Posted 4/26/2010 6:11 AM (GMT 0)
what helps me, smurf, is a heat pack called Thermipaq from Target. As its already been said no two cases are a like so your doctor is the only one that can really help. I've been dealing with this since I was 15 and diagnosed when I was 22. So I'm one of the young ones you'll find on here. I read in one of the posts that one of us was a kid dealing with this. If you can handle it, take into account what degree if pain you're at and take advil for it. For me if I am doing ok, but its buggin me a little and I'm working I'll take one pill with milk and or food (like a snack bar). If I'm in a fair amount of pain, but I know I can push through until I get home I will take 2. If I'm in a lot of pain and know its not going away anytime soon (you'll get to know your different levels and know what i'm talking about), depending on time, I usually try to time 3 pills before bed and sleep on it. I have found that if I take 3 advil and sleep it makes the flare up pain go away (for the most part, I still FEEL my joints) and I can start a new day again better than yesterday. I work graveyard so there's a lot of moments when I just have to get through my shift and go home to recoop. I know that your pain areas are different from my mostly lowerback and leg/feet/hand joints but you'll learn what you can handle eventually. So until you find a doctor to go on some pain meds (if you choose) you can use that heat pack I mentioned, because it can come with a strap so you can put it in the micro and then strap it on and do work or house work. I use wrist braces for my hands and wrists because the pressure relieves the pain enough to continue on my day and gives my stomach a rest from the advil. Don't feel embarassed if you have to wear them out in public. If you have a cute outfit on that makes you feel great and the wrist braces give you relief then that's all that matters. I do it all the time because my comfort it more important than impressing others. Its also human nature to look negatively at things we don't understand; as if all the movies out there haven't explained that one. So like my dad (who has short arms and one finger one each arm-he looks like T-Rex) has always said, "If anyone asks just tell them 'my dad was born like that.'" He was raised that he could do anything and that when people ask its only because they don't understand. I also tried the vicks vapor rub like someone here mentioned and it does work a little better than icyhot. I have an email address if you want to talk more about this or have questions.
@rianna