Osteoarthritis of the hip.

[misschrissie]

I have been in a lot of pain since January and as yet haven't had a diagnosis.My pain is mainly in my the top of my right buttock and walking is becoming a great problem for me.Would just like to hear from anyone who has been diagnosed with this so that I can compare symptoms .I'm hoping that it's something other than arthritis,something that can be fixed as this is having a massive impact on my quality of life.

[Robold]

I have osteoarthritis of the Hip. I was diagnosed back in December but was misdiagnosed 18 months before. This has now left me needing a new hip as as opposed to a refacing operation. I can honestly say that some days I just want to sit in the corner and cry because I find the pain truly unbearable.

Being 45 I have been told I am too young for THR and to, and I quote. "soldier on with a conservative line of treatment"!!! The only time I am pain free is lying on my back. The pain killers I have send my head spinning. I had been working for all my adult life and was on ESA for the last 6 months after the pain became unbearable and I was signed unfit by my doctor. I was getting help to change career and return to work in the future. After a work capability assessment I have been deemed fit to work and as a result no longer get the help I was getting under the ESA. Anyway that's my moaning out of the way.

[misschrissie in reply to Robold]

So sorry to hear that.Sounds like you've really been through the mill.It's quite frightening how you can be told "just soldier on" seems like we are low priority.Thankyou for replying anyway,I wish you well.

[Robold in reply to misschrissie]

I really would push to get a firm diagnosis, I was incorrectly diagnosed and as a result I have no options open to me except a replacement. i was worried, to be fair scared, when I had the scans, etc.

Please press to have a firm diagnosis. I now find it almost impossible to walk, stand or in fact sit for any length of time at all.

Early diagnosis would at least give you more options.

I truly wish you all the best,

[Hidden in reply to Robold]

Hi there I am similiar symptoms to your what was your exact diagnosis as I was told I had mild to moderate arthritis and now cannot sit in a chair or car and cannot stand for long total agony with sciatica down left side buttock pain and muscle spasms and off sick since Aug

[brightstar in reply to Robold]

I wonder if you can help me and give some advice I'm so confused at what to do. I worked for 16 years. Decided to resign due to work place bullying and I went to sign on last week for job seekers allowance due to being worried about my stamp being paid. This week after years of aches and pains and my mobility getting worse I was given tests and told that I have osteoarthritis in my hip. Need to see loads of people now who are going to advise me of the next stage of action. Do I have to tell the job centre about it and get help from another source like for example esa? Please can you advise Tnx u.

[Linniebur]

Hello,

First of all - hat kind of doctor are you seeing? I have seen a rhuematologist and a ortho doctor. They both agreed that I have osteoarithis. So they sent my pain doctor the results,

I have Osteoarthritis in both hips plus in every joint of my body. I see a Doctor that is in a Pain Management Group. There is relief for this. It is called - Radio Frequency, First what they do is 2 tests on the hip. They inject you with medicine that relieves the pain for about 6 hours and you log what you did and what your pain score was at. Then if you received at 80 - 90 percent relief they do another one. If you get the same results then they can do the Radio Frequency. What they do in go in and numb the nerves in that area. It last from 6 months to 2 years. My first one lasted 1 1/2 Years. Then the next one lasted 1 yr. But to have that relieve is awesome.

The other thing they could do is give you some Predisone. But that is just a fix that goes away once you stop taking them. Some times after you stop taking the predisone the pain stays away for a little while.

But now they changed my insurance and because I have to pay so much of the testing I can not afford it. I know exactly how you feel. But you need to rest more then anything. But you still need to get up now and then or you will be just as sore as you are now.

I hope this has helped and good luck to you.

[Robold in reply to Linniebur]

Linnebur

I am currently pushing my doctor to refer me to a pain management clinic. For what ever reason I am having to go down the legal route to get anywhere.

[misschrissie in reply to Linniebur]

I'm waiting for appointment at the orthopedic hospital.Been waiting for weeks now just for triage.

[brightstar in reply to misschrissie]

I was diagnosed Wednesday told dr would refer me to osteopath but the secretary is off for two weeks so they are going to refer when she comes back after two weeks holiday! Think I will be in the same waiting game as you!

[misschrissie]

Seems we're all having an uphill battle at a time when we're really not up to it.Thankyou so much for your replies.Let's hope we all get the help we need before it's too late.

[brightstar in reply to misschrissie]

Good luck

[Linniebur]

HI,

Keep calling them. I do not wait for them to call me. And when I had those shots I was sedated. That even helped with the pain too.

Hope it works out for you....

[Linniebur]

Hi

Yeah I get upset with the insurances too. My doctor can prescribe medications and the insurance questions it It gets ridiculous.

Hope it works out soon for you

[Hidden]

Hi,

My local GP suggested that Pain Management was only for people who suffered with depression about their situation (with pain from osteo and fibromyalgia) and as I happen to be a person with a positive disposition, and would rather laugh than give way and cry, this would not be of any help to me as it was mainly counselling. I'm surprised to hear that Pain Management in the true sense does still exist. Every bit of info helps, so thanks Linniebur, I'll raise the subject again with the GP as my next consultant appointment isn't for another 6 months. I've got to the point where I think umpteen times before going out into my garden to do a little pruning and dead heading because the pain is governing my life and I'm fed up with it. Prednisolone and pain killers just aren't doing it for me anymore and I want to take control again, At 69 I feel too young to be put on the scrap heap, there's too much I want and need to do. Moan over, thanks for listening. Best of luck with everything. Hope your situation improves soon. xx

[brightstar in reply to Hidden]

God love you, it's bloody annoying that when you are diagnosed you think ohh thank god I know I'm not going mad and it wasn't trapped nerves after all but then you are left as they say 'hanging' it's like watching paint dry to get appointments etc and all the time you are in pai or scared to do stuff I case you suffer the consequences after!

[jimi2]

Hi misschrissie. I was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis of the hip on Wednesday 8th July. 2 days ago. In one respect I was happy to hear what was wrong with me because now I finally know what it is, I can get on and deal with it. 'It is what it is'. In another respect, I was sad. I am 55 years old and sport has been and still is a massive part of my life. I spent most of my life playing rugby and at 50 I took up martial arts. Last year I graded and passed my 1st Dan black belt. I started feeling pain in my right hip about a year ago.

I pretty much ignored the pain and put it down to my rigorous training routine. I was doing martial arts six days a week and fitting in gym three times a week. I thought I had a slight pull in my muscles at the top of my leg. If you can imagine looking down on a cross section of your right leg as a clock face, the pain area was from 7 o'clock around to

1 o'clock. Some day I would hardly feel any pain and other days I was struggling to walk. In fact I would walk with a bit of a limp. Sometimes I would put my weight on my right leg and would feel a very sharp pain and my leg would almost give way.

The simple task of putting on socks on my left leg would be a struggle. Like anything life throws at us, you learn to adapt and deal with it.

Three months ago I saw my GP. The process was to see a physio at the hospital. After 4 visits to the physio and doing all the exercises she gave me, there was no change. I was then recommended to have an x-ray. For this I had to go back to my GP who then sent me back to the hospital for the X-ray. Ten day later back to the GP and hey ho, Osteoarthritis.

I will now learn to deal with the pain trying to take a bare minimum of pain killers, finding the techniques that work best for me going around my daily activities such as putting on my socks :). I have a final appointment with my physio on the 22nd of this month. I will go prepared with 50 questions and find exactly what exercises I can and can't do with the aim of continuing my martial arts and gym.

I hope this helps misschrissie. It's so important to know what you have and then you can work with it. Best wishes to you.

[Hidden in reply to jimi2]

Hi Jimi2 your post is very similar to mine. I went to docs in Jan after around 8 months of right hip pain which descended down to the knee. After a doc put in a cortisol injection which didn't touch it, psysio which did nothing, I went for a pelvic/hip MRI in June. Last week 14 July I got my results, well, I was told by the consultant arthritis both hips, and being pushed back to docs for MRI referral for back. No mention of what type of arthritis I actually have and because I was so shocked (I'm 45) came away without asking the consultant which type. He wants to do an injection under live xray which I'm not going to do, too many risks long term for cartilage and bone so I'm going to try and start yoga and Aqua aerobics instead. Are you finding the pain worse in your knees than your hips? My knees are so painful, when I get my docs appointment after the diagnosis letter is received I'm going to ask for knee scan I'm pretty sure the arthritis is there too and it's not referred pain. Let's keep positive everyone

[brightstar in reply to Hidden]

Hello how are you doing now, what's your update please? Hope ok xx

[brightstar in reply to jimi2]

Ohh my Jim you are writing exactly a carbon copy of what has happened to me. I have progressed to awful pain and this is now in the day as well as night. I decided to go to have a swim and I was so shocked as I can swim for long periods but I am not a fast swimmer. Guess what? My left leg was told by my brain to do breast stroke, my left leg refused, so very weird I can't believe it. I ignored it as I thought pulled muscle, trapped nerve but I have now found getting underwear on and socks it so bad the sharp pain coming hits right on the nerve! Ohhh I thought old age is coming to me early. So cutting long strory short dr phoned said you have osteoarthritis in hip. Tramadol and someone 'upstairs' will be in touch! Feeling like Victor Meldrew! Who upstairs, men n white coats? He said nothing can be done but pain relief as. Am too young 53 have to just accept it! Sorry rant over! Xx

[misschrissie]

Thank you so much for your reply.Sorry to hear it's osteoarthritis.You sound like you've got the right idea to get on and try to help yourself as much as possible.As yet I really don't know what my problem is.Have at last got an appointment at the orthopedic hospital for Monday.Hopefully they can at least diagnose my problem and then I can try and help myself as much as possible.Everything is such a struggle at the moment and walking is pure agony.Frightening how life can change so suddenly isn't it ! I wish you well and good luck at the physio.

[jimi2]

Good Luck and the very best wishes for Monday misschrissie. Let me know how you get on.

[misschrissie in reply to jimi2]

Will do,thanks.

[Hidden]

Hi MissChrissie it sounds to me like hip burstitis, how did you get on with your appointment? Hopefully it's not arthritis, I've just found this site, it's really nice to see posts from others who are going through similar Symtoms and can offer advice so keep smiling

[brightstar]

Hello I have been told via a phone call from the go this Wednesday that I have osteoarthritis in my hip. I started going to the dr so long ago I can't remember with my thighs aching. Was told it's probably stress. I wake through the night with the pain and it's like a constant ache, toothache from hell. So then I am having a pain in the back, sometimes my bum and it's a ache my knees have started to really hurt too. My husband asked me if I won the lottery what would I do. I said I would ask a dr to help me as I can't take anymore of sleepless nights. He said go to the dr anyway. I went was given ibrufen and co codomol. I told the dr I think I have pulled s muscle in my leg as. Keep getting a shooting pain in the leg when I move n Certain positions. This dr examined me and moved my right leg and foot felt OK. He then did the same to the left leg, ohh I nearly hit the ceiling and my left foot would not move to the left. He then said I think it is your hip. I told him I don't have pain in the hip just my leg. So straight away he sent me to hospital for blood tests, the xray. One week later I am told its osteoarthritis. Dr said on phone you have mild, moderate, and severe osteoarthritis and you have moderate to severe. What shall I do I said take the ibrufen he said and co codomol. I said I have but the aches and pain is now awful in the day as well as night. I was strong insisted I need help with it. So he prescribed tramadol. I took one at 9 am yesterday felt OK but ache was in the distance and then took one at one. I decided I would take one at 9 last night and one at ten thirty when I went to bed. I have to say I had from about 11pm to 5.40am the most sleep I've had in months. I think you have to go to dr and ask for the xray or scan as I've been fibbed off for ages and now feel that I should of pushed more for it to be investigated as I would of not had so many sleepless nights. Good luck xx

[hjewest]

Hello Misschrissie

I can sympathise with the way you feel and the pain you must be in.

I have severe Osteoarthiritis of my right hip which started about 2 years ago with pain in my groin, and soon after that it went downhill, with pain on the righthand side and as you described in the right buttock but feel it now all around the joint aswell as it henetates pain towards my thigh and top leg part.. I cant take any Naproxen anti inflammatory as I am on warfarin and have a pacemaker... I am 65 but they dont want to do a hip replacement as my BMI is too high and aftet Zapain and Tramadol the max qty made me feel sick and am on Morphine slow release and morphine liquid as a topup when needed.. The pain on the dose of morphine is still there in the background but it took the edge off it a bit, but the constant clicking drives me nuts and am crawling around with a walking aid.. which is quite depressing especially having lost most of my mobility.

They say keep moving, but it is like a viscious circle as all you want to do is sit down in one position which hurts the least, an they seem to have tablets for everything like anti depressants as I feel down dealing with it all from being in a good active job reduced to a walking wreck on disability.

I hope you feel a bit better on medication and know what you are going through/,,,,

Take Care!