Opioid patches

hello again Tony - I was put on them just before my Total Hip Repalcement, bone on bone, and right hip ball like an egg with inside gone, also hole in pelvis to match. I don't think I would like to be on them long term though, worked wonders for me, knocked out the pain completely, and gave me six weeks of pain free moving about. bliss.  i am concerned for you though, having been there and done this Ra or the like.  Have you tried an elimination diet, very hard to follow. I found if I eat anything with wheat in it makes me worse. Started my elimination with looking with what I was eating, and saying to myself, how do I do this, nothing but water for 12 hours or so, then pears for a couple of days. started to feel a little better, than started re-introducing new foods for a few days to see what happened. I do best on rice, rice milk, NO WHEAT, fish OK, but red meat doesn't agree with me, still love toast, but pay a price when I let the drawbridge down and eat some. Have mentioned to Rheumo, and she said shouldn't make a difference, but it does, I can see the difference in swelling in my hands, they are my bellweather, one look when I wake in the morning tells me if I am going to have a good day or a shocker, even rheumo has got used to looking at my hands, and weather I am willing to shake hands with her or not, we play this little game, she holds out hand as if to shakeand I hold out hands flat to show her how swollen I am or not, she knows now not to touch if they are bad, other than to give a gentle rub over the back. Not celiac have been tested for that as well.

I had a terrible time getting off the patches even though I was on a relatively low dose.   They were originally prescribed as a treatment for my elbows before I had the arthroscopy, they did absolutely nothing for the elbows instead made my cervical problems a little easier to deal with.   Now I'm off them the cervical pain has returned and gotten worse due to this RA.. Funnily enough I was diagnosed with bilateral OA of the hips 16 years ago, at the time I couldn't walk out of sight on a darl night, they seem fine now I go for long walks, cycle, swim and so on, or used to before the onset of RA, now I do nothing.   Stil my hips don't hurt so that's something I guess.