wits end

the muscles in my hips and buttocks feel so tight im at my wits end .they seem to think its my sacro ilac joint . im really starting to feel frustrated the ibuprofen gel dosent help, baths dont help , ive started doing the exercises given in physio since doing them it feels worse , sittin is the worst im so worried im going gto be in this pain forever

Chronic pain is so hard to live with! My mother has struggled with chronic back pain for almost 20 years now, so I've seen firsthand how frustrating it can be when nothing seems to help.

Don't forget, that pain from the exercises means you're doing them RIGHT and making the muscles surrounding the joint work differently in order to support the joint better! PT always makes the pain worse before it makes it better.

You've pushed so hard so far, I know I don't post on here as often as you do but I've seen your posts and watched you progress through your refeeding and you just seem so determined and you give such good advice to the newer members on the board here and you're so supportive! Stay strong, just think of all the improvements you've made with ED and then think of those improvements as applicable to the joint pain and where you'll be when you've been through the PT and rehab for that and how much better you'll be doing. I am rootin' for you =D

thankyou so much xxx

keep working hard, sweetie.  remember the body processes trauma in ways that the brain cant always understand.  i hope you feel better soon and find some way to ease the pain.  love you xo

thanks cruumb i know i should stop complaining im just scared the pain will never go away love you to h x

i don't see it as complaining. we've done a lot of damage and it's good that you are recognizing that and honoring your fear and other reality-based emotions. much love <3

Reactive arthritis runs in my family (a.k.a. Reiter's syndrome). One of the symptoms is sacroiliitis (inflammation of the sacro-illiac joint on one or both sides), which is rarely mentioned in most on-line literature about the condition. It can also involve iritis or uveitis (inflammation in one or both eyes), genitourinary inflammation (cystitis) and/or psoriasis.

You may have heard of the rhyme for the risk factors for gall stones (fair, fat, fertile and forty)? Well, they have another fabulous one for Reiter's (can't see, can't go pee, can't lift your knee!). But it's a bit off, because the symptoms don't necessarily happen altogether. Sometimes, it's just iritis and other times it's just sacroilliitis.

Reactive arthritis may occur after a patient has had a minor infection like a cold (again on-line literature will emphasize that it happens with venereal or urinary tract disease, but any infection can trigger it). The immune system seems to overreact to the infection and this sets up an inflammatory response, hence the term "reactive" arthritis. The inflammation may last a few weeks or sometimes months does resolve and the patient is in complete remission (no pain) afterwards.

I can definitely relate to how uncomfortable sitting is! I use one of those giant inflatable exercise balls to sit on because movement seems to alleviate the stiffness and pain.

I have no idea if your physicians have determined this may the cause of your pain or not. However, whether it is or not, the inflammation will subside and the pain will go away. I am sorry you are having to endure it at the moment -- keep persevering with the physio and the anti-inflammatory gels.

hedgren thats the best advice anyone has given me allthey have said to me is that its my sacro ilac joint . i have a very week immune system could this be the cause . at first i thought i should give up walking but after the stiffness of sitting has gone it dosent get worse. like i said sitting and driving are the worse . i dont understand how the pain will just go. you are very clever hedgren im a little dim compared with you h x

I'm guessing your doctors have determined you have already kicked the original infection (you don't seem to be in the middle of fevers, aches, chills, sore throats...).

The inflammation is actually a sign you have a more robust immune system (which is a good sign given that it was heavily compromised before you were in recovery). Of course that's not really a consolation when you still have to deal with the pain!

The inflammation will subside when the body recognizes it doesn't need to man the battle stations quite so much which unfortunately takes longer than shrugging off the initial infection. There are enzymes the body produces to chemically message the immune system to stand down and let the inflammation subside.

The mechanics of an inflammation is that your immune system has sent a whole bunch of specialised killer cells and repair cells to the area because it has received chemical messages that there is either an invader, damage, or irritant in the area. The sheer number of cells sent actually swells the surrounding tissue. Inflammation is built to cause pain and swelling because it forces us to stop using the inflamed area so that healing can occur.

With reactive arthritis the immune system is so over-eager it sends the killer and repair cells to completely uninvolved and ridiculous areas of the body despite the fact that the infection was originally somewhere else in the body.

Mornings are the worst when it happens to me -- I can't even sit up in bed. What I do is once I've somehow lifted myself out of bed by rolling on my side and using my arms to sit up, I get on the floor and use the balasana pose (which is the foetal position with the forehead on the floor and the arms by your sides with palms facing the ceiling). It seems to stretch out the sacroiliac enough that I can actually get my clothes on!

For me, movement helps as I said. The more I walk around and don't sit for long periods the better it gets throughout the day. You could even try icing it if it feels like that might feel right.

Ibuprofen is the anti-inflammatory of first resort, but I have never had much luck with if myself. I don't know if you can take other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs -- ask your doctor), but if you can you may find you get more relief with paracetamol.

Don't have anything more useful I'm afraid. I hope it subsides very soon!

you dont need to say anything more usual thanks . i just hope it goes soon its been months now h xx

Ah, I didn't want to get you down unnecessarily in case it had recently started for you -- but bouts can last up to six months :-( Let's hope you're nearing the end!