I am battling a terrible case right now around my sternum. Related to that, when I have high stress levels, it makes the same area hurt. My cardiologist assures me it is not my heart. Docs seem to feel that the stress pain sets off the Costo.
Either way, I am in terrible pain. Enough that breathing hurts and is slowed, but O2 levels are good. I asked my Rhuemy for a DosPack of methyl pred last week, and I am wrapping it up with little luck.
My current stress issues are not all work related. Some is a carry over from the last few weeks. My wife and I took off for vacation two weeks ago. Our AC went out the middle of that week, and it was around 85/89 degrees in the house for a week. (30C). That made sleeping fun, and I was not able to do any work outside that needed to be done because it was in the 90s, and I had no place to come in and cool off. It was nearly a week before they could get worked on it, but ended up having to replace it. Before the AC issue was resolved, I had to replace the central AC. $10K I didnât want to spend!
The stress from being hot for a week and not being able to sleep due to the heat I think set off the current Costo flare up. For the last 4 days the pain around my sternum has been really bad. Even the little pain meds I get are not helping.
Does anyone have any suggestions to slow down the pain from the costo? A heating pad helps some.
I canât take NSAIDS, so that leaves me high and dry.
Well, @tamac, sorry but I donât have great solutions for that painful costconchondritis BUT, if memory serves me right (which is very unreliable) I learned from a reliable source, âMy Big Fat Greek Weddingâ, that Windex works on everything. Trusting the science, (Hollywoodâs) I just might start squirting my joints AND cleaning the windows. Perhaps @tntlamb has a recent study stating the effects of Windex on all things painful? I actually prefer Windex over Walmart hand sanitizerâŚclean hands and joint repair! It must be Monday!
Not all things painful but a couple work⌠science even backs it up. Insect bites - take out the surfactant and blue dye and you have at about 1/10 the cost a product nearly identical to After Bite which has slightly more ammoniaâŚ
One of the most effective treat ments for acute costo pain is an ice pack and a heating pad one in front and one on back then reverse. Repeat. Temporary but of so niceâŚ
They used to have a bottle of Windex in the ER. It will temporarily reduce inflamation of skin. Perfect for removing rings. You could lubricate but getting hold of a slippery ring was toughâŚ
Nothing but heat and ice as @tntlamb said sadly. In my opinion costo is the worst thing PsA offers us too. Some appropriate mindfulness breathing (yes I know breathing deeply is painful) does dial down the panic too.
Thanks all. Heat works some. I canât stand my ice packs on my ribs and chest, though. A DosPak helped about 10 days, and that was it.
I have finally succumbed to the pain. My PCP and my Psychiatrist both told me it was time for pain management. I finally agreed hesitantly. Went to see the pain-clinic people last \week. First visit was a waste of my time. Only met with NP for a detailed history. She did listen to me for about 30 minutes. It was one of those visits where they talk to you like you donât know anything. This doc is supposed to be good. Iâll see. Found out the pain doc is only in my town one day a week. Not happy about that, and it will be nearly three weeks before I see him. I hope it is worth it.
The NP started questioning all my anti-depressants like they may need changing. I told her donât even think about it. I was a bit pissed at that point and told her I probably knew more a depression and anti-depressant than she did since I have been studying it all for over 25 years, especially since she didnât have a clue what a Vagal Nerve Stimulator was for and what it did! Had to educate her about it.
I have my fingers crossed. My pain has been much worse for the last three months and is getting worse. The little opioids that Dr. Obama lets me have used to last 2 months. It now lasts a month. My rheumy told me last visit I was not going to be Phil Mickelson. The meds are not going to put my PsA in remission and may only slow it down. Not good.
I am at the point I am telling myself that this may be the way it is going to be. I am still going to fight it, but I hope the pain management gives me some of my life back. I didnât get the impression from the pain management NP that they treated people with PsA before.
PsA is pretty rare. I would never assume anyone has experience of it outside PsA specialists as in PsA specialist rheumys and PsA specialist physios. And we all know how rare they are too.
Also unless we had significant bone and joint damage, we tend to keep our inflammation levels (this is very generalist incidentally) down from the severely chronic pain level too, via PsA meds that work for us and the pain relief we are permitted to take, which of course differs from country to country. And with signifient use of anti-inflammatories which if memory serves me correctly you canât take @tamac. Correct if Iâm wrong.
The USA is signigicantly alone with its huge societal issue on pain meds which isnât replicated at such horrible levels elswhere. So hence the issues with prescribing rational pain relief to patients suffering diseases which might require such prescriptions which is a lot harder to get in the USA than most other places. So again we as in PsA sufferers will often slip through the chronic pain net and so chronic pain clinics might not see too many of us.
Many of us do suffer âchronic painâ though but it tends not be of the level that requires all of us to attend chronic pain clinics as part of our treatment plan too. And any change of PsA meds will sadly initiate yet another long term adjustment phase during which pain will sadly often increase. Stress and how we deal with stress often governs how active our PsA is and therefore our pain levels too.
Chronic pain clinics tend to also concentrate on how we emotionally process pain too, rather than increasing the script for pain relief. Hence that huge history taking appt plus seeing how you as the patient present. There is no quick fix for chronic pain sadly. And rarely is there a prescription that just makes it instantly more manageable. Itâs a process of negotiation between the patient and the pain relief available and finding the right balance. Iâve never attended a chronic pain clinic but talking to people who have, an awful lot of it is about teaching the patient to look at the pain theyâre suffering differently.
Keep an open and dare I say it a patient mind about the process. Because it is âa processâ rather than anything else. Best of luck.