I've been up all night.  I had a doctor's visit today and feel 100x worse now than when I went in.

I wanted to blog so I could hopefully help someone else if they have similiar problems with bad pain following cortisone or anestetic joint injections.

I have 2 friends with joint problems that get injections but they don't hurt.  PK  gets them in his knee and it hurts him.  In my ankle I get them starting about 3-4 hours after the injections.  Sometimes I get one and sometimes 2.  Why the pain?

I get- and I think maybe Ali gets them too- steroid flare.  About 5% of folks get them on average, but that average goes up with bethamethsone injections in ankles and hands.  More nerves there?   My friends that are not bothered by the injections have them in their shoulders and backs.

The steriods crystalize in the tissues after injection in some folks.  It just aches like crazy, personally it reminds me of a broken bone.  I thought the pain was making me break out in cold sweats, but that is the ultraset the doc gives me to control the pain.  It doesn't work that great the first day but it helps. Taking showers and changing clothes every hour or two helps.  Give up the idea of turning down the ac, it will not help at all.

The good news is that it passes in 1-3 days.  Mine is really bad 1 or 2, but mostly the first day has been the worst. 

Then your joint will get much better and you think you are healed!  Be careful with this because it feels so good it will trick you and you will hurt it worse.  I am bad to let it trick me- its hard not too.  I did not know this and after my first one walked at least a mile.  I used to love to walk every day before the injury and I was in heaven- it was great but I really should not have done that - but I did not know until my doc got onto me for it.  He had said stay off of it but I THOUGT it was a miracle.  Steriods are not a miracle-they trick you and thus can hurt you if you don't take it easy- but they do help.