Arthritis and carpal tunnel and increased pain in knees and legs

I'm thinking a. Holistic Doctor who will look at you as a WHOLE BODY, not just body PARTS would benefit you the most.

Pain leads to not moving. Not moving leads to weight gain and a myriad of other issues.

The redness in your leg is concerning to me. In DC on vacation several years ago we were walking A LOT! It was VERY HOT, and I would come back to the hotel in AGONY. I tried ice. It helped some, but what REALLY HELPED the most was the Solarcaine spray I had brought for SUNBURN!

That may help YOU as well.

If you are carrying a lot of extra weight that seriously won't help your joint problems. great news that you stopped smoking but while you are waiting start tackling the weight issue.

you can start very simply, if you use full fat milk swap to skimmed. If you drink fizzy drinks switch to the light variety. If you eat a bag of crisps a day only eat half a bag etc. I am am sure you will start to feel so much better if the weight comes off.

Think about how many builders bags of cement you are carrying around with all that extra weight. my joints would ache and I would need inhalers carrying all that stuff

best of luck 

I tend to agree with Cheryl here. You need someone who will look at your whole body as a whole. Physical mental and spiritual.GP Surgery till you get to one you can really connect to. I had to do this.

You could start by losing weight gradually. Just little things. Skimmed milk instead of full cream, cut down on biscuits sweets cake and crisps.

Also if you exercise more you will lose weight.

You do not have to go hungry, there are plenty of things you can eat.

Try and get out and do something every day so you are not just sitting at home brooding. Is there something you are interested in that you could take up as a hobby?

What might help with arthritis is a gel called Ibugel. You can buy it from a chemist or get it on prescription.

Hope some of this helps you

Take care and keep in touch

Love Sarah xxx

It seems to me that a lot of inflammation in the body is caused by either sugar or dairy.  Since I have cut down on both I feel so much better and I've lost weight.  Don't go cold turkey just gradually find other ways of eating - like eating a little dried fruit if you want something sweet or eating more fish and meat instead of cheese.  My carpal tunnel has disappeared since I have been doing wrist exercises which did hurt at first but now is absolutely fine.  Good luck with steadily getting better.

I've just been to see a professor of rheumatology and he has prescribed Pregabalin for pins and needles and arthritic pain. He can't put a label on my condition but the three weeks of steroids ( Prednisolone) Had completely reversed all my symptoms to start with but after three weeks some pain had come back and my sleeping is terrible - so must reduce the dose and have had this drug added.

As to painful knees - I was referred to the hospital physiotherapy department for exercises. I found myself with 12 others all with arthritic knees. The physios showed us simple exercises. They counted how many times we could sit up and down off an armchair. At the end of the week we all had a recount. The reeults were amazing. We'd all improved. Now, if my knees start to hurt, I make sure, on good days, that I do my leg exercises. The one that is particularly effective is lying down on the bed on my side and raising one leg forward, up, back and down in a slow controlled movement, repeating until you really can't manage any more. Repeat on the other side, having rolled over.

Hello, Multiple pain also !!! yes it is amazing how if you smoke, problems are because you do, the same with alcohol and weight. What if none of the above apply and you have symptoms ?? This year in February, I was getting terrible lower back pain and was sent for MRI. I have problem with 5 discs, bulging to the left and pressing on nerve.

Soon after this I started getting pain in my neck and up to my head as though I had a stiff neck. If standing up and looking down, terrible pain to lift head back up. In mornings cannot bend head down to even brush teeth. Also hurts to yawn, sneeze and even eat and swallow now.

Around about the same time, started feeling like a wet sensation in my knee, it felt like I had knelt in water and my jeans were wet on my knees, but nothing there. Doctor didn't have any ideas.

In June my left knee started swelling at the front, I had tight pain in the back of the knee and pain in calf. Very hot and red. Also swelling in left ankle. Sent for DVT scan and found to have fluid in left knee and calf. Cannot walk on this leg properly so most of weight transferring to right leg. Referred to Rheumatology Specialist - appointment not until Oct 21st !!!!

Late August my left knee starts to swell. Front and back of knee, calf and ankle. Hot and red and very tight like cramp. DVT clinic again to be safe but again fluid in leg.

Now my left wrist and thumb stiff and pain every day .

What the hell is going on, symptoms getting worse by the day. Only being prescribed Meloxicam and co-codamol which give me terrible stomach cramps and not very effective for pain. Roll on October when maybe get some answers to what is going on - if they don't cancel the appointment that is !!!

Do you have any alternative sources of income to try and see a consultant rheumatologist privately? That way, you could be seen next week. Shop around and get the cheapest rates at different hospitals. Insurance companies won't touch you. I managed to get my daughter seen for £150 and the GP went along with recommendations from the specialist. They can also refer you directly to any other consultant within the hospital. Just a thought.