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Wide spread Osteo arthritis

Posted , 4 users are following.

libralady13
libralady13

Hi I think I may have posted on this subject before.  I can't honestly remember as I have been on so many different forums.  I suffer from oa in the neck,spine and knees.  My knees are the worst. I am 67 years of age and first started having trouble with my knees in my early 40's all be it mild.  I have just come back from hospital orthpaedic clinic. This time I saw a different consultant he seemed to think everything was much worst then when I saw my usual consultant 3 months ago.  He also thinks it is in my hips although nowhere near as bad as the knees.  He said arthroscopy won't work and and will I need knee replacements. I don't think I am quite ready for surgery and also I have other health and family problems to deal with in the next few months.  Is there any one in my position.  How do you cope and what have you been told.  He pointed out that unlike hip replacements that are generally successful.  Knee replacements are not a cure and you can still get some pain and 1 in 10 don't work.  He said medicine and technology have not advanced as much with knees as with hips.  He has signed me off saying I should come back if

I find I can no longer cope with pain etc.  He did mention that knee replacements are a really painful op so you need to find your quality of like is unacceptable and you will take the small risk of it not working.  This does worry me for other reasons I cannot take painkillers apart from paracetamol.  I am not very optimistic for the future.  Thanks for reading this.

 

4 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

  • Jan999
    Jan999 libralady13

    Posted

    Hello. You haven't said why you can't take anything other than paracetamol but have you tried ?  It's not an opiate drug like codeine and is non addictive but strong enough to take in labour and postoperatively. Initially when I took it I felt a bit light headed but after a few days I was ok. You can take Nefopam with any other painkillers. In fact it works well with them, controlling the pain more. I take it with or inbetween my codeine dose as I have Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus (waiting for results of blood tests and Xrays).
    • libralady13
      libralady13 Jan999

      Posted

      Hi thanks for you reply.  I have IBS and nsaids like ibuprofen cause constipation and if you take them long term you need to take a PPI like omeprazole.  I have just got back to normal after taking them for several weeks for a digestive problem and they really upset the IBS

      cramps and awful constipation.  Took weeks to get them out of my system.  I have also tried codeine type, can't remember the names but they do exactly the same.  Is it Nefopam you are suggesting.  I have never heard of it and was told by the consultant to stick with paracetamol. 

    • Jan999
      Jan999 libralady13

      Posted

      I'd never heard of Nefopam until my GP suggested it and I was a bit sceptical. However I've been pleasantly surprised at just how effective it is without the side effects. It must be good if it's given in labour or following operations. You could take it alongside the paracetamol. The doseage is 2 tablets 3 times a day. It's worth a try.
    • libralady13
      libralady13 Jan999

      Posted

      Thank you I will look into it.  Do you know if there are any contra indications to taking like various conditions or medications, as I am on a few different things.
    • Jan999
      Jan999 libralady13

      Posted

      I think it's contraindicated if you have epilepsy, liver or kidney problems. 
    • Jan999
      Jan999 libralady13

      Posted

      That's good. I suppose it's something to consider and discuss with your GP.
    • libralady13
      libralady13 Jan999

      Posted

      Yes in deed, that's if I can ever get an appointment.  I usually book ahead on line but their website seemed to have expired.  You have to call at 8am otherwise and wait ages to get through which is why i always go on line for same day app if urgent or to book in advance.  Hope the website is soon back, use it to order medication as well.
    • Jan999
      Jan999 libralady13

      Posted

      Good luck. I think it's a problem getting an appointment at many GP surgeries.
  • elizabeth20203
    elizabeth20203 libralady13

    Posted

    Hello, There are lots of drugs for this type of pain. I am now on Nefopam but also take coedine, Naproxen and Gaberpentin. I have had two knee replacements and thou the first one was successful the revision one is less so. I have had arthritis since the age of 11 and i am now 58. In my opinion it's best to delay surgery for as long as possible. I am now struggling to walk  as i have arthritis in my other knee and spine. Go back to your GP and ask for stronger drugs, most drugs have initial side effects that wear off after a couple of weeks. I only suffer tiredness mainly. 

    Best wishes.

    Elizabeth.

    • libralady13
      libralady13 elizabeth20203

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply.  You have had arthritis for a very long time and I feel for you.  I certainly could not take naproxen as it is a nsaid.

      I have not heard of Gaberpentin.  In all honesty I would love better

      pain control but I manage.  Ibs sufferers will know only too well of the problems caused by antibiotics and pain killers etc.  It is a matter of

      trial and error but so far paracetamol are the only ones that don't give

      me side effects.  I will though ask GP about Nefopam.

       

  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 libralady13

    Posted

    Hello!

    I, too, have osteoarthritis, and just had my first total knee replacement done three weeks ago.

    I first began experiencing issues (stiffness, pain, etc. ) about thirty years ago. I am now 64.

    First, about four years ago, I went to see what, if anything, could be done. I was in denial for years.

    I remembered MANY of my family members complaining about pain and stiffness. Now I was one of them!

    I have always been an active person. Finding that I was having difficulty MOVING was a shock. It was like a shroud covering me from the beauty of the sunlight.

    My husband and I were taking care of my 99 year-old mother who had had a fall. She had been in excellent health prior to this fall in 2011.

    As I spent night after night in her hospital room or in the hospital lobby I began feeling stiffer and stiffer. Her hospitalization and then rehab at our home took a toll on my husband ,too, who has peripheral neuropathy and Type 2 Diabetes.

    Aging is not fun. Arthritis is not fun. Total Knee Replacement is not fun, but it became my only option besides doing NOTHING.

    When I saw my most recent X-RAYS showing no cartilage and BONE-ON-BONE and compared them with those from four years before THAT (bone spurs, misalignment beginning), I saw that my knees were disintegrating. The downward spiral was NOT going to improve on its own.

    I did the obligatory PT, the cortisone shots, exercise, weight loss, more X-RAYS, talk of REALLY EXPENSIVE Ortho/ Disc shots , and then just four years of EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING denial of it all.

    May 30 of this year I had EXTREME pain that put me on crutches to even get to the bathroom! It was my AH-HA MOMENTto get going on something to help myself.

    Although I am experiencing pain and stiffness even WITH the surgery, somehow I KNOW that surgery was my only option.

    It was time.

    I wish you a positive future.

    Keep your options open.

    Do what will give you hope.

    Will pray that all becomes clear to you!

    • libralady13
      libralady13 cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hi Thank you for your reply.  I do hope your surgery is successful and that recovery is not too long.  That said I realise from what you say that this was your only option.  Since my post some months ago my knee pain has improved for some reason.  Originally my right knee was painful but the pain going down my leg to the foot was the worst.

      I have since learnt that that type of pain is most probably from my spine, a bit like sciatica.  I have O A in my knees,spine,neck and possibly hips according to the consultant.  This leg pain kept me virtually housebound for months.  I was booked in for an arthroscopy, way back in September 2013.  The pain suddenly stopped so the surgery was cancelled on advise of the doctor.  Then about 1 year later the same thing happened to the left leg although not nearly so bad but with the pain going down the leg into the foot.  The same improvement happened again.  I now do get knee pain and some times leg pain but I think this is from the spine.  I am now walking much better and getting out and about although I do have to pace myself.  I use a 

      stick for walking as well.  Obviously if things deteriorate again I might have to seriously consider TKR, but at the moment they are not too bad.  Apart from the surgery I am concerned because as you know I have a problem with painkillers and I do not have a high pain threshold.  Also I wonder if my spine and neck might hinder recovery.

      Maybe this is one of the reasons why the consultant said don't have it done until you really need to.  In the last couple of years I have had both cataracts removed, laser eye surgery as well as suffering from anxiety which I am pleased to say is very much better after seeing a CBT councillor.  

      I wish you all the best and hope you are soon getting out and about.

      Do let us know how it goes.

      All the very best to you.

       

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 libralady13

      Posted

      I have learned from reading in this forum and talking to those I meet who have arthritis that there are many similarities but ALSO many differences!

      It is a very complex disease, and symptoms differ not only from day to day but even THROUGHOUT the day!

      My SURGICAL KNEE at 10 weeks post op is now my "GOOD KNEE", and my soon-to-be "NEW SURGICAL KNEE" is giving me all kinds of grief. I am counting the days for it to be operated on and replaced with new parts!

      Recovery was complex, but not having pain in the joint was definitely worth it.

      I AM reminded, though, that REPLACEMENTS help the given joint, but you STILL HAVE arthritis in OTHER PLACES of the body that CONTINUE TO ACHE !

      Pain comes and goes. You are lulled into a sense of "I am feeling MUCH BETTER", and then something else hits or new joints start screaming. It is enough to make YOU scream!

      I began taking fish oil (Omega 3). That helps a bit. Moving, walking, exercising helps, but then you have pain FROM the moving!

      Weather affects arthritis. I always thought people were strange when they said they could FEEL that the weather was going to change...UNTIL I realized that I COULD, TOO!

      Honestly, I think it becomes a crap shoot! You deal with the discomfort as it comes, are thankful for a good day, and batten down the hatches on bad days.

      Aging SUCKS!

      I remind myself that there are LOTS of worse things that COULD happen, however, and TRY to forge ahead and live as normal a life as possible.

      I wish you good pain management and the ability to stay positive. Laughter, getting your mind off arthritis and onto something enjoyable helps. This site has been a wonderful find, also.

      Best to you!

    • libralady13
      libralady13 cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hello Glad to hear you are recovering well from your op, I hope you don't have long to wait for the other knee. It is good that you have np pain from the knee but of course I realise that arthritis strikes everywhere and the other joints remind very quickly if we are doing too much or favouring the other knee after surgery.  

      I myself have had a couple of quite good months.  I have been able to get out and about pacing myself and with minimal pain.  However my husband was sent to hospital with breathing problems and all the running up and down to the hospital and long corridors to walk  during the few days he was in and yes my knees especially the left, back and neck are complaining.  I hope it is just a temporary blip and that with rest painkillers and exercise I will return to my normal level.  I have lost a few pounds so probably helped although the scales say I am going up again so must see to it.   Who knows how long it will be before I do decide yes I need tkr. I can only say that compared to the pain I was experiencing 2012-2014 this level of pain now is mild.  Why it got better I don't know but I suspect although my knees are bad according to the consultant a lot of the referred pain to my legs and feet probably came from the spine.

      I wish you well and hope that it won't belong before you have 2 new painless working knees.  As for the other joints as you say you make the best of it with good days and not so good days.

      Bet wishes

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 libralady13

      Posted

      I hope all is well for your husband now. It is always so stressful when family has to be in the hospital!

      Glad you are feeling better! Our body parts that have pain are connected to the spine no matter WHAT PART we're talking about. It is DEFINITELY all about the spine!

      My next surgery is just a month away! I am working hard to keep my SURGICAL KNEE nice and strong because it will have to carry my NEW SURGICAL KNEE through all those first rough days. Not looking forward to SURGERY, but DEFINITELY looking forward to less pain!

      Take care!

      Keep in touch!

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