How do you cope with the pain from rheumatoid arthritis?
Ive had it sense i was a young girl.But sense ive gotten older the pain has spread all over, even in my feet. Its hard to do little things like cleaning. And i cant go shopping for to long because the pain and swelling in my feet is just too much to take. What can relieve this pain without going on meds?
My mother has that in her hands. She uses Tiger Balm. She really liked the way it works but it has an odor.
Go to a doctor and get a prescription for some sort of physical therapy or occupational therapy. They use various modalities and will teach you compensatory techniques to manage your pain when you do every day tasks.
I too suffered with arthritic and joint pain. I’m reluctant to use pharmaceuticals, so at the suggestion of a friend, I tried coral calcium. It alleviated my joint pain in about a week.
Here’s a good article about coral calcium and arthritis:
http://www.coralcalciumsuperstore.com/Coral-Calcium-and-Arthritis.php
Tiger Balm is good…so is Kwoloon oil (go to any Chinese market).
You might also try Montmorency Cherry Juice….there’s something in pure cherry juice that reduces inflamation. My father has arthritis…very painful joints…he started drinking it about a year ago and notice a major improvement within a week! He drinks it in pure form…about 1 ounce every morning. He Swears By It!!!!
(It’s very overpriced….about $40.00 per half gallon, I think)
You really should go talk to your doctor. The problem with RA is that it’s not just pain, its causing damage to your joints as the disease develops. Even if you don’t have inflammation your joints could still be deteriorating. Some of the new meds (biologics) really help slow down the damage. I’ve been on Enbrel for a six months and am in remission. When I was diagnosed with RA one year ago I was in incredible pain whenever I tried to unlock the door, start my car, or open a bottle. Now I feel very little. These meds don’t work as well for everyone, but it has really helped me.
Aside from visiting your doctor to make sure you are getting proper treatment, you should stay active and eat right. With a disease that effects the immune system, its important to stay healthy so things don’t get worse. You should try water exercises in a heated pool. This will give you the exercise you need and is a lot less painful. You can also ask your doctor what other remedies you can try or changes you can make so that life is a little easier.
Visit http://www.arthritis.org for tips on living with arthritis and to reach out to others with RA – it has helped me a lot. Good luck with your treatment!!
By the way… be aware of the difference between rheumatoid arhritis and osteoarthritis!! They are two very very differnt illnesses, that just share the common name “arthritis.” Lots of people get osteo, and they do just fine with a pain reliever. But RA is a progressive disease. You can’t just stand by and leave it untreated. It will likely only cause more damage and more pain the longer you wait. I notice a lot of times people will answer questions about RA like it is the same as what their grandma always had, but it is far more serious and has much different treatments!!