sore shoulders

Since my diagnosis years ago, I've had sore shoulders every day. They got worse when I was breastfeeding my kids so that my hands and arms would tingle or be numb when I woke up from sleeping on my sides. My GP tells me to sleep on my sides with my arms straight out, but it only helps to a certain degree.
I have just assumed all these years the shoulder pain was part of the arthritis side of this DD. I occasionally get joint pain in my knees and hips too, but it's usually milder. I've only been taking tylenol.
Anyone else have shoulder issues, especially while sleeping on your sides? What do you do for relief?

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Co-Moderator for Crohn's Disease and Epilepsy forums.
Crohn's Disease since the 1990s.
Close family member has had epilepsy for more than 45 years.

The first joint that ever hurt was my shoulder. I got achy at the site of an old injury, and didn't connect it to my IBD until my elbows and then hands/knees/hips/jaw started hurting too. I went to a rheumatologist who tested me for everything under the sun and then determined that my bowels needed better attention, and put me on a big prednisone dose to squash the joint pain while my GI got his plan together. I took 3 months to get off pred and then my GI put me on entocort and after a few months got me on sulfasalazine, which has kept most of the joint pain away. Going gluten free was the last change I made that impacted my joints - my knee, which had never been fully fine since all the joint pain started 7 years ago finally feels better.

During all those years of joint pain, if it got really bad I'd take an Aleve. Just one.

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49 yrs old, IBD diagnosis in spring '01. Proctitis, gastritis, ileitis.
Currently taking Pentasa (3g/day)Colazal (9 pills/day), Sulfazine (1.5 g/day), Prevacid, folic acid, vit. D (2K iu), flax seed oil (2 tsp/day), mesalamine enema as needed. Gluten free as of 5/30/11.

Not so much shoulders, but my hands and arms go to sleep very easily. I too am a side sleeper. Also, I don't know if its becuz I have returned to work or what, but my joint pain seems to be much worse of late. I am hurting in the wierdest places of late. My elbows, my fingers and my hips. Ouchy....and then of course my neck too. You are not alone with the chronic pain. Hugs!

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Gail*Nanners* Co-Moderator for Crohns Disease
Crohn's Disease for over 36 years. Currently on Asacol, Prilosec, Estrace, Atenolol, Percoset prn, Zofran, Phenergan, Probiotics, Calcium, Vit D, Folic Acid, Magnesium & Xanax prn. Resections in 2002 & 2005. Also diagnosed w/ Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis. Currently my Crohns is in remission, but my joints are going crazy

Have you done basic things, like replace your pillows to see if they are the culprits? I ask because sometimes they can have a startling effect on pain levels.

Also, regular massages might help, if you can afford them :-(.

Diet can sometimes help, too. There have been times when a good meal of avocado and oily fish etc has helped knock this sort of pain on the head...

... though sometimes, annoyingly, this sort of pain just turns into yet another thing we have to live with. :-(

Have you seen a rheumatologist?

Ivy.

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Co-Moderator Crohn's Forum.

Medications for Crohn's ~~ Diet and Nutritional Therapy for Crohn's ~~ Dealing with Abscesses and Fistulae ~~

I have terrible pillows, and never seem to find comfy ones. I have coverage for regular massages, but it's hard to find time with two little ones. When my youngest goes to school, I will be doing more massages, but that's next year. I haven't seen a rheumatologist, but that's a great idea and I'll ask my GI or GP about it.

Thanks!

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Co-Moderator for Crohn's Disease and Epilepsy forums.
Crohn's Disease since the 1990s.
Close family member has had epilepsy for more than 45 years.