No idea where to turn now

[Serve]

Diagnosis of pre osteoarthritis in neck at 12, not referred.

Had my right knee completely replaced at 49 - unfortunately it failed and the consultant won’t operate again but instead has dropped me like a ton of bricks, so I see no one but my GP. This has left me in bed most of the time and housebound.

Any ideas how to try and make things a little/a lot better would be very welcome

[kohai OA Ambassador]

Wow!

Well, first of all, nice to meet you

On a positive note, there are loads of options open to you, and ones I personally have had to resort too on a number of occasions.

You are well within your rights to see your GP and request a referral to a different ortho surgeon.

If you ask your GP to 'Expedite the request, it'll go through as 'urgent', not just as routine.

You also need to get your GP to get you down to x-ray again for an update on your OA.

Having OA in the neck is certainly very painful, I know that myself.

I found that not one of the five gp's at my surgery had ever heard of a

'Cericogenic headache'.

Its a headache triggered by the cervical area (top) of the spine, leading up the neck.

These can be worse than normal headaches, but (for me) not as thumping as a migraine.

Never forget, you do have medical health problems and are more than entitled to go into A&E if the pain gets too bad.

Sadly, to get passed the receptionists, you may have to side-track on the truth a little just to be seen.

My neck got so bad, I couldn't turn my head in any direction. I told the receptionists "I'm not sure if I've jarred it or slept awkward, but I can't turn it in any direction now".

So there was a large element of truth, but had I said that I'd suffered with it for a while, I'd have just been told to see my own doctor ..... who doesn't work weekends, and I was in A&E in agony on a Saturday. But I refuse to phone an ambulance, which is what my last GP suggested I do.

You don't need to have a social worker in order to phone the hospital O.T dept and request an assessment. Not only can O.T's help you get even a little more mobile (I'm bed ridden about 89% of the time, unless on strong controlled meds), they also carry a lot of weight both with gp's and ortho's.

Is any of what I've said the type of help or advice you were looking for?

Jules