Advice on Pain Management

[kittycat39]

I am 40yrs old and have suffered with arthritis pain(I think that's what it is) for at least 19 years now.  I have been told by a physician that I have arthritis but never quite sure what type.  The problem is getting worse.  The pain in my hip is so excruciating that I can hardly move.  Some days standing up is a real challenge.  It wakes me up from a deap sleep and causes sweats.  I am not a fan of pain meds and am allergic to ibuprofen based medications.  The pain will often radiate down my thigh making even sitting upright painful.  The weird thing about this is it seems to get worse just before my menstrual cycle.  Has anyone ever heard of this?  I'm not sure what to do anymore since I can't seem to have a single day without pain.  It drains me both physically and emotinally.  I have had many Xrays done with nothing found.  All I would like is to be able to walk more than 10 minutes without limping and being able to shop without leaning against a cart for support.  I won't even get started on the stairs!!  lol

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[MyTau]

kitty,

What does the ibuprofen do to you? Is it an serious allergy or is it like I have which is a bad stomach from taking it for so long. 800mg tablet 3 times a days for years; that is all my Dr would give me, at least my old Dr. I have it in my back, neck, knee's, hips. Because I also have Lupus, Raynaud's phenom, DDD, psoriasis, and my Rheumy also says Fibro because I have all of the trigger points, but it pretty much hurts no matter where you poke me. I also have jaw pain, sore and swollen lymph nodes, especially in my neck so I think it is CFIDS. Anyway I was put on Oxycontin for many years, but no longer could afford it so she switched me to Methadone, fortunately that works pretty good too, and costs me only $10 a month instead of $400 a month; yes my insurance paid for 50% of it, but it is still a small fortune since I can not work anymore and we have lost about $1,500 a month in income, and I am still waiting to be approved for SSD.

I hope you find something that works for you, and I hope you have a good Dr because it can be hard to one that isn't afraid to Rx whatever it takes for your pain.

[kittycat39]

Thanks, never thought of the aspirin!!!   That should have been a no brainer...

[Dnmh]

Dummy me! Good old asprin is a NSAID - just like ibuprophen. The problem with that, if you have a sensitivity to one NSAID, there is a chance you will to others. But, I'll look into it.

[Dnmh]

txsilver and I are in the process of compiling a list. If you can give me a day or two I'll look into it for you!

[kittycat39]

Thank you so much for the advice.  I feel that if I'm educated when I go to see my doctor it's easier to tell him what I want.  Are there any other anit inflammatories that are not ibuprofen based?  I hate taken Tylonel by the bottle.

[LAF_NH]

I think that the rheumatologist is the best place to start.  They could tell you what kind of arthritis you have and set you up with a treatment plan.  Having to suffer in pain all the time is very exhausting both mentally and physically.  Keep on your doctors to see a specialist and never take no for an answer!  They should probably get you set up with some physical therapy also and they could give you small exercises that you can do at home to help also.

[Dnmh]

Are you seeing a rhematologist? If not, maybe you should. They would be able to tell you what type of arthtitis you have. Also, if xrays are not showing anything, an MRI may be more precises. It's possible you have a disk problem, based off the radiating pain, that won't always show up on xray.
A good physical therapist can give you excersises that may help, and a pain management clinic could gear a treatment plan based off your symptoms and medication intolerance.

If it were me, I'd start with a consult with a rheumatologist.