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louise1962c
louise1962c

hello everyone,im suffering badly at the moment with OA,just about all my joints are pained and moving seems to take me an age.i had a total knee replacement 6 months ago due to bone on bone wear,but since the my other joints have got worse.went to my GP yesterday after suffering in silence this past 2 weeks,he gave me naproxen,more Tramadol which i have been on for a long time and paracetamol,he said he will test me for RA just to be sure,as my hands at times are so painful to open...its good to read that im not alone,and that you do have good times as well as bad...oh and he gave me anti depressants too...

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  • Jan999
    Jan999 louise1962c

    Posted

    louise I'm sorry to read you are in so much pain. I also have OA although not as severe as you have. It's a horrible disease because there's no cure and all we can do is find the most suitable pain relief. I do hope you get some relief.
    • louise1962c
      louise1962c Jan999

      Posted

      Thanks Matron,this is the worse ive had it in years,im only 53 and at times it seems along time to live with this..hopefully a better time is round the corner xxx
  • alpine
    alpine louise1962c

    Posted

    Hello Louise

    Have you considered going to a pain clinic ? I'm having injections for spinal stenosis, the improvement in my ability to walk is remarkable. I understand your condition is different but pain is pain, no fun, right ?

    Alpine

    • louise1962c
      louise1962c alpine

      Posted

      I think that would be a good idea,but trying to get the doctor to agree to it is an uphill battle,i would just love to be able to sleep the clock round for one night xxx
    • Jan999
      Jan999 louise1962c

      Posted

      Have you looked on the Arthritis Research Council website louise? That has lots of good advice. I read on there the benefit of taking Amitriptyline. It was once used as an antidepressant but now that new more up dated medication has come on the market it's used mainly for pain relief. I take it about 2-3 hours before bed (50mgs) and it's helped my pain on a night and improved my sleep as well.
    • loxie
      loxie Jan999

      Posted

      I have OA in my ankle due to a major injury and in my thumb joints and now diagnosed in my neck too, i also have fibromyalgia - double whammy.  I have a real problem with many pain meds, cant take tramadol or any opiates they just make me violently sick.  My doc prescribed low dose amitryptaline to take at night.  It really helps with getting a whole night's sleep without waking up in chronic pain.  It doesn't take the pain away but it does take the sharp edge off which means I get desperately needed rest, which in itself helps a lot.
    • constance.de
      constance.de Jan999

      Posted

      Hi Matron!  (Are, or were you, really one?).  The only thing I take for pain is Cocodomol.  My chemist always questions this when I go in with a prescription, she says "these are really addictive".  Everyone says the same, but my doctor prescribes them because I can't take anything which will upset my stomach (ulcers and esophagus problems).  It concerns me a great deal, but what else could I take for all this pain?  Any suggestions anyone?

      Regards frC. 💐

    • Jan999
      Jan999 constance.de

      Posted

      Hi constance yes I was one in gynaecology. Cheeky chemist! Bet he/she would take then if they were in pain due to arthritis.
    • Jan999
      Jan999 constance.de

      Posted

      My GP has prescribed Nefopam. There is a forum on this website. It isn't an opiate, not supposed to be addictive, can be taken with other pain killers and is strong enough to be given to women in labour and to post op patients. I take it when the codeine doesn't help. 
  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 louise1962c

    Posted

    Hi Louise!

    Welcome! You have found a fabulous group of people here with compassion and understanding and a TREMENDOUS amount of experience and expertise! I've been on board here just about eight months, and am grateful DAILY to have a place to go where people "get" me and can offer help and often a shoulder to cry on or suggestions on how to help myself feel better.

    It is extremely important to find out the TYPE of arthritis that you have because treatment varies greatly depending on the TYPE of arthritis.

    You already had a TKR, so apparently they determined that REPLACEMENT of your joint was necessary. I had both knees replaced due to Osteoarthritis.

    I don't know if joints are replaced when OTHER types if arthritis is present. Maybe someone else here can address this. Anyone?

    A Rheumotologist does MANY specific blood tests and will provide you with a printout of all the results. They screen for specific markers in the blood which indicate the various types of arthritis. Once THESE results are in, a treatment plan can be set up. For me, like you, I was BONE-ON-BONE, so no amount of medication was going to change THAT! I needed a knee replacement as did you.

    My tests ruled out all kinds of autoimmune types of arthritis, so osteoarthritis was the one left. From there, I met with the surgeon, had X-RAYS as you probably did, and went forward with my two knee replacement surgeries.

    My knees feel good. Other joints hurt, though, including my lower back, shoulders, elbows, hips, and, most recently, several fingers. Ibuprofen taken every 6-8hours helps as does moving, stretching and Yoga. I take 2000mg. fish oil gelcaps each day and drink plenty of water. I elevate my legs often and flex my quad muscles. Icy Hot roll-on is very helpful on my lower back and allows me to shovel our whole driveway without much pain.

    I am grateful for my KNEES feeling good. I was not expecting my OTHER joints to begin to scream, though! I guess when people say "Don't get old!" they really know what they are talking about!😁

    I hope you will feel better today, post a lot, and get some answers.

    Glad you are here with us!💑

    • louise1962c
      louise1962c cheryl90571

      Posted

      Thank you Cheryl,is so nice to be amongst fellow sufferers,as sometimes i feel non sufferers dont really understand..i get the blood test next week to find out exactly which type,but with the knees i think its definately OA.i have just started the anti inflamatories again,and hope they do help a little..its just feeling worse this week and more pain,which makes me feel low,but hopefully next week things might be better..thanks for a lovely welcome too xx
    • constance.de
      constance.de cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hi Cheryl!  Two things interested me in your post.  1st - "if joints are replaced when OTHER types of arthritis are present".  2nd- "Don't get old"!!!

      1st - I have been told I have Polyarthritis - they didn't tell me WHICH types of arthritis.  Whatever, pain is pain!😡. I must admit I am terrified of having  to have a replacement operation.  Which brings me to 2nd - my advice is DO GET OLD the alternative isn't very nice!😏. BTW I am 76!

      Regards fr C. 💐

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 constance.de

      Posted

      Hi there!

      I know what you mean! My Uncle John (age95) and my mother (age 100) would tell me "Don't get old!" all the time! I can remember thinking, "How do I manage to NOT get old?"

      Now that I am kinda old (64) yet often FEEL older than that, I wonder how my uncle and my mom did it...How they stood all their arthritic pain for so many years.

      Well, last June I had HAD IT! I was even wondering if AMPUTATION would help me! (I had seen athletes with those amazing "Cheetah " prostheses running MARATHONS!) I decided to go back to see my surgeon, have new X-RAYS and go from there. At the surgeon's office I took one look at my X-RAYS and scheduled my first knee replacement before I left his office. At my two month check-up for KNEE #1, we scheduled knee#2 surgery.

      Yes, there is PAIN, recovery SUCKS, BUT I can now shop for hours, shovel the whole driveway, help carry in a bookcase, and bake cookies all morning. In each if these cases I can do the task WITHOUT thinking about my knees! That NEVER would have been possible without having my knees replaced.

      Sure I have arthritis in OTHER joints, but none of that pain is as bad as my knees had for at least five years.

      I honestly could not wait for surgery! People thought I was CRAZY for undergoing #2 just four months after #1. I told them that my old knee was holding me back! I wanted my old knee to feel as good as my new one!

      I know not everyone has been as fortunate as I have. I had no complications. I am so grateful for that. I just KNEW that my knees would only get worse if I didn't replace them. It has been my two best decisions that I have made in YEARS.

      Just thought you'd like to hear some positives about KNEE REPLACEMENT.

    • loxie
      loxie cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hi Cheryl

      I have severe OA in one ankle and now in my neck.  Only option for the ankle is to fuse the joint, which I refused as it really restricts mobility and isn't reversible.  They don't offer joint replacement for ankles yet - the research is in its infancy and probably won't be available in my lifetime.  Nothing offered yet about the neck (C4, C5, C6) - I'm dreading the thought of that getting worse - neck affects everything I do.

    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 loxie

      Posted

      So sorry to hear about your ankle and your neck!

      Arthritis is EVIL!😬

      Have you tried a counter-irritant like Icy Hot roll-on? The counter-irritant tricks the PAIN sensors of the body by replacing pain with a sensation of HEAT.

      Works VERY well in my lower back on those achy days, and you can put it on easily because it is a roll-on. Your hands won't get any on them, and you can just carry it with you to apply as needed very quickly.

      It often buys me several warm and cozy hours of needed sleep on achy nights!

    • grandmaDylan
      grandmaDylan cheryl90571

      Posted

      Hi cheryl, I have just started the process of knee replacement. I am in the uk, I take it you're in the US? My gp wouldn't refer me to an orthopaedic surgeon as I'm at least 10 years too young (I'm 56) I told her that I can't live with pain like this for 10 years. She wouldn't back down so I had to see a consultant privately. He looked at my xrays and said that my left knee is shot but my right knee shows moderate OA. My left knee doesn't hurt anywhere near as much as my right! He is doing further xrays of my knees, specifically the knee cap and my hips. My mother had her first tkr aged 76 and her 2nd aged 81. She is disappointed that she can't kneel, can you? I also have fibromyalgia and polymyalgia just to mix it up a bit!
    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 grandmaDylan

      Posted

      Hi Deborah!

      Yes, I am from Ohio, USA. We are quite fortunate here because there are many orthopedic surgeons in our area. We are just 25 miles from Cleveland which is a HUGE medical mecca for people from all over the world.

      I really bothers me when age is the deciding factor as to whether a procedure will be done or not! People as young as 30 have had jips replaced, and my own physical therapist had BOTH KNEES replaced at age 42. If you KNEE is shot, your knee is shot! Doesn't matter what your age is! I would like these decision makers to have the PAIN WE have for a day, week, month. They would be changing their tune on things right quick!

      It is not recommended to kneel. I haven't kneeled since 1985, so I am OK with that! Also it is not recommended to PIVOT on your newly -replaced knee. I don't know whether these "rules" are forever, but as long as I can walk well, stand for as long as I want, and bend my knees enough to get in my car or sit in a booth at a restaurant, I am good.

      I am glad that you are seeing to treatment that will help you feel better. Believe me...It feels really great to not have that annoying knee pain!

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