Have you ever had a steroid injection in a joint?

Thank you for your wishes and prayers, mimpi. I don't think you're alone. My doctor asked me if I'd be okay sitting in the chair while she gave me the shot or did I think I should lie down first. I was thinking, "Just how BAD is this going to be???" I've had a lot of needles in my lifetime and have been pretty okay with them so I said I'd be okay sitting up. I was preparing for some major pain, though! Actually, the needle didn't hurt much at all; it was the stuff she injected into my thumb that hurt! Dang! Right now, it still hurts like it did yesterday but I'm hoping that, once I get up and moving around doing things, I'll be able to get my mind off of it. Also, if I stop typing, that should help some, too. It's just so hard to tear myself away from myLot! LOL Again, thank you. Things always seem better when you're among friends.

I know its pathetic keeping away from mylot but you should or else we would not talk to you. Seriously, you must relax and try to give your hands rest as much as you can. And do keep us informed.

NO job is complete, 'till all the paper work is done, and it sure looks like you have a lot of that to do, just for your judge....and then the taxes looming in the background! I hate paperwork, and have 'til the end of the month for taxes! Seriously, the surgery in the long run, was way less painful, than the on-going steriod (cortisone) injections that seemed to burn forever! It was short-term pain for long term gain, and am truly looking forward to getting my right-hand done! If possible, before I succumb...I am on a waiting list, last time was 3 1/2 years, more like 5 years this time! Good luck with all your paper work, girl...and it sounds like this time, you at least have a few more balls in your court, for a successful outcome! Cheers!

Surgery? I've already had too many of them! But, if this goes on for years, I might just consider that. Unfortunately, I'm not ambidextrous. The only thing I can do with my right hand is screw things up. LOL The injection was in my left hand. My right hand actually has less pain than the left right now, although they both have arthritis. Part of that is, I'm sure, because I've used my right hand far less than my left. Part is also because of the partial loss of sensation in my right arm. I'm a mess, huh? Oh, right, I'm not a mess... just ask that disability judge! Actually, I'll be finding out rather soon what his decision will be. I'm becoming a nervous nelly because of that! But, I'll make it. My rheumatologist also put me on codeine every day for all my aches and pains. (Okay, Judge, explain exactly how I can work AND take codeine, if you please!) That reminds me... gotta fax the judge the NCS results and all the new meds I'm on. I also have to fax all that to the Senator and Congressman helping me. Oh, right! I also have to write to the judge telling him to be expecting a letter from my primary care physician, who is writing him a letter telling him that he finds me to be 100% disabled and there's no way I could work "gainful employment". My rheumatologist wrote to my PCP with everything she's treating me for so my PCP could write a complete history to the judge. I just hope he gets it in time! Oh, man! I just woke up (again) and now my entire hand is hurting, not just the thumb. This sucks! Okay, thumb brace going on...now!

Wow! I'm so sorry to hear that! I know the kind of pain it takes for a doctor to decide to give those shots and for you to have had three in the past month and a half, man! I feel for you! I doubt I could allow myself to even consider having one of those shots in my neck! I'm glad you lived through it, though. I know how hard it is to keep going when you have so much pain. I live with it myself but, so far, the only shot I've had recently has been my thumb. I had forgotten all about getting one in an ankle about 20 years ago after the cast came off from breaking the ankle. The pain wouldn't stop so the doc gave me an injection and, within an hour, my entire leg was on fire. Well, it felt that way, anyway. At least my thumb isn't that bad. My whole hand hurt this morning but it's much better now. I think my doctor decided to give me that shot because I had just told her that, even though the pain was no worse than usual, it was starting to get cramps which closed the thumb up against my index finger. I have to take my other hand and pull the thumb away from the finger before the cramping stops. So far, I haven't had any cramps since the injection. So, you think we should all get together and work on a cure for chronic pain? I'm trying different herbs, vitamins and minerals but, so far, I've only been able to bring my blood pressure down to normal (low-normal, actually) and stop the almost constant heart palpitations I used to have. Hmmm, well, I HAVE done that much. Maybe I should start writing all this stuff down. I've watched that "Mystery Diagnosis" show quite a bit and have seen people finding their own cures more than once so it could be possible to stop the never-ending pain, even if we can't cure the causes.

Thanks, dragon. It's doing better now that I've been wearing the brace all day. Hopefully, tomorrow, I won't need the brace. I had a torn rotator cuff once and couldn't explain it, either. It got to the point where I couldn't raise my arm above shoulder-level so the surgeon ordered physical therapy first, then an MRI after the therapy didn't help. HUH??? Backwards, if you ask me! Then surgery. But, I hadn't done anything, at least not for a long time before that, to cause it. I DID renovate a house almost entirely by myself, but that was many years before the tear was noticed. So, I have no idea what caused it, either, unless I tore it lugging sheetrock around but it didn't hurt until years later. The human body is a strange creature all in itself!

So far, so good, leenie! I've resisted the "call of the dirt". I have so many seedlings growing inside and some of them can be (should be) planted now, but I resisted. I also put a thumb splint on that hand and it's helped a lot. I just took it off a few minutes ago and my hand is feeling MUCH better. However, I'll still take it easy. My husband said he'll help me with the garden this weekend by tilling the area I've chosen for the "greens" (lettuce, spinach, kale, mustard, collards and cauliflower) and setting up the 'critter barricade' because the rabbits will zoom right in on that lot! I'm planting them together because we have to dig down a foot and put a wire mesh barricade around them so the rabbits and chipmunks can't dig under the fence to get to them. It's going to take some work and he promised, so we'll see. I can easily plant the seedlings once the soil is tilled without putting stress on that thumb. I'll wear my thumb splint while doing anything... I promise! But, with the temp supposed to be 75 degrees with lots of sunshine, I HAVE to do something outside! Maybe I'll do some fishing, too. It's supposed to be what I consider absolutely perfect weather so I have to get out there. I'll just let my husband do the hard stuff. (He's been promising me for three growing seasons in this house to help but something has always come up. I'll just have to hope he keeps his word this time. If he doesn't, I promise I'll go get my son to do the hard stuff. )

Forgot what name? Now I'M confused! LOL I have osteoarthritis in my thumbs. Well, it's in all my fingers but my thumbs are, by far, the worst. They're starting to cramp up now which is probably why my doctor decided to try the steroid injection. I also have carpal tunnel syndrome. I've only had my right arm tested because the doctor noticed muscle mass loss in that hand so she sent me for a nerve conduction study. That showed that I have nerve damage throughout the arm and carpal tunnel in that wrist. I know I have it in my left wrist, too, but it hasn't been tested... yet. I have an appointment to see a neurologist on the 23rd. I wear the braces at night, too. They certainly do help! Oh, sometimes I forget and wake up with bricks for hands, but I wear the braces whenever they hurt and USUALLY at night. Yep, I live in the mountains. I honestly can't remember if you told me about your mountain garden days. My memory is so bad! (I'm starting to wonder if I might have had a small stroke or something, causing the nerve damage because I also just recently started having migraines.) I'm loving gardening in the mountains! Well, except for the critters who LOVE to eat most of what I plant. I'm learning ways to keep them at a distance, though. Last year, you would've laughed yourself silly watching me running (hobbling) after the geese, waving my arms like a madwoman and yelling at them to get back in the water! (We live on a lake.) Those stupid geese, they almost DARE you to come close! At least this year I've managed to get a barricade up so they can't just swim over and walk right into my garden. Well, my son put it up while I supervised. I've also threatened them quite harshly that they could easily become dinner if they didn't behave. Oh, don't worry... I won't get sunburned. Okay, maybe a little, but I'll use sunscreen. I've learned my lesson about sunburn, plus I don't need to add skin cancer to the ever-growing list of things wrong with me! I hope you have a terrific weekend! Well, as terrific as can be with chronic pain. I just try to ignore it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I can't believe I forgot the name you told me and can't even find the note you sent with it. Was it in a response maybe? Anyway, I know how hard it is to hold back when the garden is beckoning you. How did you hurt your thumbs? I have carpel tunnel in my left wrist and have to wear a wrist brace every night. One of these days I might get it fixed. Didn't you say that you live in the Mountains somewhere? Or just in the Country. I'm really jealous. I told you about my Mountain garden days didn't I? Those were the good old days. I really hope your hubby doesn't let you down. Take good care of your hands, those shots are really painful. If it had Cortizone in it, the one I had I thought I was going to die, it was so excruciating. I wish I was there so I could help, but I'd probably just have to sit and watch because of my back. Have a good time sweetie and don't get sunburned. Hugsssss leenie

Thanks for the good advice, Chevee. So far, I've been resisting the urge to get outside, even to just look around. I always end up doing something more than just looking around so, the most I did was to take some of my seedlings out on the deck for awhile (hardening them off before planting them) and lean on the railing and look at everything. I get strength from the Earth, from working in the dirt. Unfortunately, it's emotional strength, not physical strength, but looking out over it all helped my emotions quite a lot. I think just the peaceful atmosphere around here helps a lot, too. I'm gonna have to get you up here one of these days for a visit, for however long you'd like. Out of all the many friends I've made here in myLot, you are one of my favorites and one I'd love to spend time with. I know we'd have a great time, enjoying nature, goofing off and acting like kids again (well, without so much energy ). It would be such fun! I have a great friend up in British Columbia from myLot, too, but I KNOW I'd never be able to keep up with her energy! (If you're reading this, pergy, you know who I'm talking about!)

Thank you again, cdrxo. You always bring a smile to my face. (I'm still thinking about that appearing/disappearing phone booth and reliving the original Star Trek.) I got through the injection itself pretty well. Having the stuff injected hurt like a b... uh... it hurt but, once it was over, it felt much better. But, now, geez! My entire hand was hurting bad this morning! I could barely pick up my 5 pound dog (which she insists on every morning when I sit down at the computer). I like this rheumatologist. She's the third one I've had and I must say she's by far the best. She's done more to reduce my pain and keep me going than the other two put together. If you look up ^ at pergammano's comments, she said she had this same joint removed. I never realized that was an option! But, she's on a waiting list. I suppose that's one drawback of the medical care in Canada. I FINALLY have some decent insurance so, if that is an option, I'm going to give it some serious thought and will probably go for it. A little pain now to get rid of a lifetime of pain... hmmm... and I won't have to be put on a waiting list! Growing old sucks. Maybe, if I hadn't been so very active when I was younger, I wouldn't be suffering so much now but, given the choice, I'd do it just the same all over again. I have great memories.

Never think of yourself as growing old; think of it in these terms. Here's the way I look at it, and always remember that with age, comes wisdom. "I am the result of me." "I seek newness about me each and every day." "I have no enemies, only friends I have yet to meet." "I speak because the words need to be said." "I act because, inaction is decay." "I am the right person." "I am more, never less." "I have no masters, but myself." "I am 57 years YOUNG!" "I exist in an eternity; an eternity that I can command." "I exist now, in the past, and in the future." "I have no boundaries." "No limits. No ends." Cheers luv; cdrxo