I have piriformis syndrome. See a PT, there are some great stretches that really help!
mom5 said:
The piriformis is my worst pain. I hate it. I need to get a new referral to the PT. I will ask her first to make sure she does the release technique. That would be great if she can help me.
Ircjvl, I need to take my supplements faithfully. Im just not sure which ones I need. im always anemic. I know I need vitamin d and folate. I usually have fatigue. B12 would prob help me too. I take a multi most days. Can't sleep without trazadone. Maybe after I stop sodas and exercise i will sleep on my own. Im gonna go low carb. gi thinks I am sensitive to wheat. I appreciate your all's advice. am on my cell with husband's crazy driving. hard to type.
My rheumy runs several labs on me every month I see him. He is checking my vitamin D and some other things now. I didn't begin vitamin D until I was told I needed to. I really don't take much besides a multi vitamin, which the rheumy's office did tell me to take. The folic acid is something that I decided to take on my own. I had read a message on healthtap from my rheumatologist where he advised people taking sulfazine to also take folate. I will be sure to ask him about B12. I'm pretty sure my rheumatologist recommends low carb. He definitely wants me to cut back on sugar. We had a discussion about my Pepsi drinking. My GI told me to avoid wheat since it makes my stomach swell. He also told me to avoid caffeine, lettuce, and some other vegetables. I will ask the rheumatologist next month about what supplements I should take. He is not really a fan of supplements from what I gather. He thinks vitamin D is important. He said it helps with pain sensitivity. I am, for sure, low on vitamin D. In the past I took B12 and it really helped with energy. The fatigue is terrible sometimes.
lrcjvl said:
Mom5 your primary care physician and/or your rheumy should be diagnosing and treating any vit/mineral deficiencies you have. You should be having labs done. Please discuss with your team, don't just take things randomly.
This depends. If you are doing well and take your meds at home as opposed to infusions in the office, some people go every 3 months. That's were I would like to be. Instead, I see mine every 4-6 weeks. Ugh.
mom5 said:
GrumpyCat, I will ask him about a topical the next time I see him. I think it would be helpful. He never mentioned a topical to me but I haven't told him about my stomach burning and the acid. My piriformis is killing me today. It is sore from the injection. Hopefully the injection will last longer this time.
How often do you see your rheumatologist? Anyone can answer this. I'm just curious. I go once per month. Many labs are drawn each time. Have only been in treatment since October so maybe I have to go so often because I'm still in the early stages of treatment.
Today I will call to see if I can get a referral to the PT again. It would be great if I could learn how to stretch in between injections. Maybe I could get to where I nolonger need injections. It seems like many on here have piriformis syndrome. The rheumatologist said it can be hereditary. My mother also had it. I also have sacroiliitis. It seems to be better after several prolotherapy treatments. They were expensive though. Had to pay out of pocket. It did seem like it helped the sacroillitis a great deal where other things failed.
TaraLynn said:
I have piriformis syndrome. See a PT, there are some great stretches that really help!
mom5 said:
The piriformis is my worst pain. I hate it. I need to get a new referral to the PT. I will ask her first to make sure she does the release technique. That would be great if she can help me.
Ircjvl, I need to take my supplements faithfully. Im just not sure which ones I need. im always anemic. I know I need vitamin d and folate. I usually have fatigue. B12 would prob help me too. I take a multi most days. Can't sleep without trazadone. Maybe after I stop sodas and exercise i will sleep on my own. Im gonna go low carb. gi thinks I am sensitive to wheat. I appreciate your all's advice. am on my cell with husband's crazy driving. hard to type.
It sounds like you should look into the FODMAPS diet. ITs excellent for IBS symptoms like the bloating you described. Ask your doctor the next time you see him/her if they think it could work for you. Then get a referral to a registered dietician so they can help you make the changes.
mom5 said:
My rheumy runs several labs on me every month I see him. He is checking my vitamin D and some other things now. I didn't begin vitamin D until I was told I needed to. I really don't take much besides a multi vitamin, which the rheumy's office did tell me to take. The folic acid is something that I decided to take on my own. I had read a message on healthtap from my rheumatologist where he advised people taking sulfazine to also take folate. I will be sure to ask him about B12. I'm pretty sure my rheumatologist recommends low carb. He definitely wants me to cut back on sugar. We had a discussion about my Pepsi drinking. My GI told me to avoid wheat since it makes my stomach swell. He also told me to avoid caffeine, lettuce, and some other vegetables. I will ask the rheumatologist next month about what supplements I should take. He is not really a fan of supplements from what I gather. He thinks vitamin D is important. He said it helps with pain sensitivity. I am, for sure, low on vitamin D. In the past I took B12 and it really helped with energy. The fatigue is terrible sometimes.
lrcjvl said:
Mom5 your primary care physician and/or your rheumy should be diagnosing and treating any vit/mineral deficiencies you have. You should be having labs done. Please discuss with your team, don't just take things randomly.
My GI mentioned FODMAPS at one time. I looked into it online. It seems like it could be hard to follow but with the help of a dietician it would probably be much easier. I have a book on IBS that has the diet in it. It is from "help for IBS". I had my gallbladder removed but, if anything, the IBS is even worse. My rheumatologist said he thinks I do not have IBS but have colitis. The sulfazine has stopped the diarrhea and bleeding. He said the gene for psoriatic arthritis is also a gene for colitis. My aunt has Crohns. Great grandmother had colitis and colon cancer. Fennel tea, ginger tea, and acacia Senegal fiber helps me to keep my stomach under control. Occasionally I have to resort to levsin or bentyl. Usually when I have eaten bread. Thank you for your help. I will look into seeing a dietician.
GrumpyCat said:
It sounds like you should look into the FODMAPS diet. ITs excellent for IBS symptoms like the bloating you described. Ask your doctor the next time you see him/her if they think it could work for you. Then get a referral to a registered dietician so they can help you make the changes.
mom5 said:
My rheumy runs several labs on me every month I see him. He is checking my vitamin D and some other things now. I didn't begin vitamin D until I was told I needed to. I really don't take much besides a multi vitamin, which the rheumy's office did tell me to take. The folic acid is something that I decided to take on my own. I had read a message on healthtap from my rheumatologist where he advised people taking sulfazine to also take folate. I will be sure to ask him about B12. I'm pretty sure my rheumatologist recommends low carb. He definitely wants me to cut back on sugar. We had a discussion about my Pepsi drinking. My GI told me to avoid wheat since it makes my stomach swell. He also told me to avoid caffeine, lettuce, and some other vegetables. I will ask the rheumatologist next month about what supplements I should take. He is not really a fan of supplements from what I gather. He thinks vitamin D is important. He said it helps with pain sensitivity. I am, for sure, low on vitamin D. In the past I took B12 and it really helped with energy. The fatigue is terrible sometimes.
lrcjvl said:
Mom5 your primary care physician and/or your rheumy should be diagnosing and treating any vit/mineral deficiencies you have. You should be having labs done. Please discuss with your team, don't just take things randomly.
grumpycat, I have had a colonoscopy, mrcp, abdominal CT with contrast. There has never been any indication from those tests that I have colitis. Yet I used to have problems with bleeding and diarrhea. Also, the GI said I had a malabsorbtion problem. After the gallbladder was removed, I could no longer digest oil or greasy foods. The sulfazine has stopped the oil in the toilet. sorry tmi. My weight has gone up considerably since having the gallbladder out. I don't know if it could be due to my medications. I have never been overweight until now. I was always way too thin.
You can have completely normal scans, tests, labs, etc. and have irritable bowel symptoms. That's part of the FUN! All of my tests are completely normal, too, but I still have symptoms. So, the GI suggested I change my diet to the FODMAPS diet, and I'm all better. It was a big pain, and sometimes I want to eat a loaf of bread, a bunch of artichoke dip and a box of pasta with butter, but then I remember how I used to feel and the urge passes.
It would be worth trying for me. The stomach spasms and stuff are awful. Sometimes I look several months pregnant. I even had a man ask me if I was pregnant once. My kids are adults and one is a teen. My tubes have been tied for many years. I will get my book out and look over the FODMAPS diet. I really need to find out what my triggers are. Maybe I will lose some weight, lol. I'm just a little overweight. Need to lose 20 lbs. I'm not wanting to go back to being way too thin but it would be easier on my joints to get some of this weight off. It is all in my stomach.
I saw the rheumatologist Monday and told him I was out of my meds almost. He told me to have the pharmacy fax him. I did that Monday but he only refills on Friday. Only the diclofenac was filled. I called his office days ago to remind him that I needed all meds refilled. The pharmacy faxed him multiple times. Can the pharmacy do an emergency refill on sulfazine and doxycycline? I'm afraid he won't refill them until next Friday. It would have been easier if I could have got a prescription when I was there. The next time I will make sure I have the pharmacy fax him two weeks before I run out. It is my own fault I guess for waiting until I only had a week left. Hopefully he will give refills the next time so it will be easier.