You can be very deeply numb and still have considerable pain. I do.

Pain has to be evaluated on a person by person basis. Is the pain just effecting certain parts of your life or is is it worse in the evening verses the morning, or is it affecting your overall quality of life. For me it was effecting my sleep it was effecting my emotional being it was affecting everything! I to have been on Elavil as a matter of a fact for 10 plus years. When you go up to 150 mg like I was the side effects were ridiculous! It is the stigma of pain meds that drs shy away from. I have tried a whole lot of pain meds and the opiates by far for a great majority of people help the most. Even that being said finding the right dose for each individual comes next. I have tried percocept,vicodin,loritabs and it wasn't until we tried the oxecodone ir that I found relief and without feeling drunk from the amitryptyline,gaining weight,being sensitive to sunlight, and just recently was told that Elavil can cause you restless legs symptoms. I can't stand it when a doctor minimizes your pain. I mean what kind of life is it when you can't function or participate in life? You are sitting on the sidline while life passes you buy? Everyone here is right don't give up or give in and accept what the Dr's say as golden! And what works for one person might not work for another. I hope you find relief!

Hi, i just wanted to add that i also found that Vitamin B1 in divided doses during the day helped with my burning of the feet, it's inexpensive and i believe well worth a try.
good luck
Brian

Neuropathy can be caused by gluten sensitivity (celiac disease), and gluten and other foods sensitivity is sometimes associated with RA as well. If this is something you haven't heard before, or investigated, I hope you will check out The Gluten File linked in my signature. If you scan the right bar, you will see a page on Neuropathy, and also Other Autoimmune disease which has some entries about RA, and maybe some other topics that might be applicable (like B vitamin deficiency, zonulin).

Here are just a few of the references you will find in The Gluten File. Of course, there are many many possible causes for neuropathy, but because you have rheumatoid arthritis I think following up on the possiblity of gluten sensitivity is worth considering.

"But the two things which are relevant to CD are nutrition and immunity. People with CD have nutritional deficits because of malabsorption; common causes of neuropathy are B12 deficiency, B1 deficiency, B6 deficiency, and Vitamin E deficiency. Neuropathies are also commonly caused by the immune system through autoimmune mechanisims."..."Latov commented that 20-25% of people with CD might have neuropathy."
Celiac Disease and Peripheral Neuropathy, Norman Latov, MD, PHD 2002

Celiac neuropathy, Chin, et al 2003

Common Food Sensitivity Linked to Painful Peripheral Neuropathy

Also on RA:
http://www.paleodiet.com/ra/

You may also want to read about zonulin~ there is some new research about zonulin and celiac disease, that may apply to other autoimmune disease as well.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releas...iz-2804100.php

It is a lot of info from a lot of angles, but does show how there may be a connection between neuropathy, food sensitivity, nutritional deficiency, and other autoimmune disease.

Cara