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Grade 4 rapid onset osteoarthritis

Posted , 11 users are following.

ianf1979
ianf1979

Hi im 36 year old male and have been diagnosed with grade 4 rapid onset osteoarthritis and tri compartmental arthritis in both legs also in my ankle and hands and shoulders can anyone please help with suggestions for Pain, im on the morphine patches but they dont seem to work and there at the top level i have been told i need a double knee replacement but IM TOO YOUNG to have at moment so basically being left to rot can anyone help

1 like, 17 replies

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  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 ianf1979

    Posted

    Hi there!

    Welcome to the forum!??

    Just met our new Schwan's representative who delivers groceries from an online service and struck up a conversation with him. Dan is 33 and had BOTH HIPS replaced last year due to severe osteoarthritis and narrowing of the hip joint.

    He travelled around to a number of doctors before he was able to find one who understood that regardless of his very young age, HE NEEDED hip replacements!

    Dan is a young father who can work again, play with his young daughter, and enjoy a regular life with his young wife. He is a huge advocate for searching until an answer is found.

    If he would have listened to the first five doctors he went to, he would now be u able to work and in a wheelchair.

    Please consider keeping going on looking for more opinions and more doctors.

    Also, my home-care PT had both knees replaced at age 42. Several doctors wanted her to wait until she was AT LEAST ten years older! She kept looking and found a surgeon who would take her case. At 46 she is EXTREMELY HAPPY she didn't take "no" for an answer and advocated for herself. She can move VERY WELL and has her life back.

    There ARE answers out there.

    Be persistent!

    Sending prayers of courage and strength to you today!????????

  • wknight
    wknight ianf1979

    Posted

    Who said you are too young?

    if you are in the UK I would get a second opinion and see if you can get an opinion from a private consultant, because NHS rules are different to what they do in private practice

    e.g. Privately you can get finger joint replacements but the NHS don't do them. 

    I have found joint replacements the only way to eliminate the pain 

    • constance.de
      constance.de wknight

      Posted

      The only problem with this is - you have to be able to afford to go privately.  Operations are hugely expensive!

      Listen to Chery, ianf, keep on going to different doctors/rhematologists till you find one who WILL help.

    • wknight
      wknight constance.de

      Posted

      Around £2000 for a finger joint, yes not cheap, but if you drink or smoke or go out a lot, count up how much you spend in 2 years and you might be surprised how much money you will save up and being pain free is priceless instead of filling yourself with pain killing drugs

      1 packet of cigarettes a day is almost £3500 yr 

    • ianf1979
      ianf1979 wknight

      Posted

      Hi Many thanks for your message i have looked into private but the fact i need double knee replacement and hip replacement it is going to cost me a fortune and that is money i no longer have as i have had to pack in work but i will certinley be looking for a loan to do if no other help available
  • elizabeth20203
    elizabeth20203 ianf1979

    Posted

    Hello Ian, I am sorry to hear of your diagnosis at a young age. I have suffered from septic arthritis aged 11 and osteo arthritis at a young age also. I had my first knee replacement aged 39 and a revision one done aged 52. I am due to have my other knee replaced asap. I am still not retirement age yet. 

    Please do not feel like your being left to rot. Are you in the UK? You can ask for a second opinion as to your options. Surgery is a last resort but also the most effective. Drugs can only releive the symptoms and not always successful. Drugs tend to not work after a while or you need larger doses to be effective which can have great side effects. Can be okay in the short term. I take Gaberpentin as i suffer nerve pain as well. The disadvantage is weight gain for me. The way i see it is you need your life back now not when your 80, surgery will give your your life back while your young and able to enjoy your life. You should be relatively pain free. I hope you you will find some solutions soon. Wishing you the best.

    Elizabeth.

    • ianf1979
      ianf1979 elizabeth20203

      Posted

      Hi Elizabeth thanks for your message i have had second opinion but i may try a third as this is not healthy anymore

      i hpe all goes well with your next knee replacement

      Ian

  • jules130
    jules130 ianf1979

    Posted

    Hi ianf. So sorry to hear about your pain with osteoarthritis. I am in Australia. If I was you I would be trying to get off the morphine patches as soon as possible. There have been reports that morphine should not be given to help ease pain with osteo.Also it can extenuate the pain and intensity.. This did happen to me.Have you tried Turmeric? I have found this to help a little with pain. .I have already had one knee replaced. Wish I hadn't had it done.I am going to have stem cell treatment in 2 weeks time I want to avoid having my other knee replaced at all costs. Off course no 2 people are the same. That's not to say that a replacement won't help you. There was a guy in Aus that had both knees replaced and he was 40. So don't give up hope. Cheers Jules.

    • ianf1979
      ianf1979 jules130

      Posted

      Hi Jules many thanks for your comments i will give the tumeric a try i did try a cream with chilli caled capsacain which worked at first but now nothing so will give that a try thanks again
    • loxie
      loxie ianf1979

      Posted

      Hi Ian.  I hope if you continue to persist with doctors that someone will listen to you and consider surgery.  Re the turmeric - the active ingredient is actually curcumin  - of which there is only a 5% concentration in turmeric.  Better to go to a health food store and buy curcumin capsules. The best ones are not cheap but some people find they work well.  I tried them for about 4 - 5 months and didnt notice a big difference unfortunately.  Ginger is a powerful anti inflammatory too, might be worth a try.  What worked most for me was meditation - specifically mindfulness based.  Amazing how you can actually convince your mind to ignore some of the pain  - really!
  • hope4cure
    hope4cure ianf1979

    Posted

    I had my first hip replacement at 42 waited 4 years till I could no longer walk.The longer you wait the more damage is done to the joint.

    Complications and necrosis can make replacement recovery longer. Bone stock in good shape is important for new joint components to heel and for a successful outcome and faster recovery.

    Take care to get another opinion and when your ready you will have TKR and glad you did. The pain relief from joint replacement is a great option than pain meds that DONOT help. 

    OA is a wear and tear joint arthritis and after three joint replacements I am happy to still have my mobility.

    Best wishes to you. It's a really hard thing to take at first. After time the pain outweighs the fears or age young and old to agree that joint replacement will have a huge impact on improving your quality of life. 

    I can sympathize with you OA joint pain is excruciating. I hope that you can get more information and education on joint replacements. There are even joint component manufacturers that custom make knee joints for individual patients. 

    Take care.

    • ianf1979
      ianf1979 hope4cure

      Posted

      Hi thanks for your message, i was told by a surgeon that even if they would operate it would be difficult as my right knee is mangled inside, they thought i had been a motorcycle accident, they said the pattern of my arthritis is different ??? just to confuse me more i think, i will certinly be looking into finding out more of what cqn be done

      thnks for your message

    • elizabeth20203
      elizabeth20203 ianf1979

      Posted

      Hello again Ian, just read about you saying that your knee is mangled inside. I can tell you that my left knee was damaged by the septic arthritis, and i had several operations as a child. I was not diagnosed for a long time and i was operated on unneccessary as they didn't realise what i had. Now i am talking about 1967 so little was known about septic arthritis. I am now 59 so have had arthritis for 48 years. My knee was very deformed and my patella had been pushed to the side and was swollen pernamently. I walked like this for many years until my tibia and fibia became deformed and i was bowleged. My operation was a total knee replacement with the tibia and fibia being straightened. My consultant had never seen anyone with the knee in the condition it was in before. I was also the youngest patient he operated on except for a double hip replacement in a man of 29. My knee was so mangled and yet it was a miracle. My second replacement i had broken my leg and my knee replaced again with the broken leg, i now have stents supporting the new knee and tibia. Some people i have known for years have not realised i have had these operations except that now i walk with a stick because of my other knee being weak and i have osteo arthritis in my lower spine. No matter the condition of your joints now, with the expertise and medical science you have a good chance of a sucsessful operation. Fight for it. You will find a surgeon. Wishing you the best. Keep with this forum and i would like to hear how you get on, if you wish to let us know. We are all here to support one another. Without medical science and the expertise of specialists i would of being in a wheelchair now. 

      Elizabeth.

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