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39 years old, had Osteoarthritis for 10 years!!!

Posted , 4 users are following.

emsjane
emsjane

Hi,

I have got to the point now where i cant stand the pain any longer and the osteoarthritis is now affecting my life soo badly that i really need help. I have pain in nearly every joint in my body, esp my hips and hands. Surprisingly, unless i overdo it, my knees arnt too bad!

I am overweight, which i know doesnt help, but i do try and do alot of walking to keep active.

My doctors dont seem to be much help and alot of the NSAID i have tried so far seem to all upset my stomach. I am trying Naproxen at the moment which seem to help a bit, but they dont get rid of the pain completely.

My left hip is so bad now that it is seriously affecting my life. I am in pretty much constant pain with it. I asked my doctor about having an arthroscopy, but she didnt look keen and said they dont like to do this as in the hips the operation can cause infection after the op. She said i could go for a xray on my hips to see how bad they are, she was going to look at my notes to see what ive already had done and get back to me, but as usual i havent heard from them. So i am going back to the docs again this week. I feel so cross that i practically have to beg for treatment and i think they look at me and think im young and therefore ok and dont need anything more than pain relief!

Can anyone give me any advice about any drugs that will help me or any treatments i can have that will help me. I can afford to go private so it wil have to be available on the NHS

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi

    I am sorry I cannot offer any tips for treatments for pain relief and I do not think I suffer as much as yourself. My hip is my problem which I have had for several years knowing full well at least 2 years ago that I needed a hip replacement, and waiting has made things worse with my back and knees. However, after waiting so long I wrote and complained and quoted some of the NHS blurb about patients waiting times etc, at them and how it was just all just a glossy brochure with no substance. Guess what, I got an appointment with the surgeon within a couple of weeks!!! So basically my advise is check the NHS information and use it to hi-light your position, and point out how they are failing you, dont be put off and always keep it polite! Get what help they go on about that is due to you. Good luck.

  • Geraldine
    Geraldine

    Posted

    Hi

    I am too 39, and although I am not overweight, I suffer a lot everyday of my life almost, from almost every joints, my neck, right shoulder, hands, even feet can wake me up at night. I have the impression that because of our young age for the condition, doctors will not only dismiss the pain and disconfort we are in, but also all too easily will blame for example the weight of the person. Even if weight is not going to help with osteoarthritis, this is [u:a52755d419]not[/u:a52755d419] the only culprit of the condition, and is in any case theanswer to the problem. i'm not unfortunately going to be able to help you though, as I didn't get much chance myself to be heard and taken seriously, the physio I saw advised me a book about pilate after only 2 sessions and said that was it, and a rhumatologist who saw me didn't spot the problem, actually I'm still not diagnosed, but this is my mum in France by telephone who suggested the problem as both my parents suffer from the condition though it didn't start that early. I got bumps on my fingers and the GP said that my mum may be right lol that is the diagnosis I got! ....

    Best wishes and good luck :-)

  • Stobban
    Stobban

    Posted

    Hi, to you all. All your post replicate exactly as I was at your ages I'm now 64 with exactly the same medical complaint, osteoarthritis with horrific pain. I was prescribed, to begin with, Anti-inflammatory tablets that gave me agonising stomach pain. But I dutifully took them, as per Doctors advise, and had a miserable time with no Pain relief what-so-ever.

    By this time I was in my fifties and had had enough, I approached a particular Doctor I liked at the Practice and explained I was sick to the back teeth of this constant pain and its side effects, depression etc, and understood the condition wasn't going to get better. Further saying, I wanted pain relief today! not tomorrow! not next week! He prescribed me opioid tablets that DID remove the pain successfully for the first time.

    I thought why didn't they do this years ago, but seemingly you've to pressure SOME Doctors to emphasize how miseable and pain riddled your in.

    I now take three types of Analgesics, NOT inflammatories, as they're only okay if you have inflammatory osteoarthritis, I hav'nt and it seems to me you havn't either. I now sleep well, eat well, lost weight to help the illness and now enjoy life as we should do.

    Taking responsibility totally for your illness does just mean that and on LOTS of occasions you must, not necessary pressure your Doctor but emphasize the possitive need for Pain Relief otherwise life hurts.

    I have not writ what opioids I'm prescribed because that would be up to your Doctor and lastly if your Doctor does take the Opioid route treat the tablets with respect and addiction will be last thing you'll be concerned with.

    All the best, Ron....

  • emsjane
    emsjane

    Posted

    Hi All,

    Thanks so much for your replies, i completely forgot that id posted on this website so apologies for the delay in replying.

    Since i last posted, ive had an Arthroscopy operation on my left hip. I had it done in January and it is now June, i can't honestly say i have noticed much difference and i still have a problem with the nerves above my knee, which is taking so long to heal up after being in traction during the operation!!

    I is summertime now and my arthritis is never as bad during the summer months, so the big test will be this winter as to whether the op has made any worthwhile difference, at the moment i can't honestly say id recommend the operation!

    Thanks to Ron for your message, i will definitely ask my doctor about taking Opioids, i am on Diclofenac at the moment and sadly my stomach is starting to hurt again now!!

    I get really tired having arthritis, does anyone else have the same problem??

    Emma

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