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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 4/17/2007 1:02 PM (GMT 0)
Well over the weekend my shoulder started acting up. Couldn't even lift my arm away from my side, some arm and hand swelling also in both hands. I went to work and had to type for most of my shift(cause i still cant draw pts),By mid-day i was hurting bad and got an appt. with my rheumy later this morning. I took off my left hand splint this morning and i have a pretty big lump on my hand,right by my wrist.It aches pretty bad today too. Still swollen in both hands,but now my shoulder feels better. Geez Louise!!! I am going to loose my job here pretty quick, if i can't do anything there. There aren't any jobs i can think of that do not require the use of hands. LOL! Any one know what this lump may be? It's about the size of a grape just below where my wrist bends on my hand side. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks ,Joy
Posted 4/18/2007 1:58 AM (GMT 0)
Kibbbles hi and welcome to hw

I sure hate to hear that you are having such a hard time with your joint's.I know by now you have seen your Rheumy what did he/she have to say?I have a lump on my left arm starting above my rist about the size of a lemon and I have been told that it is a fatty tumer and that there was nothing to worry about.So let me know how you are doing.
Posted 4/18/2007 5:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kibbles. I had a lump on the underside or my wrist. The first time it was swelling due to carpal tunnel from the RA. It hurt like HE double hockey sticks. The secound time it was a rheumatoid nodule. It also went away.
Posted 4/18/2007 11:01 AM (GMT 0)
sounds to me like the wrist splint might need to be adjusted- whether or not the splint caused the nodule pressure on that location now will be very painful and could result in u r getting a pressure area?
as far as the shoulder thing goes i too have inflammation in my shoulder effecting the connective tissue and it is sometimes impossible to lift my arm. no matter how hard i try no more than 45* angle and simple tasks like getting dressed are so painful- i have this right now i wanted to scream when i turned off my alrm clock this am cuz u forget and try and reach and ugh the pain! , i did get a cortisone shot for it and in 2 days it was like brand new but now it s painful with limited ROM again. good luck
Posted 4/18/2007 11:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there,
Yes I did go to the rheumy and she said the lump was tendonitis or carpal tunnel. The swelling is in both hands and wrists,but more in the hurt one. She upped my pred. to 20mg daily for two weeks, and added MTX. I start the MTX this friday. Shes waiting for my cold to go away. She would like very much for me to take some time off until we can get this under control, but that is not an option for me. I work 4 days a week, and by the 5th day i'm usually in ER. But i'm keeping my hopes up that this upped pred. will take care of that. I'll let you know by Friday lol. Ya'll take care. That shoulder crap is for the birds huh Yalinda? Cant even pull up the pants, put a shirt on or off, miserable. I feel for ya bunches. Joy
Posted 4/21/2007 6:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hope you feeling better soon. I had the RA shoulder wose than anything. I hope to never see it again. I understand about the working it is very complicated to take time off. I did have the carpal tunnel surgery on the right wrist. It stopped the pain and was a great relief. The MTX and prednisone will help. Do you have any pain meds?
Posted 4/21/2007 1:08 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Harley,Yes I have pain meds, but i hardly take them. I hate the feeling they give me. Plus I can only take them at nite,if they are the kind that can make me sleepy. I'm a wimp with pain meds. The swelling is getting under control now too. I started 20mg pred. on tues. and MTX on Thursday eveing. So far no weird stuff happened.New meds always scare me. I really think most of the pain and swelling is brought on by my work. If I take it easy with the typing, not too much swelling, but right now that is my total job, so I try to break, and relax as much as I can. I had so much energy Friday. It was unreal compared to my regular daily fatigue. I striped my bed, did 3 loads of clothes, and went out and work on the farm. Cleaned out the grainery, and did some in the basement too. Had one heck of a burn pile going, but accomplished soooo much. Take care, your all in my prayers. Joy

Posted 4/21/2007 3:43 PM (GMT 0)
Ahh Whent I was no prednisone I cleaned out all the closets and the kitchen cabinets. I wassuch a tornado that my husband lived in fear that I would next attack his sacred garage! It was a go fast drug for sure, but it did control the pain. The problem was the carpal tunnel was not caused by the RA it was my job. I do quite a bit of typing too. I never did workers comp but I should have. The prednisone is only a temporary solution. I may eventually have the surgery on the left hand. My right hand is great. I have a small rheumatoid nodule on the tendon though and that use to bother me but now it is getting better. I had no side effects from the MTX and I have been on 20 mgs. I am going down now the Enbrel is on board. I speedy feeling and some sweating are the only side effects I had from the prednison. I never gained any wieght and I was on it for about 18 months. Then again I don't think I ever stopped moving so I probably burned them off. I am like you I almost never take pain meds but I have had to because of terrible pain a couple of times. My shoulders and a night I was up all night with carpal tunnel. They help get you through those long nights.
Posted 4/21/2007 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
hi there Joy

how's the lump?

i could be incorrect by saying this...and Harley Diva you're probably more knowledgeable than i in this department...but isn't it against the law for an employer to fire an employee just because he/she is in a cast temporarily?  i mean geesh...Joy is at least STILL THERE ON THE JOB and not like taking this whole time off... eyes

Joy, did you ever get to speak with human resources @ work or anything like that?

does your work place provide a medical leave? even a short one? say for a week or 2?

 

anyway....thinking of you hon...((((((((((hugs Joy))))))))))))

i too remember trying to get through scool & work all week...and then by friday or saturday i was in the ER.

the docs there were like, "are you really trying to kill yourself by attempting to get through the week?"  it got to a point where it was just too much.

take care Joy :-)

 

i agree...i thought that the knee pain was the worst?!?!  fuhgetaboutit, those shoulders when they get bad!?!?! whoa.  brutal.

Posted 4/21/2007 7:32 PM (GMT 0)

Hi Erin,

Yea,we have sick leave but i used mine all up between the surgery and my first two flares. My rheumy said the lumps are like Diva said, Probably not RA,but tendonitis or carpal, brought on with RA and all the hand work i do. See, if i had my way, at 52 years old here, i would like to quit work, go on SSDI. Don't think its possible at this time, cuase were just starting with the drugs for me, but i know that even with the pred. and MTX, i still have very sore joints and the carpal tunnel. As long as I do what i do for work, i imagine those problems will be there. Thats why i want to quit. Gonna go to my grandaughters 1st b-day today tongue An ice cream social!! Yummy. We got her a Cabbage Patch doll, and a book.

You take care {{(((Erin and Diva)))}}} Joy yeah

Posted 4/23/2007 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
Erin I agree with you I believe it is against the law to fire someone due to their disability or medical condition. Also Kibbles you can probably go to your state vocational rehabilitation department and get some support to retrain for another job that is possible with your medical condition. They do testing and know all the who's who and what's what in the job market and schools. Enjoy the baby's birthday joy.....
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