no responders?

[tenacious]

i was saddened to come to this forum and see that many of the threads do not have any responses to them. is this forum just very slow? is there anything we can do to get it going? i know that i would love to help and receive help concerning arthritis.

what can i do to help?

[Buttons2]

Hi Tenacious, I have arthritis in my hands,knees & feet. My thumbs are especially bad & have some deformity in my fingers also.

I've been experimenting with Castor Oil on my knees,it seems to help. I've heard of a cream called Castiva that is made from castor beans but doesn't have the oily residue, planning to get some today in fact.

I have no idea what type of arthritis I have & it doesn't really matter to me since I've given up on doctor's & their "mystery" diagnoses anyway.

Have learned to adjust to what I can still do & what I've had to give up. Gardening is a thing of the past for instance.

I use Advil or Tylenol for the pain & inflamation. Stairs are my enemy now. I adopted a dog last spring which forces me to get out & walk everyday. I've gotten to the point where daily pain is just a part of my life.

I'm going to start a thread about diet,hope someone will come along with ideas/comments!

Take care, Buttons

[GJZH]

I too come here, but it seems as though there is not much interest...I find it sad since I think many people suffer with arthritis. I do not know how to generate more interest in this board, but do wish more would post.

I was taking Plaquenil for RA, but did not get my eyes check before starting the drug so have no base. I went after two months for an eye exam and it seems I have lost a considerable amount of peripheral vision, unfortunately. I do not know if it is from the Plaquenil or the Topamax. I stopped both drugss since both can have a great impact on vision. Supposedly, the effects from Topamax are reversible, but it is not from the Plaquenil. My RA doc wanted to start a new drug if I am afraid of the Plaquenil, but in truth all of the RA drugs seem to have bad side effects...so what to do?

I, too am having trouble with my hands and am having surgery on the thumb.

I am starting to think that the docs prescribe these drugs knowing we will get some other ailment and then we need more drugs to combat the problems from the drug they prescribed, so maybe it is just best to suffer with the pain.

[Buttons2]

I had a friend on Viiox (sp), she was so relieved from pain that she actually wore her bones down to zilch & had to have surgery to repair damage! Then of course this stuff was taken off the market.....I agree totally about the drugs & side effects. People are being used to experiment on while pharm co make big bucks.

Please try the castor oil, can't get any cheaper treatment! I apply it to my knees or anything else that hurts.

Well, it's up to us to get this forum going,so I'll try to be more deligent checking here myself. Cold weather is making everything worse so you'd think people would be on her to whine if nothing else! Maybe everyone has gone south for the winter???:rolleyes:

Take care,Buttons

[joy]

Hi there everyone

well there is no excuse for me about not posting here except to say i guess i've learned that complaining doesn't help and that's all i've been doing for years. i have several types of pain and it is hard for me to determine which is from which most days. but i do have about two pages of stuff that gone wrong with my body. i can't give a fast answer but to sum it up as degenerative is probably in the best. i also have fibromyalgia. was diagnosed in 70's after an injury that didn't go away. not RA arthritis o far but i do have peripheral neuropathy that adds to the pain mix. i think a lot of people must post on the chronic pain forum. but i will try and make it by here every now and then. it's awful to have pain that changes your life, that much i know!

[6t5frlane]

Some are over at Arthritisinsight.com

[joy]

thanks for the tip 6t5frlane. i started back with nerve blocks today from am pain management doctor. still has not kicked in but it will soon if it proceeds as it did in times before. it will be the first of several to come i'm afraid. but something has to help.