Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

Sounds like you're doing what you can to try and alleviate pain. I've used the glucosamine cream and I haven't really noticed a difference yet.

Getting to the root of problems such as these isn't easy. Somehow it just seems to creep up on you one day and you're suddenly just living with it and you get to a point where you can't even remember having a whole pain-free day. I forget what it feels like. This is my life now, this is what I live with every day. I've kind of become accustomed to it, as sad as that may sound, and it's simply a way of life for me. And it started so many years ago that I have no idea if anything specific brought it on. Maybe it was nothing at all, but the simple process of aging.

I started falling apart at about the age of 49 (when perimenopause started setting in) and it's all gone downhill from there.

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

I'm sorry you have to deal with this sort of pain Linda. I started acupuncture with TENS yesterday and it is really helping a lot. I've done a lot of research on this and the key seems to be to make sure you are at a healthy weight, to use the joint gently, but not over use it, to ice at least twice a day, eat anti-inflammatory foods, and I find acupuncture is invaluable. I use a stationary bike, but I hear that swimming is good as well.

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

Swimming, yes, it's wonderful for a full body workout because you're essentially using just about every muscle. It's also soothing. We had a chance to buy a house with a pool, but we don't know the first thing about pool maintenance and it would get even more expensive for us to hire someone to do it for us.

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

I have had pain for 40+ years from RA, I have IV treatment once a year and it takes the pain away for 9 months and it gradually comes back till I need another infusion.
Ridiculous to say someone who don't take painkillers hasn't any pain, the only painkiller I can take now is Paracetamol and I don't like taking that because of gut problems that has come from my treatment.
If your pain is down the right leg it could be sciatica, a nerve from your backbone sends pain down the right leg, bursitis is a form of arthritis and hits the hip area, and it is quite painful.
I have know folks with real chronic pain who refuse painkillers, they just lay still and don't move as much as possible, moving makes it hurt.
I feel for you.

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

Bursitis is not a form of arthritis.

Trocanteric bursitis can involve pain down the leg and to the knee. This is because the IT (Iliotibial) band becomes inflamed along with the bursa.

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

Yes, I get pain down my leg sometimes, but not just on one side. I considered sciatica as well, but when I compared my symptoms to both sciatica and bursitis symptoms, mine are more in tune with the bursitis, which is what my doctor diagnosed me with. I thought maybe I had the sciatica as well, but looking at the symptoms of sciatica, I don't have any pain in the rear, the pain is on both sides (sciatica usually only affects one side), my pain worsens when lying, not sitting (sitting relieves the pain - until I get up and walk again) and I don't have the weakness and numbness that is associated with the nerve pain. I get shooting pains down both legs (not necessarily at the same time and it isn't constant, meaning it's not an everyday/every night thing) mostly when I've laid too long on my hip. Then I have to switch sides and I'll get pain on that side after a while as well.

I've never heard of IV treatment for arthritis. Very interesting. My doctor told me of cortisone injections that I could try in my hips, but that too is only temporary. But 9 months out of 12 for the treatment you receive, those are pretty good odds and I'm glad you found something that works for you.

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

Bursitis is one of the arthritis conditions that we have to put up with, and it extremely painful.
This link will show you the kinds of arthritis there are http://www.permahealthcare.com/otherarthritis.htm

Linda, the IV treatment I receive is called Rituximab, and you have to have a back up of Mthotrexate to stop side effects, but my lungs have suffered as a result, but it has been a small price to pay for the freedom of no pain.
The type I suffer from is caused by Felty's Syndrome, this link will explain.http://www.medicinenet.com/feltys_syndrome/article.htm

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

See, that's the issue I have with medications and treatments... there are always side-effects or some other part of your body suffers in an attempt to fix something else.

Jeezuz H., my advice from now on to the younger generation is 3 words - "Don't get old."

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

Linda, age hasn't anything to do with it, babies have arthritis.
See link
http://www.babycenter.com/0_juvenile...tis_1195062.bc

Re: How to live with body pain when you're afraid of taking meds?

Well, I wasn't speaking about arthritis in particular. I meant because as we age, we have to take medication A for this, then medication B to counter the effects of medication A, side-effects to the medications and developing problem after problem in general, etc etc etc.