Eventually getting a steroid injection but can hardly walk :(

[Icantstopeatinglol]

Does anyone know if a general kenalog steroid injection will help my feet? I've got arthritis in them and a lot of other joints and I'm hoping for a miracle pain killer!!
I'm 36 and can hardly put any weight on my right foot it's so painful! Not to mention the pain everywhere else and that's on anti inflammatries and regular tramadol! :)

Yes, it should do in theory. You poor thing. If things are that bad, you might benefit from a short course of oral steroids. Has your referral come through yet?

As candy says, it should do. I get a steroid shot in the autumn to help tide me over my winter flare. It doesn't make everything go away completely but it does go a long way to helping.

Well my appt with the consultant is 19th may! Just because I've asked to change consultants I've been put right to the back of the queue. I'm so annoyed! They know how much pain I'm in and that all this waiting could mean my joints are getting damaged.
Even tho my original consultant said I would be seen in a matter of wks. It's going to be 10wks at this rate, feel totally let down :(

Your gp can prescribe a short course of steroids that may help to tide you over.

Just had the injection and the nurse said it should work in a few days and could last up to a few months! Jeez I hope so!!! Fingers crossed!

misunderstood - thought your steroid shot wasnt due til May. Yes, it could quite comfortably hold you til May.
I get hot flushes for a couple of nights after mine, so if you find yourself a bit hot and sweaty it could be a cause.

Yea badkitten the nurse mentioned the hot flushes. Just hoping it helps my feet! Most things I can deal with but not being able to walk properly (or at all at times!) isn't ideal with a 3 & 6 yr old!
Nice bath and glass of wine later and hopefully I'll wake up feeling better in the next day or two :)

Watching optimistically. Dd1 7 has arthritis in her foot. Bless her, it is still really bad and drs have suggested steroid shots. Is their any negatives to this?

There even!

imip - are they localised steroid shots or a general shot (in the bum?)

Imip I've had both, although first general shot today. I did have plantar fasciitis in my foot a few yrs back and got a steroid shot straight into my heel and I'm not going to lie it was very painful.....but worth it cos it sorted it out thankfully!
Your poor dd tho, must be hard watching a child go through this. Though they do say kids tend to just get on with it.
The only negative thing the nurse told me was that you can't have them more often (3 times a year apparently).
Hope your dd is better soon

Thanks...

I think they are localised shots into the ankle (where she has it). I think it is done under ga. And going by how difficult it is to get blood from her, ga would be the only way!

I'm gutted by the diagnosis. Came from so left field. I thought it may hurt for a couple of months and then go back to normal, but it has now been for almost four months. Really hard to see her struggling. Unable to sit on the floor at school, struggling to climb stairs. Hurts to participate in gymnastics and swimming, which she loves....

Thankful though that it is just one ankle. I struggle to move her distances and this would be a disaster with both ankles affected. She does tend to get on with it, but she (quite rightly) complains a lot. And sometime I've seen her almost collapse with the pain. She has all but stopped trying in her swimming classes, but still gives it a go in gymnastics

I have a friend, an osteopath, who suggests cutting out starch. Anyone else tried any other complementary medicines?

Hi imip I've tried a few different diets but not really stuck at them long enough to notice a difference. Although I did feel a lot better cutting out gluten but that was more for my stomach.
What sort of arthritis does your dd have? Is it juvenile arthritis?
I think if it's hurting her that much def go for the steroid injection. I've had a general steroid jab today and already my feet are starting to feel a bit better.
It's not just the pain that's bad but the continuous pain really wears you down so your dd has my sympathy.

That's encouraging that you're feeling less pain already, good for you!

I am feeling quite down about dds situation. They were diagnosing JIA, but then found an infection, and hoped it was reactive arthritis. I was optimistic then as naproxen was starting to have an affect, and finding then infection was great. Day after we say the physio and dr it all went really bad. So bad she couldn't walk. I'm unclear on what kind of pain she should be 'working' through....

I agree tht the continuous pain seems very wearing.

She's finished the antibiotics now and it seems to have gotten worse

The gluten does sound like a good idea, but I have 4dcs aged between 2-7, not sure how it would apply practically. I'm thinking of waiting til summer holidays when there is no school, no birthday parties, and we may have some hope in trying it out...

Hi imip, it does sometimes take a while for them to decide on a diagnosis. I'm sure I've also got ankylosing spondylitis but got to wait til May for my next appt with the consultant to discuss it.
I'm sure you are feeling down about your dd, I get down about myself!
What you've got to remember is if it's only in one joint that's good. Plus, they do a lot of research into arthritis and there's lots of drugs to try which can help. I'm hoping to be put on the biological treatments next. My Mams a nurse and she's always saying they often come up with new things for arthritis. I'm just thinking it's just a matter of time before I find a drug that works for me. That will be the same for your dd.
I think with diets it's hard because there's so many different things to try but they all mean a major change to your lifestyle and I've got a dd3 and ds6 so it's difficult. Plus, the drs I've spoken to seem to brush things like that off. Apart from have a healthy diet they don't seem to have an opinion.
I'm going to ask my new consultant in May tho so I'll let you know.
I don't know much about reactive and juvenile arthritis, I just know about the pain. When's your dd due to see the drs again?

imip There is no research indicating that any complimentary therapies help except omega 3 oils (at quite a high dose) for inflammatory arthritis. Arthritis Research UK did some extensive research into the topic. There is also no evidence indicating that diet helps either.

Sorry to hear about your poor DD.

Yes, icant that's right, I am bloody relieved it is only in one joint. From what I have read, if it spreads to another joint, it is usually in the first 6 months. 2 months to go....

candy I'm usually a pretty conventional girl, my osteo friend must think I am a nutter, but this I was prepared to try (dh also has ibs and I think he needs to experiment with his diet). So that's good feedback to have. I think she mentioned the omega thing also. I'll try googling that research and look at the arthritis websites.

They couldn't fit dd into any clinics until end July but she has physio at the end of the month. Consultant said to call if it got worse or I was worried and he'd get us into the urgent clinic. I'm thinking I should because I have noticed swelling for the first time (can see it on the X-ray but not to the naked eye). I think she is experiencing more pain, she's even developing her own metaphors to describe the pain!

imip I would def try to get her into the urgent clinic if you can. The one thing that worries me, and I'm not sure if this is the same with your dds condition, is that if there's swelling that could cause joint damage. It has with mine already. I think if it's stopping her walking etc that's good enough reason to be seen asap.
Good luck!

Thanks for the encouragement icnat. Dd was seen in urgent clinic today. It wasn't swollen today. He said that it was clear the first line of treatment wasn't working, they wanted to avoid maltrexione (sp.) for one joint. She is being referred to great Ormond st. I'd it was swollen, she'd be seen in a couple of weeks, but it will be a couple of months now .

As we left hosp, dd proceeded to tell me that it actually wasn't just her right ankle that was hurting, but also her left. WTAF! I'm gutted for her and for all of us as we are really stopping a lot of activities we do that involve walking. Though, I do wish she had said something while in with the consultant ( she is super shy and just grunts at the v lovely pead).

Anyway, your encouragement spurred me on to contacting pead again. I am quite shy like her, so thanks

If you felt better cutting out gluten, then it might well be worth trying to cut it out completely and stick to it for a couple of months. I had hugely painful, swollen joints in my early 20's, couldn't walk without substantial pain etc, and after 5 years was diagnosed as having coeliac disease. A month gluten free and my pain was so, so, so much better, and after 6 months I had no more painful joints. In the 16 years since, I only get generalised joint pain if I get glutened

imip I'm so glad you took your dd along to the clinic, sometimes you have to push things a bit. There's been times I've left things then when I've eventually been seen I've thought I should have actually went sooner but had been putting it off.
I constantly feel like I'm a pain in the bum ha! Dh agrees a lot of the time....however no one else is going to fight this battle for me so I have to speak up and push things when I need to.
My appt has just been out back until June as I had to rearrange :( I'm ok at the moment tho so just going to hang fire as this steroid jab has been a godsend.
However, and same goes for you and your dd, if things get worse before the appt I'm going to ring and see if I can get in sooner.
How's your dds walking and pain? Is she managing?

Has the steroid injection made things 100% better? Consultant said it may not.

She can walk. But she will complain a lot. She stands on the scooter and hold onto the buggy, which I push. Baring weight is painful. She has also put on almost a kilo in the past three weeks sonce we last went to hosp. So they realised that her mobility is really compromised.

I still make her walk etc, but she used to be a realgo-getter. Couldn't stop her cart wheeling around our house.

Honestly, I'd say she is not really managing, but putting on a brave face....

Hi imip, how's your dd getting on? Hope they've managed to help her pain at the very least.