Roid Rage :)

No, not really (I think that requires long-term usage). Let me explain; as many of you know, I've been having some serious pain, swelling, numbness, cramping, stiffness, bruising, etc. in both of my thumbs (it's worse in my right hand though). These problems have caused much sleeplessness, crankiness, aggravation, and the inability to perform daily tasks. The pain started out of the blue in early August. I was referred to an orthapedic specialist here in Asheboro in October. He did NOTHING, ZELCH, NADA, for me. Although everyone had told me I needed a shot of cortizone-including my mother who was a nurse for an orthapedic hand specialist for three years-he would NOT give me one. And even though my hands, the day I went to see him-were swollen and bruised down to my wrist. He gave me a splint for the right hand and a RX for naproxen sodium (Aleve) in 500mg. Guess what? I've never filled it; I just continued to buy regular Aleve and take two! *SHOCKER* Then I discovered Clark had Osteo Biflex for his carpel tunnel and I started taking it thinking, "what could it hurt?". The pain was gone within a couple of weeks and I've not had any more trouble...until two weeks ago. I've been taking the Biflex twice a day since Oct., but for some reason the pain came back only about 10 times worse. I sware if it hadn't been snowing that weekend I would have gone to the ER. It was awful I was icing them, wearing the splint (even on the left hand), taking way over the recommended dosage of Aleve and Biflex, soaking them in warm water, massaging them with oil; you name it, I did it. So my mom made an appt for me with the hand specialist she had worked for. Why I didn't do this in the first place I will never know! So I met my dad at their place and he drove me to Pinehurst Thur. AM (just in case he decided to do both hands-but again the right was worse). He took apprx 10 xrays, the Asheboro doc only took like 2 and did a physical exam. I have some early signs of arthritis (which I pretty much knew-based on my own research-not from the Asheboro Dr) , but that's not causing the pain, I have some major inflammation in the right hand-not as bad in the left. So he recommended a shot of cortizone in the right hand, a steroid pak, and anti-inflammatory to follow the steroid pak. He said the roids and the anti-inflammatory should take care of the left hand. Which is good. The nurse came in and numbed the right hand, which is very long slow process, then I waited about 20 minutes and the doc came in to give me the cortizone shot. So he says, "you're going to feel some pressure." Then he asks, "are you good and numb there." I reply, "oh yes, definately." He says, "the reason we numb is that's a very tiny joint we're trying to get into there and we don't want you feel any pain." Not really having enough time to process what he just said; he holds my thumb by the tip with his left hand and says, "ok gonna feel pressure" and administers the shot with his right. I QUICKLY realized what he meant by 1.) "pressure" and 2.) "tiny joint and we don't want you to feel any pain." To get into that "tiny joint" he has to maneuver your thumb with his left hand and feel around with the needle-in your hand-until he gets into the joint in order to shoot the cortizone in. It's the wierdest feeling...and I wouldn't exactly call it pressure, but on the positive side it's not the worst pain I've ever felt. In fact, I just tilted my head back and closed my eyes. I thought about the pain I was in two weeks before and how this was nothing compared to that. When he got in the joint-I knew it and then it was over. Both hands are doing much better and I've started my roids. I told Clark I was going to big & strong and kick his butt ;) Really, I'm just trying not to puke-you have to eat something with each dose (which the first day alone you take 6 pills in 4 different doses). Hopefully, this is the answer to my prayers. We will see how I'm doing in a month when I go back for a check-up!