is mind over matter. But this is easier said than done.

In the first few months of my realizing my arthritis was real in both wrists I couldn't think past the pain. Every spare moment when my mind wasn't occupied with something my brain went straight to pain. The pain was so strong that was all I could think about. Every move I made sent a pain level of 9 or 10 (on a scale of 10) through my wrists. It was the worst at night. I would be feeling okay unless lifting something, or pushing down on the soap dispenser (which near brought tears to my eyes because of the strength required), it would be at dinner when relaxed that all of a sudden the pain would sear. I couldn't do anything but cry. While I am a firm believer in mind over matter, at that point in my life the pain distracted me so much from my ability to heal. I am a healer, and it pained me infinitely to not be able to heal myself.

With a job change that left me feeling better about myself and my life, my pain level has drastically decreased. Yes I still get pain everyday, but not in the amounts that leave me crying while going to bed because I can't find a comfortable position for my arms. (Yes, I have spent many sleepless nights just trying to find a position that allowed my wrists to feel relaxed.) I still have trouble doing things that a girl my age shouldn't have trouble doing, but such is luck. However, for the first time in over a year I was able to hold a 1 gallon milk jug in one hand. Not for long, but for long enough. I was in pain, but it was a pain I was able to fight.

I am a firm believer in healing through energy and such, and have been lucky enough to have healers in my life which, very well, could have also helped me. But when you are in that position where pain is so overwhelming it occupies every spare thought in your mind, it is hard to work past that. But the reason I am writing this ramble is to reinforce the idea that situation and experience has a lot to do with how we handle things.

I currently work as a nutrition educator, and have done a lot of personal research on arthritis, as well as lupus, and how what we eat can heal us. Food as pharmacopia is real, it has been a way of life in China for centuries. There is a new branch of nutrition emerging, though I forget it's name. The focus is going to be on the phytochemicals that occur naturally in plant food. It is different than vitamins and minerals, as the phytohemicals differ from plant to plant but seem to be related to the color of a plant. Anyway these phytochemicals are natural healers, they work to prevent many forms of cancer and heart disease as well as reduce inflammation and many other conditions. I encourage you to do research. I had never heard of the relationship between arthritis and aspartame until this thread, though I don't drink sodas at all anymore except for the rare sip out of my boyfriends fountain drink for a small surge of caffeine. The point I made last time is to do research on foods. I've read that like aspartame, which creates a high acidic content in the body, other acidic foods can increase the symptoms of arthritis. I've read cutting out tomatoes and other acidic fruits/veggies can help but have yet to do that since as a vegetarian many of these things are my life source.

I encourage you to improve your nutrition all around, by limiting refined grains and increasing the amount of whole grains in your diet (which I can explain in further detail if need be, since many people think they are getting whole grains when in fact that is rarely the case). Limit processed foods, all the additives do bad things to us, and definitely can not be good for our health, including bone health.

Sorry if this ramble was too about me, but I feel your pain, literally. More so, since you don't have insurance. But we can heal ourselves if we can get past the feeling of being stuck. You are a powerful entity with energy that can heal yourself and others.

You are not alone, and I send you energy.

(I am a bit tipsy, which is part of the reason I felt comfortable typing all this out, and I sincerely hope I do not regret it later). If nothing else I hope it gives you confidence that at some point in the future the pain will, at least, to some degree subside, even if only temporarily. Like someone else has mentioned, this is going to be something you live with for the rest of your life. It's learning how to manage and think about the pain that makes all the difference.

Good luck to you all May the pain decrease and your quality of life improve :sunny:

 

yes, this is what I meant

 

the pain in my hands has been getting really, really bad over the last week or so. i have an appointment with my doctor today so hopefully he can help me figure out what's going on.

 

you may find that as you are on line and at a keyboard, you have given yourself a bit of an r s i. you may even have put a vertebra out in your neck as their is a tendancy to 'poke' your head forward when using a computer for a long time or driving a long distance...it's about concentrating - we just naturally move our heads forward.

first of all you have to give yourself a break every 30 -40 mins. stop get up, stretch your arm muscles, shake out your fingers.... if you don't have insurance ( thank goodness we have the NHS in the UK) you could always see if you can offer yourself as a guinea pig at a massage therapy college/ osteopath/ chiropractor. if you have a time bank or LETS scheme locally perhaps you could register and offer your talents doing something and have some alternative therapies in exchange.

I know when I have had a lot of work to do on the computer, if I don't stop and stretch I get arthritis like symptoms and shoulder muscle pain where the muscles just seized up...and I should know better - I'm a practicing therapist!

 

Sounds a bit RSI, though as a Sporty person in my younger days it is now (especially on cold days/nights) when those minor injuries come back to haunt - with a vengence!
I try creams and oils though try to stay clear of drug medication (not that I'm 'full up') but been there done that and it only covers up the cracks
Stretching and mobility is good, although too much excessiveness can be counter productive
I hope you sort something out

 

found out that my X-rays and blood tests were both negative for signs of arthritis. getting a referral to a rheumatologist next. pain is getting worse every day, the naproxen isn't helping at all. guess I just have to put up with the pain during the day and smoke weed in the evenings to get some relief.

 

I'm sorry to hear that eggsprog, I hope you get to the root of the problem.

 

have you had any luck figuring out what's wrong?

i had my appointment with the rheumatologist and he's thinking RA... I need to get some tests done, but I really hope it isn't.

 

Nah, and I probably won't for who knows how much longer. Still on a waiting list for my insurance and I'm still going to school full time for at least another 1 to a year and a half. I was able to get dental insurance through my old ladies insurance though, but to get medical was wayyyy too expensive for us right now.

 

ugh that sucks. i'm lucky that it's covered here because i definitely couldn't afford to see a specialist.

if i do have RA at least i can probably get a medical marijuana prescription...

 

Maybe so, but believe me.. You do not want to have RA.