newbie

[Guest guest]

I have just been diagnosed with PA. I'm 56 yrs old and this is the

first time I have had anything like this. The most problem and pain is

in my right foot (plantar facia).

I'm on 400mg of Clinoril, 150 mg lyrica, and methotrexate 6-2.5mg

pills once a week and nexium and folic acid. I tried to cut down the

dosage on lyrica because of weight gain but the nerve pain was too

much.

I have never experienced anything like this before and it is

devastating. I'm thinking about using a cane but embarrassed to ask my

rhumy about it. I need to lose weight but it's difficult when you

can't walk. I mainly need to see how others are coping and managing.

Dotti

[Editor's Note: Hi, Dotti. In severe cases of plantar fasciitis, rheumies will

often inject the heel with cortisone. It hurts like crazy going in, but it does

provide relatively quick relief. If you do a Google search on plantar

fasciitis, you will find many, many references. A number of those sites speak

about the need to exercise heel, calf and ankle muscles in order to prevent

recurrence. I had a severe bout of plantar fasciits awhile back and as a result,

I am now quite serious about exercising my ankles several times a day. Many of

the websites describe the exercise techniques. Suffice it to say, we are not

talking about getting in a gym suit and lifting weights. All of the exercises

can be done at your desk, in the living room, in your bed so weight and physical

conditioning is not an issue. I encourage you to talk to your rheumy about

getting a steroid shot in the heel and then doing exercises all the time

thereafter to keep the muscles properly stretched. This will help avoid

recurrence in the future.

Separately, we have recently been talking about losing weight on this site.

Although many people find exercise quite difficult, all of us could do an

exercise that involves lifting our forks less frequently, LOL. Accordingly, a

few of us have decided to take 25% of everything on our plates (including

snacks) and setting it aside and not eating it. That will immediately and

relatively painlessly reduce our caloric intake by 25%. We should also do

things like leaving serving dishes on the kitchen counter instead of convenient

like on the dining room table. People are much less likely to have seconds if it

involves getting up. It is also easy to do little things such as standing or

sitting by the carrots at a party instead of by the chips. So, for starters,

how about taking 25% of everything on your plate and going directly to the

garbage with it. It is not a waste of food - it would have come out of your

body as another form of waste - and you are not going to donate 25% of your

dinner plate to the hungry anyway. In addition, many of us who are in too much

pain from " land-based " exercises are quite comfortable when doing exercises in a

pool. YMCAs are plentiful and very inexpensive and almost all of them have

aquatic exercise programs. I find swimming to be a great comfort and a pain

reliever so if you can use a pool, you should try to do so. Many hotels and

motels also have pools and if you speak to the manager, he or she may let you

use the pool for a small cost if you explain that you have severe arthritis and

need the exercise.

Lastly, by all means speak to your rheumy about using a cane. Some rheumies do

not recommend it because it puts too much weight and stress on your " good " side

and it can create a real imbalance for some people. Other rheumies encourage

their use and believe that for many of us, canes are very useful. If you don't

already have a handicap parking tag, you should get one from your local issuing

office. This will save you from having to walk far from your car. You should

also learn to use (they're really easy) the electric carts found in many

supermarkets, department stores, big box stores and malls. They are a painless

way to get around and the stores would much rather you use those than you walk

out of the store quickly because you're in pain. Don't give a whit if other

shoppers seem to stare - those people mean nothing to you and they are probably

intrigued by the carts. Two seconds after you are out of their line-of-sight

they will have forgotten all about you so why would you ever give a rat's tushie

about them? You have only yourself to blame if you don't do some of these small

things to make like easier. Hope some of this helps. Kathy F.]