The "In-between" time
I was recently diagnosed (after nearly 15 years) with juvenile arthritis. I started enbrel last week, and am on an anti-inflammatory med, but now have to wait until it kicks in. Unfortunately, until then I am in a TON of pain. Anyone have any advice on how to calm joint pain? I have been using biofreeze and ice just to make it through the day.
Hi heatherly. Sorry you are struggling with pain while you wait for the new medicine to kick in. Unfortunately, this is a problem all too common for those with RA. In fact, my wife, Kelly Mack (a contributor here, who also has JIA), is going through this right now with a medication change. For your protection, we cannot give medical advice over the internet. I can tell you Kelly does things like work with her rheumatologist on plans for increasing her prednisone (which of course comes with its own downside). In addition, this article compiling thoughts from the community on pampering oneself during a flare may be of assistance: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/loving-yourself-during-a-flare/. Hoping you see some positive results from the Enbrel soon. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
I too lived with JRA (now JIA) from age nine onwards. The best things you can do, I have found, to mitigate the joint pain until the medcines begin to kick in are: don’t sit down until you are done moving for the day. There’s something called the gel effect, and what it means basically is that when you finally sit down and stop moving, that’s when the joints begin to really hurt and swell up. Also, ice is a great solution, but remember - 20 minutes on 20 minutes off, as a rule of thumb. In addition, massaging or moving joints back and forth can help, as well as the regular over the counter meds like Ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc. As always, if you have any questions or want to vent feel free to contact me or anyone here. Keep on keepin’ on, Daniel P. Malito (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member)
