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I’m sending you thoughts of healing and peace from Chicago. I hope you find success for many pain-free months. Thanks for taking the time to post and keep us up-to-date! Can’t wait to hear more about the clinical trial doc…more of the same old same old??
So glad the procedure wasn’t as painful to recover from this time and super glad you have had such good results from it.
I had an MRI on my lower back a few months ago, several bulging discs with disc degenerative disease. I had a fusion done in 04 L5 and L4 because one had ruptured and one was thinking about it. Now all are bulging again L4,L5 and S1. My RA doc said I would have to have my primary care doc look into it, of course since RA does not affect the spine. And it may not be affecting my lower spine directly but I bet it has accelerated since I got this stupid disease.
My jaws are very sensitive and swollen below my ears, my neck and upper back down to my shoulders stay as tight as can be, some times I can’t turn my head very well, sometimes it is better. But the tightness stays constant. I am sure that is RA. I will ask about this procedure the next time I see my RA doc. Any relief no matter how long it lasts is welcome.
Thank you for sharing!!
Kelly,
I just went to the pain clinic for a test to see if I need a Radio frequency burn done to my L5 again, I actually had it done 6 years ago. It helped a lot. I then only went to the clinic about once a year for shots in my poor facets. So I am ready to try it again. You are right in that seems safer to me than taking all the meds we have to take for RA.
Hope your doing well, I think of you often.
Love
Steph
Just in case someone else is confused (I know you’re not), I still do take dmards/disease treatment, but the RFA means I can use less pain meds – With the big exception being if I try to do “extra” such as traveling (or going to walmart etc) when I have to have meds to try to force myself to keep moving when I’m in agony…
Just wanted to clarify that I meant possible less symptom meds, not disease treatment. I always make a distinction & I hope I was clear enough this morning. Trying so hard to tell the story clearly for those who are at teh beginning & want to hear about it.
reading about neck pain is almost as frustrating as the RA itself.. I can get no one to pay attention.The multiple symptoms are too much to bear.. Recovering from achillies tendon rupture repair and awaiting a second surgery to close the 1st surgicsl wound that developed an infection,I am almost at the end of my rope. My rheumatologist only sees me every three months and my family doctor doesn’t want to deal with my problems except to prescribe more pain killers.I spend most days just wondering and wondering what do I do now? These posts give me some hope for relief.. Ice pillows. wow!
I have jaw pain ear pain and headaches.. neck pain is constant.. hands and feet are more and more crippled.. Depression is so close now I can see it grinning at me in the dark of the long nights.
Help! My rheumatologist doesn’t seem to think any of the many things that are happening to me are because of the RA. Such as , terrible tightness always in shoulders, can’t look over my shoulders, shooting pains down arms, I can’t hear very well, hammer tires, now my 2 nd toes are numb, depressed!!! I’ve just tried xeljanz, after 2 doses my body sprang into rebuilt by walking to inflammation in every joint very badly. Then shortly after dose 3 my inflammation was so great I hobbled instead of walked, I couldn’t open doors because I could not use my hands, had problems dressing because of the inflammation in shoulders, mostly all I wanted to do was lay down and moans would escape my lips as if somehow that might leech out some of the pain I tried hydrocodone, that didn’t dull the pain, my daughter recommended Prednisone and I had a medrol pak on hand so began that, all of a sudden I realized it was a reaction to the new med so I didn’t take dose 4, by morning I was significantly better and got better hour by hour. I’m sure the medrol pak is helping, but I feel sure that the true culprit of the attach was my reaction to xeljanz. I don’t know where to go, where to turn. I’ve been on Enbrel and mtx for 5 yrs with good results then just quit working. tried many others including plaquenil, antibiotics, Orencia infusions with MTX, then insurance bumped me to Orencia self administer shots with MTX tablets, did better with the infusions but nobody will fight for me! Ideas anyone?