Did anyone else find after cutting down prednisalone use, that their heels became very painful all the time? I'm trying to come off the drug after 10 months and since dropping below about 5mg a day, my heels have got more and more painful. It is admittedly more painful when I'm tired, but to be honest I've not had a pain free day now for four weeks . I think the pred may have been masking the issue and as my weight has gone up a lot in the last 10 months, I suppose this may have been the case.

On top of that work is getting on my nerves 'cos I seem to be have become the scapegoat for problems within the team, so I've been rather p***d off most of the week. Being a contractor, my views don't count ... and the proverbial sun shines out of the backsides of my two permanent male colleagues with management.

It's the usual, one step forward in improvement, and then something else happens ... wish I could win some money on the lottery and retire. Wouldn't that be nice

Nicola

Hi Naomi

I'm deliberately cutting the Prednisalone 'cos it does look like it's been masking the problem for some time as I'm also on MTX and Sulphasalozine which obviously aren't being perhaps as effective as had been hoped. Trouble is all I am getting at present from the hospital is "lose some weight", easily said than done while on Pred so we'll see what happens. I think the munchies have reduced somewhat in recent weeks.

I took a double dose of Naproxen last night and today the heels haven't been quite so bad, apart from initially when got up. The strange thing is that it is literally only my heels that I'm having problems with at present, the issue with the left knee which flared up in about February seems to have gone away at present. It's strange since I always suspected it was the weight increase that may have caused that, yet it's the heels that are really the most painful thing at present.

I could do without the hassle at work, it just adds to everything. I suspect I'll not get my contract extended either at the end of this month or next since rumour has it that they're only renewing for one month this time rather than three. May be a blessing in disguise although I will probably struggle to get something else again. Recent passed the year's anniversary of RA flaring up and things are definately much better than they were but it's still very frustrating. Just wish that lottery win would come my way, enough to pay the mortgage would be nice and a bit extra so I could have some time off ... ah well I can dream.

Hope your dmard treatment starts to kick in.

Nicola

Hi Naomi

Thanks for the kind words, you are correct though. Sadly my contract has only been extended by a month, while others got 3 months and they're bringing in another contractor to my team allegedly on a 6 month contract so I think it's safe to say will be most likely out of work at the end of October. May be a blessing in disguise though, although I just wish they wouldn't cover it over with b***lsh*t which I was fed today by management and then found out most was untrue. They're loss, my gain as after 17 months I've had enough of them anyway.

On a positive note, the naproxen seem to be helping the heel pain, for a lot of today I was actually walking normally with minimal pain. Looks like it may have been inflamation all along.

Nicola