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Horrible Arm Pain...Aggonizing at Night

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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 4/15/2012 5:29 PM (GMT -7)
Please help,

Since I"ve been 19, I've been suffering with sacroiliitis and I am now almost 39 (which started out mild and has gotten worse over the years).  The past few weeks, I've noticed a strong ache on the top half of my left arm, almost at the bicep.  I saw my rheumatologist when it started (happend to have a regular check up) and mentioned it, but as my sacroilitisis is dominant, he said "its probably tendinitis" and it was just left at that.

Since seeing him...which has only been 2 weeks, the pain has gotten really bad.  It's extermnetly painful if I need to lift my arm up which, which makes it difficult to get dressed, put on/take off jacket, dy my hair, reach for something as well as just hold soemthing in the arm with any weight.   

I suppose I could live like this, but at night the pain is agonizing.  It's kind of like the shooting pain I get in my buddock down my leg during sacroilitis flare ups.  I don't understand why as I"m not moving my arm.  Plus aside from the pain, I'm stuck as I can't sleep on my back cause of my sacroiliitis and now my left side is out of the question.  SO as a result, my right side is sore. And on top of this, I get horrible pains down myh legs (which I believe is compresion down the nerves).  i am not sleeping at all.

Anyone else have this?  Any tips?  Would this just be tenditis and if so, what can be done for it?  Should I ring my dr again?  I'm waiting an MRI appointment for my SI joints/spine and will see him a month later, but who knows when I"ll get that appointment.

Posted 4/15/2012 7:34 PM (GMT -7)
You might have a pinched nerve going on. I'd go see whichever doctor you can to get it looked at. I have tendonitis in my elbow a lot and it can get very painful to do things. My rheumy offered to do cortisone shots in it to help with the inflamation.
Posted 4/16/2012 7:50 AM (GMT -7)
Thanks you both.  I did take a celebrex yesterday.  Pain was still bad overnight, but in comparison, was a better night.  Problem is, I don't like to take celebrex too regularly due to my stomach issues.  I guess I"ll see how it goes for a bit and ask about a cortisone shot.  Will also do searches on pinched nerve.  Thx

 

Posted 4/16/2012 2:09 PM (GMT -7)
Please remember what works for one individual does not work for others. Before attempting the above mentioned Boron treatment, please consult with your healthcare provider.
Posted 4/16/2012 5:12 PM (GMT -7)
Thanks Ides. I already take suppliments (omega 3, calcium, vitamin d, probiotic and sometimes tumeric) that I'm hesitant to add to them.

Not sure I have a pinched nerve as I don't have tingling or numbness. Just a very strong ache and sometimes a locking feeling if I lift my arm up high (when I can even do that)
Posted 12/19/2017 11:48 PM (GMT -7)
I have Rheumatoid Arthritis and I have severe bicep and arm muscle pain. Especially at night. It feels a little like I'm being drawn and quartered, or I imagine someone slowly ripping my muscles out. It's also tender to the touch, so when I put my arm around a child, and they lean back, it hurts really bad. My rheumatologist told me that it's fibromaylgia. Who knows? I don't know that I agree with her, since it's so severe which is why I ran across this old post. Thought I'd google my symptoms. Did anyone ever find out anything different? Just checking...
Posted 4/16/2019 7:21 AM (GMT -7)
I too have the excruciating pain in one or both shoulders, that causes pain in the upper arm (bicep muscle), all the way down into my fingers. When just one shoulder is acting up, its like being in h3ll, but when both shoulders are acting up, it's impossible to sleep, and the pain brings me to tears. I can't even lift a bed sheet up to turn over. I just lay there frozen in place, in pain, and uncomfortable. If I keep my upper arm(s) at my side, I can deal with the pain, but if I move my arm(s) away from my body, even the slightest.... I see stars and am brought to tears. So far, I've had x-rays that show nothing that could cause that much pain, so the doc labels it Bursitis. I can see getting Bursitis in my dominant arm (from using it too much or repetitively), but both arms at the same time, when I barely use my left? I wish you luck with your pain, and getting diagnosed. Please update us on what happens, and I will do the same.
Posted 4/20/2019 3:48 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Lu. I have RA and fibromyalgia both diagnosed by my R. doc. Your arm pain sounds very familiar to me. It is worth pursuing a solution because the pain can be managed with the right regime. It took me maybe a year to get the right combination of drugs to keep it under control but I'm glad I perservered. I take a combination of lyrica, amitriptyline, Prozac and Palexia. It's a lot but I was finding the pain too difficult too live with and now I can have a semi normal life and I sleep at night. Good luck.
Posted 12/1/2019 12:32 AM (GMT -7)
Has anyone considered chiropractic treatment for their upper arm shoulder pains?
Posted 12/12/2019 12:58 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Ethel, I have tried both chiro (I go regularly) as well as acupuncture and I have not had any success with either for RA. What has given some relief is massage though but that is because when the shoulder pain is very bad my entire upper body seizes up and gets very very tense. Not any kind of deep massage of course but just light gentle touch seem to help relax even with the joint pain. My wife will sometimes just drag her fingers across my shoulder and it feels incredibly good. I don't know why, maybe it is stimulating blood flow? I do know that any amount of pressure at all will send me through the ceiling in pain though. Baths do help some also for relaxation but nothing compared to massage. I wish that I could afford a hot tub, that has helped in the past when I had the opportunity to use one.
Shoulder pain is one if not the worst pain for me because just the weight of my arm is agonizing. It truly does feel like being racked and having an arm torn away. I spent all but 3 hours last night dealing with it and praying for sleep to come.
Posted 3/8/2020 1:18 PM (GMT -7)
Sorry to hear of your pain. Have you tried seeing an orthopedic surgeon? Is it possible the arm pain is displaced pain coming from your shoulder?
Posted 3/16/2020 7:28 PM (GMT -7)
I have had two shoulder surgeries for calcification tendinitis in the supraspinatus (rotator cuff muscle)
The pain you describe reminds me of the pain I used to have. Frozen shoulder also hurts in a very similar way.
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