Help; joint problems, etc. & no insurance...

S

serena.

New member
So for about two-three weeks now, I have been experiencing pain and stiffness in my joints, which started with my dominate hand (digits and the wrist). It has spread to my left wrist and digits and one of my ankles. There is a constant dull pain in the joints, but I get sharp pains, that happen not only in the joints but different part of the body, including the femur area. I also have no apetite whatsoever (I have to make myself eventually eat one meal a day), and am extremely fatigued. I do not think I have had a fever, but I haven't felt more worn out in a long time. I sleep probably 10 hours or more, but the quality is terrible.

I have pre-existing conditions, which include generalized anxiety disorder (includes insomnia) & bipolar disorder. I have been extremely moody though these past few weeks...worse than I have felt in quite some time. I am so distraught because my wrist has gotten worse....I can't even turn my wrist inward, as if holding a basketball. I thought maybe it was a sprain but my other joints have a constant ache. What to do, what to do....
 
As someone who has both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, I can give you some advice to help you until you can get some insurance.

Drugs like ibuprofen or Aleve are the first line of defense. The key is to take them everyday, even if you feel okay. Try the dose recommended on the bottle first and if it seems to help some, you can try to increase the dose. I know with Aleve, you can probably safely double the dosage(based on what I took as a prescription of the same drug). With ibuprofen, they recommend 2 tablets 3-4 times a day and you can go to 3 tablets 3-4 times a day and even 4...but only do that for a day or so...that's the maximum dose.

If this helps, then go high for a few days to get yourself feeling better then slowly lower the dose. You need to get the inflammation down and then keep yourself on a dosage that keeps the pain "tolerable". By lowering the dose, you protect your stomach but still get relief. Just keep taking it everyday at the over the counter dosage if possible, only going up when you are really in pain.

I have allergies to pain meds so despite all the meds out there, I use ibuprofen as my major pain reliever and have used it for 30 years without problems. But I carefully use the higher doses and usually use the OTC dose as a daily thing when I'm in pain.

But a warning....if you get a lot of stomach pain.....stop the drugs...they could be giving you an ulcer. Then you need some medical advice.

Also, try heat on those aching hands and wrist. Wrap them up in a heating pad and see if it brings relief. If after trying that for a few days does not help, then try ice. Some people like ice, some like heat.....I do both depending on what works on any particular day. Some days I have ice on a knee and heat on a wrist.

Joint pain can be temporary and as a result of a virus. Or it could be something starting that may last a while. You won't know until it either goes away or doesn't. I just went through 3 months of knee pain following a virus...and my knees are metal and plastic(replacements)!

Just because you have GAD and are bi-polar doesn't mean you can't get other illnesses. I have PTSD and I have OA and RA. I think the stress of emotional problems makes us more likely to have health problems.

Let me know if any of this helps or if you have questions.

gentle hugs..........Jenny
 
Thank you so much for the advice. Do you know of any natural remedies also? I thought about buying some glucosamine, shrinking my intake of wheat & bought some Omega 3-6-9 in case it was an autoimmune disorder/issue. I also take Vitamin C.

BTW, I was just mentioning the pre-existing conditions because I know some diseases/disorders can worsen those conditions, esp. when it comes to psychiatric issues & I know these seem worse when these other symptoms came along.
 
I don't know of any connections between arthritic disorders and bi-polar or anxiety except that they can both make pain worse.

On the natural supplements, save your money on the glucosamine. I just read a recent study that studied the studies on glucosamine. It appears that all the studies that showed glucosamine with or without chondroitin helped, were done by researchers backed by the companies that sold glucosamine and chondroitin. All the independent studies, done by researchers with no connection to any company selling glucosamine/chondroitin found it did not help at all.

Another case of the research being biased by the companies backing the researchers.

So save you money on that. But the omega oils do help. So does regular low or no impact exercise like swimming. A lot of people with auto-immune arthritis disorders do have problems with wheat so going gluten free(or at least gluten lower) may help.

Let me know how it goes.

gentle hugs.........Jenny
 
In the flesh,
You got some good advice foryour pain but be careful with the Aleve it does cause stomach bleeding when used a lot. The stuff is great for pain but....

If you don't have insurance you can go to a clinic to get some help. Not sure where you live but most states have clinics for people without insurance or jobs. A thought unless you don't want any pre existing conditions before you get insurance.
I have osteo also and heat helps a lot. Are you on the computer a lot, that could be the pain in your hands? The best thing other then heat I have found is something called Capzasin. A liquid you roll on your pains. It is wonderful but you have to be careful you don't touch the stuff cause then you wipe your eye and bam....I use it on a frozen shoulder I am dealing with and some neck pain. Good luck to you.
 
In regards to your sleep, you may have sleep apnea. Have you had a sleep study done? That could be part of your problem. My hubby had the same syptoms and ended up with a c-pap machine which has changed his quality of life....It might be something to check into.
 
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