Re: Re: Vicodin, Cami

December 4, 2005

Cami,

Don't be too hasty about the vicodin. I was sick the first time or two I

took it as well, but now it is the only thing that can get the level of pain

down below about 6. My symptoms are similar to yours and I associate them with

the fibromyalgia rather than the RA. I think the one side gets affected most

because when we do fall asleep we immediately roll over on that side. Have you

noticed that pressure on your shoulder of any type for too long is what

triggers it in the first place, and then it won't go away for weeks sometimes?

I would kill for Vicodin right now but the only two doctors who haven't washed

their hands of me don't believe in pain pills unless your labs show something

and mine don't. So every minute of every day....well you know..I don't even

have to say it here. If you take the Vicodin with a little food and give

yourself a little time to get used to it, you might find you've found the magic

bullet--but don't get to attached to feeling better

unless your doctor is the best of the best of the best and thinks you deserve

to feel okay long-term,

laura

Cami DeFries <gsplovers@...> wrote: ,

I have pain all over, but my left side is the worst! My left side is

currently numb from the toes all the way up into my shoulder. I

say 'numb', but when it's touched or bumped, it feels like little

electric currents running wild and that's very uncomfortable! It's

been this way for a little over 3 months...started with just my

foot, then slowly has traveled to include the rest of the left side!

Ugh!

I have problems with my jaw too. Whenever I eat something like a

grape, I have horrible pain for a second or two when taking the

first bite. It's awful! When this 'episode' first started my jaw

hurt so bad I couldn't hardly talk! That only lasted about a week &

then it just aches a little now. Thank goodness! I was tested for

TMJ, but they said that wasn't it. I am suspicious it's the RA. I go

to the doc's on Monday to get my referral to the rheumy.

I tried Vicodin (Hydrocodone) for the 1st time today. I don't like

it - at all! I became extremely sick to my stomach & still can't

believe I managed to make it through without vomitting. I thought

maybe the nausea was because of not eating, but after I ate, it got

worse! Ugh! I won't be taking that again!!

Oh - also, when it's just the joint pain, it usually strikes the

left side worse, but there is also lesser pain in the opposing

joint - example: left shoulder is excruciating so my right shoulder

is tender.

Cami

> >

> > Hello to everyone. I am new here. Here is my

> > situation: I am a 38 year old female. A couple of

> > years ago, I was doing pretty good. I had lost 30

> > lbs., with 70 more to go. I was also doing Jazzercise

> > at the time for about 6 months. Then, I started

> > having pain in my left hip. I went to an orthopedic

> > surgeon, who thought that maybe I had torn some

> > cartiledge in that hip. After an MRI with injected

> > dye, he concluded that there was nothing wrong with

> > that hip joint. After this, he asked me if I had ever

> > experienced any other pain, and I told him that

> > sometimes my left wrist hurt. He then referred me to

> > a rheumatologist.

> > To make a long story short, after getting the

> > bloodwork done, the rheumy told me that I was RH

> > negative with a sed-rate of 40. She put me on

> > hydroxychloriquine. (I also stayed on a regimen of

> > certain vitamins, glucosamine and tart cherry juice.)

> > I continued to have occasional hip and wrist

> > flare-ups. Finally, two years later, I started to get

> > worse. The arthritis moved to my left ankle joint. (I

> > sometimes have to use a cane and brace on it.) My

> > rheumy did not like the swelling that she was

> > continuing to see. (BTW, my joints do not get red and

> > hot, but I do occasionally have a low-grade fever.)

> > My actual diagnosis is inflammatory arthritis

> > non-specific. My rheumy is leaning toward the RA

> > diagnosis, but she is perplexed by the fact that for

> > now, it only manifests on my left side. I have even

> > had pain on the left side of my jaw!

> > Does anyone have any ideas as to what else this

> > could be? I would appreciate any responses.

> > Thank you,

> >

> > __________________________________________

> > DSL – Something to write home about.

> > Just $16.99/mo. or less.

> > dsl.

> >

>

December 5, 2005

You can also reduce the dose - start low, go slow.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] Re: Vicodin, Cami

Cami,

Don't be too hasty about the vicodin. I was sick the first time or two I

took it as well, but now it is the only thing that can get the level of

pain down below about 6. My symptoms are similar to yours and I associate

them with the fibromyalgia rather than the RA. I think the one side gets

affected most because when we do fall asleep we immediately roll over on

that side. Have you noticed that pressure on your shoulder of any type for

too long is what triggers it in the first place, and then it won't go away

for weeks sometimes? I would kill for Vicodin right now but the only two

doctors who haven't washed their hands of me don't believe in pain pills

unless your labs show something and mine don't. So every minute of every

day....well you know..I don't even have to say it here. If you take the

Vicodin with a little food and give yourself a little time to get used to

it, you might find you've found the magic bullet--but don't get to attached

to feeling better

unless your doctor is the best of the best of the best and thinks you

deserve to feel okay long-term,