osteoarthirtis

tabby391

I don't even know that I spelled it corrrectly. I am so Upset. I just found out that that is what i have in my back , hip, knees, and possibly my shoulder. I did push through 100's and felt proud. But oh the pain that I have had all day. The meds they gave me Thursday aren't touching it. Hope tomorrow is better.

clairegreen1974

I feel for you Tabby i really do... I have has Osteoarthritis (you weren't far off!! lol) Im 'only' 38 and ive had it since my early 20's - i used to overkill on sports and now its payback!

I know its hard but you must accept that you cannot do as much as you used to, or push it as hard as before. That's not to say that you give up completely (as i did and got huge!) although it if often a battle of the mind, the pain gets so bad you just cannot face exercise, but you know, and your always being told that exercise is good - BUT in moderation. I can no longer run... however, i have gotten over that by getting a Cross Trainer. its a hulk of a thing, but essentially i can 'run' as there is virtually no impact on my knees as i never actually hit the floor...

What meds are you on? Im on a virtual cocktail! I do hope you feel better... just dont overdo it!

Tall_E

Sorry you have this painful condition. I have it too along with Fibromyalgia. I had to go through a period of mourning and depression over being diagnosed before I got to where I could take charge of learning everything I could to make the changes I needed to adapt and live life around the pain, etc. One thing I learned is that pacing myself is key. Inflammation and fatigue are your biggest enemies. I've cleaned up my diet to eliminate any foods that cause inflammation, added supplements that assist my bones and nerves, and I'm working on improving stretches along with finding forms of exercise that are gentle to my joints. Take your time to absorb all this, then look for answers that fit you. Most of all, be good to yourself and remember you're not alone.

dixiech1ck

I'm on the committee for the National Arthritis Foundation. Definitely reach out to your local chapter for education and help with med ideas, doctors in your area, etc. Don't give up on yourself!! Seriously -- I was diagnosed last year with both osteo (in my knees) and psoriatic. Psoriatic is the worst, IMO, because it stems from psoriasis, which I have and is already painful in itself. My doctor told me point blank that I was fat and I needed to lose the weight. So I found this site, I made it a point to find exercises that I loved and foods that I enjoyed and week by week, I was feeling better. I wish you a life without the pain and stress... I know it's easy to say and hard to come by, but you have to make it happen for YOU!

clairegreen1974

I think we are all agreed that it is literally like a period of mourning and acceptance - it is hard to come to terms with some things that you used to just do - even though it bloody hurt to do them, but now you are being forced to acknowledge that you SHOULDNT and find other ways instead.

my cross trainer is my saviour at the moment, due to the floods here the weather as you will likely know, plays havoc with your joint pain, and you cant go out, so having exercise to do indoors - even if you just do a bit of extra vigorous hoovering, is better than nothing

tabby391

Thank you to everyone for your support. I went on the arthiritis.org site and ordered alot of information. Trying to take an active roll in educateing myself. I am looking at some in home exercise equipment for the days I can't get out. I go to curves 3x a week and have dogs to walk. I am currently on Daypro and Robaxin. I didn't even look into them because the pain was so bad. I have been dealing with pain for years and finally said Hey, will some one do some blood work. My ANA was positive.

clairegreen1974

Aha... Daypro is a NSAID (non steroidal anti inflammatory) much like ibuprofen etc so that will reduce the swelling which causes pain etc, the Robaxin is acting like a nerve suppressant/muscle relaxant, as we all know, being tensed up causes pain, and also the Robaxin will help block the pain signals to the brain itself.

Im on similar, but i can no longer take any NSAID's as they can (and have in me) caused stomach ulcers so keep an eye out long term for any pain which starts like a really tight grip under your ribs and radiates to your back. I am on Gabapentin which is similar to your Robaxin i think? it is an anti epilepsy drug originally but also acts as a nerve suppressant.

If you want some info on the ANA test itself read this: http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/understanding/analytes/ana/tab/test information is your greatest weapon and you can use it to help yourself get fit and well (as possible!)

lostemt

Hope I can get this topic up and running again. I having huge flair up right now or possible torn mcl. Just got over a stress fracture in my right ankle and now I having major problems with my left knee in the area of my mcl. The pain gets to the point I start to cry cause it hurts so bad and nothing relieves it. Putting my shoes on this morning was a chore in it's self. Anything I try to do some days it just hurts please help me.

WifeofPastor

Hi I know it was back in May last year you were looking for someone to chat with. I hope you are feeling better than you were this time last year. Last year it was thought I had torn my ACL the pain in my left knee was terrible, I had arthroscopic surgery where they found the ACL was still mostly attached but what was giving me the pain was a torn, shredded cartilage they removed a chunk and showed me where the arthritis is and told me that now they have been in the knee the osteoarthritis will progress faster now. I have to be careful how I move on that knee which has its own challenges as I am a right below the knee amputee as well. Which means both legs are compromised. I've been living with the knowledge that I have osteoarthritis in many of my joints but my worst pain has gone undiagnosed until recently. 20 years of not knowing why I had so much pain has been tough going. My stomach eventually got destroyed by the anti-inflammatory meds. So now I'm on straight pain killers which has my pain under control to the point that I can function.
I was diagnosed with Chronic Myofascial Pain (CMP) so next week I start with a special type of message to try and loosen the myofascial knots. Exercise can be problematic because I'm an amputee, have osteoarthritis and now know the main cause of all my pain is CMP. I had a doctor one time about nine years ago tell me, to get my pain under control and keep it there to not to chase the pain as it will constantly wear me down. So yes my pain meds dosage is high but if it keeps the pain to a minimal. Hoping that you or someone is monitoring this topic.
thanks for reading

lostemt

Still down with my major problem in my left knee. Heading to the Dr in the morning cause one person can only take so much. My flex ability is down to almost nothing at this point and I am only 37 this ain't fair :sad:

WifeofPastor

I hear you, yes you are young to be so limited with your knee. Have you had physio therapy to help keep the muscles strong. I find the few exercises I do specifically for my knee does help. We have stairs in our house to up to bed and down to the basement to watch TV and there are days when the pain in my knee is really really painful, but I keep plodding on. I have found that I can work out using Wii Dance Dance Revolution, because it uses the arrow mat it means I don't twist on that knee and I can still work out. Keeping moving is the most important factor in all this. I've just watched your video and you have done amazingly loosing 50 lbs but I believe your goal is to loose more.

Have you had an MRI on your knee to see what is actually happening, it wasn't until the surgeon went in to check and fix the ACL that he realized that wasn't the problem, as he said if it had been a torn ligament it would have really hurt when it tore but should not have been giving me such sharp excruciating pain, I agreed to the arthroscopic surgery and am glad I did. They removed what was causing the majority of my pain and confirmed the osteoarthritis in it, which will progress a lot faster now they have pocked around in there.

Are you still managing to loose weight I hope you are because it was amazing to see you take those really big clothes off to show the smaller you. I'm guessing you haven't reached your goal yet. I hope all went well at the Dr's if they can't do anything to fix the knee at this point in time try and get pain meds that will keep your pain under control.

I will keep watching this space if you need to vent well I'm here to read and encourage. Nothing worse than pain, but pain that stops you from being mobile is awful and very very frustrating as we need to be active to loose the extra pounds.