Originally Posted by
PutOutnPO'D
I feel for you on this one. Like you I have chronic pain and most dont have a clue what it's like to try to function with such degree of pain. Having a back injury etc is one thing but living with juvenile arthritis is a complete other story people not living with it just wont understand. Like you I also have suffered with this disease since I was 13 and also have stage 3 chrondromalacia in bilateral knees. I was told at age 19 I would need knee joint replacement down the road. Of course I am now 50 and have had 4 surgeries on my knees which gives very temporary relief. My insurance wont cover the knee replacements until I am at least age 60 (havent a clue why this is but it is as it is). I have been on Vioxx, Bextra, Daypro, Cellebrex, Arthrotec, you name it. But with all the hoopla with the side effects and having a cardiac history they took me off all of them. I was then placed on Motrin 800mg, Darvocet-N and Sinemet(bid after 4pm as I developed severe RLS on top of it). Actually with the darvocet I had some control. Fortunately my past action didnt have the stipulation I couldnt take prescribed meds after my probationary status was complete(thank god). My insurance is now doing away with Darvocet on thier formulary which paniced me and using Ultram (Tramadol). So far it has helped and you may want to check to see as it isnt consider a "narcotic". Also I do my best to go 2 weeks using my meds then 3 days off consistently. Every 6 months I do the best I can to not take for almost 30 days just to detox my system. Sometimes I have to give in due to the pain but it keeps me from ending up in an addictive state. During this time I use more Ice then you could probably find in the north pole and meditation I do on a daily basis with yoga. I do swim almost daily also. Since starting the later things I have been able to cut my meds down dramatically that sometimes I only need to take at bedtime or when I have had a great deal of activity. My pain hits me when I'm done working and sit down for the night. I'm usually ok during work as I have had to endure it so long that I just put my concentration elsewhere for that time. As long as I'm moving I'm well. But the end of day and I get in my vehicle to drive home this is when it hits me like a mallet! I found a gym with a heated pool and stop daily on my way home and hit the whirlpool and the swimming pool. This has been the best exercise in the world to help with my mobility and my pain. I have been a CVICU/ICU/Trauma/Burn nurse for over 24 years so beleive me I stay active at work with no time to sit down usually. If you cant get off meds then see if Ultram would be an issue as it has helped me and I havent had any issues with it on pre-employment drug screens. Also when they added the sinemet which I take at 5pm and then before bed was a godsend! I was very skeptical at first but it really made a significant difference in my pain control.