I’ve been in so much pain for over a year because I have had bursitis and enthetis in both hips. Late on Tuesday this week, I had both hips injected with steroids. It’s the second time for my right hip. It’s a horrid day surgery, I cried. So, I’ve been resting as I really want these to work because I’ve not been able to do very much at all. My left hip feels ok but my right hip is much worse. The radiologist remarked how inflamed they both were. He said when he removed the needles from both sides, the fluid was sticky and it was harder to get the needles out. I’m guessing this is synovial fluid. Also, when injecting he said he has to push hard through damaged tissue, it’s harder to push the needle through apparently. The last injection, last year didn’t work for long and I’ve been reading this may only last for three months. I’m beginning to feel a bit low (and trying hard not to). Has anyone else had these injections and has it made a big improvement? The waiting list to see my rheumy again is 7 months, then these injections are a 15 week wait. It’s all a bit hopeless. I can’t move my right leg well, I can’t walk properly. I think the injection has caused a flare in my right hip. What on Earth can I do? Is this my life now? No walking? 😥 I despair.
Ultrasound guided hip joint injections : I’ve been in... - NRAS
Ultrasound guided hip joint injections
I'm sorry you are having such a rotten time of it and I wish I had some idea of what would help. I'm afraid it's only your rheumy team who have the experience and knowledge to help you. Do you have access to a rheumy help line at all? If you are in the UK you could ring the NRAS helpline for some advice on 0800 298 7650. Wishing you well
Thank you, yes I’m in the UK. I do have access to my care team at the hospital but I suspect they’ll say, to wait a bit longer and see if it settles down. It is what it is, sometimes, I just wish it wasn’t. I wish I could take my children out, do more. As we all do, I know. I’m hoping that these injections bide me some time to do that, if I’m careful now. Thank you for replying.
I have Bursitis & had my right hip injected ......it turned out I was allergic to either the steroid, or the local anaesthetic used.....it made me so ill I had to cancel a holiday. To add insult to injury, at the time it had no effect at all on the Bursitis......but 6 months later I do have more good days than bad, whether that was anything to do with the injection I don’t know but I won’t chance having it done again.
I know just how you are feeling because I can no longer walk more than a few yards. I long to be able to go out on my own, go shopping, go to the park on a nice day etc, but I can't. I have come to terms with it but still have a cry sometimes when the pain is at it's worst.
It is now over six years since I got on a bus, went into town and carried some shopping home and when I did that, I never imaged that it would be for the last time. Now, I can't even carry my handbag. I don't drive so unless someone is around to go out with me I am more or less imprisoned. I used to love taking my son out when he was little, to the park, shuffling in the autumn leaves and many other things and always thought it would be wonderful to have grandchildren one day so that I could do that again. However, I now think that if I ever have grandchildren, I would not be able to do anything like that or even lift them up. However, I could sit and read to them, watch TV with them, play games with them, play with playdoh or paint or crayon at the table, so I think we can always think of alternatives to do.
How much treatment have you had? I am presuming steroid injections have failed? Have you tried physio? Have you seen a surgeon & asked about a bursectomy?
Have you told your rheumy nurse how incapacitated you are? What does your GP say?
I can’t imagine suffering for as long as you have without anything helping.
As I said I don’t know if my Bursitis has just settled down on its own.....or if the steroid injection did help, but I would be hollering loud & long if I were suffering like you are.
Please make an appointment & take the long list of all your symptoms.
She who shouts loudest gets treated!
Good Luck!
This is my second ultrasound guided injection into my right hip, first for my left. Last time, any relief didn’t last. I’ve told them and told them how bad the pain is. So the rheumatologist booked these injections for me. It was a minimum 15 week wait for them and I told them again how bad the pain was and miraculously they managed to bring them forward to about an 8 week wait. I cannot do physio until/if these work because of the pain. So the rheumatologist said that she felt physio might help, if I could do it, if these work. I did mention to the rheumatologist about surgery and she organised a bone scan to check if that might be possible. I had that early in June but have not received the results. I’ve asked and have been told it takes a minimum of six weeks to get that and it goes on...
And I’ve not tried talking to. GP, I can’t get to see the same one twice and they’re not really interested...
Unfortunately with our present NHS we just have to keep battling on.....I am fortunate that I don’t need to go to my GP very often, but I now keep a running note on my GP visits & just hand it over when I see yet a new face at the surgery. With only ten minute appointments it saves a good 50% of time wasting!
Yes I know and private healthcare won’t cover this chronic disease.
You are right medical insurance doesn't cover a lot of RA related conditions.....It might cover Bursitis if your doctor refers you for just that waffling on about age related rather than RA!
It might get you through the door to see a Consultant....then go for
any possible treatment on the NHS.
As you have been suffering for so long it might even be worth paying for a private consultation yourself to get on the first step of the ladder ?
No, it private cover won’t step up. I could see a private consultant yes, but I would still have to wait for treatment on NHS. Short of winning the lottery, this is the situation for us all
But Private consultants often prescribe treatments NHS Consultants wouldn’t!
Swings & roundabouts!
If they prescribe treatments - you mean drugs or surgical? If surgical/scans/tests etc, private will not cover it.
No you won’t get private treatment via insurance... but if you have a private consultation with a private rheumatologist.....pay for a scan.. ..& it throws up something.......you can then see someone in the NHS & you might get a bit further if you have a scan proving you need treatment.....it’s done all the time.
Nothing ventured nothing gained.....& you might get some relief & be able to get about with less pain?
If you are in a position to do so....I think it’s always worth paying.
I gave up private medical insurance when I found I was paying out more for the insurance subscription than it would cost me to self pay. That was three years ago & I am ahead of the game.
I know if my hip really started playing up I wouldn’t hesitate to go without something to pay for a private consult.
What’s the point in paying for a lovely holiday if you are in pain & can’t enjoy it? I would choose to get some treatment privately, ...& take a holiday when I felt better.......of course, we all have different ways of dealing with our health .......I hope you soon manage to get some treatment that helps.
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I understand what you’re saying. I did do that in the beginning as this disease started in my ankles. I saw a private orthopaedic surgeon had MRI’s etc. He said it was rheumatoid related. So I asked my gp to refer me to one and went from
There. I’m on biological drugs. I can’t get any further ahead than I am
And also, I wouldn’t recommend cancelling private insurance ‘just’ because they don’t cover this disease because they cover other illnesses. Such as the liver tumours I had resulting in major surgery after the NHS said they ‘watch and wait’, I was very lucky to survive, I wouldn’t have without the insurance
Believe me once you get on in years private medical insurance subscriptions escalate beyond belief. I calculated that for two years I had paid out far more in subscriptions than I had received in treatment.....it was a no brainer to cancel my membership.
After all Emergency Medicine is where the NHS comes into its own.
I costed out at my local private hospital the cost of any likely treatment-apart from falling under a bus ....and I felt it was worth taking the chance, and as I say so far I’m ahead of the game.
It is surprising how prices drop in the Private sector when you self pay. Even London Hospitals have “packages” including after care that compare very favourably with what insurance companies pay.
Of course you have to take into account the quality of your local hospital & if your chosen Consultant works there...if it’s not up to scratch you might be on dodgy ground.
My major liver surgery, including intensive care, costs came to £200k. I know I wouldn’t pay that in subscriptions.
At £10kpa you’d have to live another 20 years!
Don’t think I’m up for that!
I had that surgery when I was 24, I’m 50 now...
I really wonder if Private medical insurance will still exist in 2040?
So many of the NHS services are contracted to private companies .....unless there is massive investment & NI contributions are increased , I think we will have to move on to some sort of system like they have in mainland Europe...part state & part insurance based.....it seems to work well in France & Italy..don’t know about other countries.
But I probably won’t be around then, so I won’t worry about it!
The last injection I had in my knee hurt terribly for a couple of weeks and then it seemed to kick in. I’m due again but now it’s both knees in trouble. Hoping your shot kicks in and helps. Just know you have lots of company here wishing you well.
Thank you very much for your kindness. I’m sorry about your knees. I’m hoping these hip ones work. It’s very hard to keep resting when you have both hips done at the same time but if I’d had one, then the second would probably not be until next year. I suppose this is the most frustrating thing, that you cannot see a rheumatologist when you need to and secondly when you do, there’s an inordinate waiting list for a procedure, months into the future and you’ve already waited months to see the rheumatologist. So each problem takes one year, and so on. In the meantime we have to live. Sorry, bit of a bad week for me, although I am grateful for receiving the injections...
Hi there, I had a guided injection into my wrist for rheumatoid six months ago and it's still okay but has damaged the wrist tendon so not sure if I would go again. Also made things worse before getting better which they did warn me about. On a positive note, a friend had one into the knee which only lasted for three months. As a nurse, her colleagues persuaded her to have another which seems to have made some major change as this was a couple of years ago.
My feet are pretty bad at the moment so I do understand your despair and know how frustrating it can be. Taking the best care of yourself and getting local support if you can may help. Sending positive vibes and best wishes to you ...
Thank you, yes they really don’t tell you much at all do they? I insisted at least on a wheelchair after this as last time, they just said ok you can go now and I fell over. To be honest, I didn’t really have an alternative because this was the primary ‘solution’ offered by the rheumatologist, when I suggested surgery. So I see it as a step, if it works longer term that’s great but I’m not hopeful due to the pain in my right hip at the moment. Long road...
I had bursitis bad in the left hip. Lots of steroid injections, initially they helped a lot.
I had 2 lots of surgery to lengthen the tendon to stop friction. I got improvements with movement but the pain came back.
Last injection I had was ultrasound guided. I had a lot of inflammation.
At that point I gave in and agreed to go back to Rheumatology. I was started on DMARDS and it improved and has carried on so fingers crossed. The bursitis does from time to time say hello sort of speak but nothing at all like it was.
Hope you get sorted, do ask for an earlier appointment.
hi, thanks for your feedback. I'm on biological drugs as well as a dmard and this bursitis has occurred while I have been on them. The pain I have at the moment and it's not quite a week since I had the ultrasound guided injections into both hips, is a very acute sharp type of pain, if I move one leg in front of the other a little too fast or to far. Bear in mind that I'm hobling around the house and have not been out at all since this happened. I go up and down the stairs one step at a time and try to avoid it altogether, so if I actually, started to try and live normally, I think the pain would be a lot worse. I really don't know what to do next to be honest....
I relate—when you need a doc—they are booked! My primary says why not book every 3 months( like when your injection runs out..or pick another time span & cancel if not needed—Leaving a week or so for them to reschedule or even 3 days) 7 months is TOO LONG! Is there a secondary doc or nurse? Book your RA according to your guesstimates of when needed....it’s all about YOU!
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