shoulder pain

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

It's funny that everyone should have started talking about shoulder pain; of

all the symptoms I have suffered through, the shoulder pain has been the

worse!

My experience with RA has been in waves: I first had trouble with what

appeared to be carpal tunnel. Wrist pain, hands " falling asleep " at night

when I was in bed, then I developed tendonitis in my right elbow. I was

treated by an orthopedic for about 6 months, with wrist splints and a nifty

little armband device called a Band-It. Most of the initial symptoms

eventually resolved, but while I was being treated, one of my fingers became

swollen and so painful, that if I banged it inadvertantly, the pain was so

astonishing, it would literally immobilize me, the pain was so great. I

showed my ortho my finger, he put me on Vioxx.

I was referred to my current internist for a complete physical and yearly

followup. She was so busy my first appointment didn't happen for about 6

months. So, as time progressed, I had pain in the fingers of my right hand,

then pain in fingers on my left hand. (Neither of my thumbs have any

strength anymore, very aggravating.) Then it became hand pain. At times my

right hand hurt so much I literally couldn't turn the ignition in my car!!

My physician's answer: keep taking glucosamine and chondritin. The pain

moved to my feet, the slightest touch of a bed sheet on the top of my right

foot was agonizing. Next to go were my knees, suddenly I could no longer

kneel without the most excruciating pain. You don't make that mistake more

than a couple of times! Next were my ankles, then most recently, my

shoulders, back of my neck and pain that would shoot down my arms.

That was probably 4 or so months ago. Up until this point, I was faithful

to going to the gym every morning, walking on the treadmill 20 - 40 min,

riding the stationary bike for 10 minutes, exercising in the pool and

finishing up in the hot tub. When the shoulder pain took over, I quit the

treadmill and the bike. The best analogy I can make, is that both my arms

felt like they were broken. And they hurt *all the time*. I couldn't get

*any* sleep because I am a side sleeper. I would toss and turn and suffer a

lot of pain. Back sleeping just isn't comfortable, although I would end up

on my back, trying to sleep, at some part of each night. Rotating my arms

in a heated swimming pool helped with the pain enormously, it became part of

my daily routine. The hot tub also gave me terrific relief. I tried

placing a heating pad under my shoulders when I was in bed, it helped some,

but you couldn't leave the heating pad on, it would get too hot after a

while. I got up, in the middle of the night, many nights and stood under a

hot shower seeking relief. It helped some, but not nearly as well as the hot

tub. I would also place the heating pad on my shoulders many nights, sitting

in my recliner in the living room, before I went to bed.

When I had a bone scan in December, there was swelling present in all the

areas I just mentioned, including both my shoulders. When I stared the

prednisone, the relief came within 4 hours! I started with 15 mg. daily,

having since reduced it to 10 mg a day. I find when I drop below 10 mg the

pain starts coming back. I tried again two days ago, and by yesterday, I had

shoulder pain, neck pain and leg and hip pain. I took 10 mg. last night and

feel fine again this morning.

Suzanne (who had to leave for the gym now)