There are many different ways to reduce the pain and so many places that can hurt. Different types of pain medications help with the pain, and they can be combined. People also use topical pain control as used with sport medicine, surgery, or injuries such as TENS units, lotions, patches, and hot/cold therapy. Bringing the inflammation down and supporting the painful joints are important too. Even exercise/motion to keep joints mobile help. A really good (small needle) acupuncturist can even help. 50 percent of people who tried acupuncture said it helps, but it is only temporary. Note - it is not just joints that hurt. The tendons and ligaments connected to the inflamed joints can also hurt, as can other areas of connective tissue not attached to a joint. Then there are the nerves that go through a vertebra, a shoulder etc. that is affected that also become painful. A few studies have show that some people with RA develop higher densities of nerves, making them even more sensitive to pain! Many people with RA can develop fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain with peripheral neuropathy - pain that is not joint pain. I am never pain free, but the biggest pain reduction was brought by a medication that reduces the disease course itself.

I have a pain doctor who told me to stop trying to grin and bear the pain and to stop allowing it to incapacitate me. If your husband has significant pain, perhaps a specialist can work with different options for pain management. It is part of taking care of the RA patient.

Hi, i was diagnosed 15 years ago and I still remember that period as the worst and most painful time! It took a while to find a good combination of meds for me, but once they did, I regained a lot of my independence. Although I experience pain everyday, it's manageable and not always constant.
I experience flare ups from time to time and I have to stop and rest. But please remain positive, hopefully soon they will find the right mix for you and the pain will lessen and you'll regain control of your life. X

The flares are elevations in pain. Some people have continuous significant pain with no obvious flares, others have periods with minimal to no pain followed by high pain. Even those with high pain can have even more joints affected during a flare. Flares can last a day, or weeks.

My house is not recognizable from when everything had a place and was in it, when it was kept 100% functioning and maintained instead of patched for another day. I alone cannot keep it tidy, shiny, allergen and dust free. Even my beautiful saltwater tank sits empty, neglected. Seasonal decorations, flowers from my show garden, care packages to friends and family have dwindled in a storm of health constraints of my own and those who surround me. I would love a manager to arrange doctors visits, family affairs (kids and all), housekeeper, organizer, shopper, child care, pet care, dog walker, beautician, book keeper to track medical and other expenses, limo driver, technology and assisstive device guru, personal health and fitness trainer, personal expert physicians who would visit my house on my schedule, the latest gadgets to make life easier... leisure vacations away from it all. Oh what it could be like to be rich! I am rich in memories, in the present with my kids, husband and friends (even pets), in the future with possibilities, and that I can do so much. There are spoons in my stash, and more to be gained by looking for alternatives. I feel for you and empathize. I too see these external signs of neglect of what I wish I could take care of and have, and wish it was not so. There will be losses, disappointments, and regrets along the way- This is life. Yet I look at what I have had, do have, and what I can still have, and these far exceed what I don't have. Gentle hugs.

Honestly I am amazed how so many of you remain positive. Ilook outside at my untended gardens and then come into my desperately in need of spring cleaning house. I crawl upstairs to my bedroom and zone out to awful tv. My new glasses don't work and when I do read my entire arm wrists and elbows fingers make me stop reading not to mention the headache from my RA eyes. Forget doing any sewing or knitting.. I guess I had hoped that spring and the IV's would cheer me up. I am bored to tears after the long winter.Not a good day today. Sorry to be so winey.At least I know I am not alone.