So sorry to hear that you are struggling. It's just not fair is it?

It's good that you have been referred to the pain clinic, they are the experts in this field. Have you talked to you rheumy nurse / consultant? Maybe a short course of high dose steroids will help you? It's what A&E prescribed for me when I pitched up in their ward with similar problems - but we are all different.

The pain is debilitating isn't it, and it makes you feel so low. If you can summon the energy you should talk to your GP too see if there is anything he can do in the short term for the pain, and in the longer term to deal with how you feel mentally. Don't be surprised at feeling low. Pain will do that to you.

Keep posting to let us all know how you are getting on and we'll all help you through this.

How awful for you to be in so much pain. You mustn't think that you are wasting
peoples time, they are there to help. In my experience, you need to be pro active in asking
for help sometimes. Not always easy when you feel so poorly.
Keeping my (rather lumpy!) fingers crossed that you get some relief soon.
take care, Jayne xx

Oh Nat, I'm so sorry you are in such a mess.

Only those of us who have really suffered this never ending onslaught can understand just what you are going through and how you are feeling at this
precise moment.

You are certainly not a fraud, never think that, ever. You didn't chose this illness and you certainly haven't welcomed it's attentions.
Sometimes the medical staff can be so insensitive. What you are going through needs ASAP care. Have you phoned your rheumatology dept?
I know you say that steroids don't work for you, but they can help a little, have you/they ever considered joint injections? I had them in my wrists last week (first time),
the right one is great, the left is still a bit painful, but it is relative and I am better than last week. You mentioned side effects from the steroids - are these worse than the pain?

Try really hard to enlist anyone you can to help you, if the pain clinic works that will be a real bonus. You also sound a bit low in mood (it is very understandable) so why
not speak with your GP and see if you can get some help. We are all so helpless to support one another but sadly it is you that will have to find the energy to instigate
some sort of help for yourself.


Please do keep 'talking' on here, and phone NRAS helpline. They phoned me when I was at my lowest a couple of months ago, at the time I never thought I could get so low
but I did, and even now I'm not back to 'normal'.

Do please become your own best friend, shout out your needs to anyone who will listen, and please keep us posted - we want to knwo

Gogs

Just reading your posts gain and I see you are on Tramadol. That's an opiate based med like the codeine and morphine mix I take, and I think one of the problems is that your body gets used to it after a while. I wonder if a different opiate might help you? Talk to your GP or the pain clinic, whichever you can get to earlier

Thank you all for your lovely and supportive replies, it helps so much to talk to people who know what I am talking about! a very lonely place this RA business sometimes.

I did speak to my GP today over the phone and he seemed very supportive of me, I am going for an appointment tomorrow and also the rheumy nurse rang and she is going to try and speak to the rheumatologist asap to try and sort things quickly for me.

I finally felt like they were listening today but by god I had to kick up a fuss to be heard!

Thank you again you are all such strong caring people and it is very appreciated xxxx

Well done Nat, you may not have won the war but you certainly won that battle!!

Please don't let any of those medics rest on their laurels - keep them alert at all times - your well being depends on it!!
Really pleased that you have a GP on your side - they are worth their weight in gold if you get a good one. Let him be your
go between when things seem to be slowing down.

Please use us as the need arises, never feel you are a nuisance, we're here to help one another and the people on this forum certainly do that -they're amazing.

Gogs

Hi Nat - just catching up and so sorry to hear you are struggling so much. Hope your GP appointment is helpful and he can come up with some other strategies to make life more manageable. Thinking of you xx Ailsa