Pain Pain Pain

[meow]

The combination of a slow-healing ankle injury ( MRI results today) that causes me to lean heavily on the other leg, arthritis and weird muscle pains is making me CRAZY.

Ankle on the left. Knee and hip on the right. Shoulder weakness, arm pains. Tylenol takes the edge off. Advil is better, but NSAIDS with methotrexate and plaquenil have to be limited. I have tramadol, but it simply does not work for me. As in, no change whatsoever. Heat does not help much, either.
The stairs are a nightmare.

Relaxation techniques help briefly, but when it hurts to move, most of the benefits evaporate quickly.

I am grouchy and irritable, impatient and exhausted. I am PISSED.

I hope this MRI shows something. It was supposedly a sprain, but 4 months later it's still painful and swells up daily. I suspect a stress fracture.
The worst thing would be for them to say "We don't see anything." I don't know what I'll do if that happens.

[Carolina]

If you have ligament damage it can take months to heal, since ligaments have such a poor blood supply.

Patience is in order.

I don't know what to recommend for pain. 

And when one part is injured, you begin to alter your gait and stress other parts.  It's a three-ring circus and you get to be the number one clown. (humor?)

I understand how terrible this is.  when I sprained my ankle badly, in my 30's, it hurt for over year, perhaps more.   

Let us know what the MRI shows.

Hugs, Elaine

[SjoGirl]

meow,

I am very sorry to hear about your pain, of course you are angry, pain hurts and makes even the most positive person grumpy at the least.

Is it muscle pain, joint pain, and/or nerve pain. I've found over the years that being able to distinguish which is the issue (or in some cases includes or all three of these types of pain) has helped me find a treatment that at least helps to some degree.

For example, I learned several years ago that in addition to SjS I have a lot of osteoarthritis from the top of my spine to the bottom and many discs that are out of place. As a result, I experience both muscle pain (if I get out of kilter), but also significant nerve pain. That said I also experience nerve pain from neuropathy. Gapabentin has proven to be a god send for the pain (I used tramadol, it did little to nothing, but it's for a different type of pain).

IDing the cause can help ID the pathway of the pain and might lead to gaining some relief. I wish you well in considering this.

[meow]

MRI shows inflammation and edema, no injury. Ligaments and tendons all OK.

This is workman's comp, and the doctor was practically useless. he suggested a cortisone shot and offered to refer me to a podiatrist. I have one already, and if all they can do is a shot, I will go to him instead of starting over with yet another doctor.

He asked if I want any medication. I told him about the NSAID issue, and how tramadol does nothing for me, so he didn't give me anything at all.

I don't know if it's nerve pain. I have that in my bicep, and it doesn't seem to be the same thing. What it feels like is as if it was dislocated.

Appointment with podiatrist tomorrow, very discouraged today.