I was diagnosed with osteo arthritis of 5 vertebrae in my lumbar spine a couple of years ago. I had to wait nearly a year just for the spinal surgeon to say he wouldn't do anything. My back is much work and I can no longer work. It takes me at least 2hrs just to get going each day and I suffer 24/7 with pain in my back, hips and legs. I also have a similar problem in my neck which has recently got far worse.
My GP refuses to send me for an updated scan to see what is happening. My last scan was in 2011.
So far I've had very little help from the NHS and it's as if they have written me off. I'm expected to sit at home and not bother them. In the mean time I find it more and more painful to walk. I don't go anywhere or do anything because it's too painful.
Does anyone else get the same non-treatment from the NHS?
I also have a problem with strong painkillers in the fact that they don't work. Liquid Morphine was like drinking water.
You say that you were diagnosed that you required to a possible fusion or fixation.
You also say that the Specialist has refused treatment, this could be several reasons Age, risk, or you are not a UK National.
Many spinal operations like the one you may need are very risky, the spine may have not finished the growing process.
They could be waiting for the bone to strengthen, or you may be to old and the risk is too great. as the bone is brittle
Your problems seem extensive and your hips are also badly effected.
If you are a non none UK National they may need payment for this extensive work. and treatments.
One thing you could ask to be referred to is a PAIN CLINIC, they would train you in the management of pain control, most possibly then pass you down the line and look into have the operations done, Again all above applies.
urIt is strange that they will not continue treatments, Have you had a diagnosis with this condition are you Somataform or CRPS ??.
Does the GP supply you with your medications, or are they on a Private Script.
All this to me seems very strange. Some form of treatment should be given, although I am not a GP and I do not know or understand the problems associated with your condition (s)
BOB
in reply to
It certainly shows that you are NOT a GP. I am a uk resident born and bred so why you think or even suggest I'm not is beyond me.
I'm not too old and my spine has certainly finished growing. I was diagnosed at the age of 57.
My GP is worse than useless and isn't interested in trying to find be better pain relief.
The spinal consultant didn't examine me at all and spent a whole 8 minutes talking to me before he came to the decision of doing nothing.
With many countries they do not have health agreements so the national of say America will need to pay for all treatments.
When we go on holiday we need health insurance., Some countries have health agreements with the UK, Although we may need to pay when having treatments then claim back, when we return to the UK
The UK National is the person with British Passport.
BOB
Hello Handyman
That is right I am not a GP, this site is for support. There has been some interesting things happening in the NHS at the moment, some at a different speed.
I felt very concerned that you were not getting the treatment you deserve, operations are been put back because of weight, age and some other associated medical conditions. Your GP will need to follow
these recommendations.
Eighteen months ago I was enrolled in a course that dealt with weight loss. Many of these people were awaiting operations, many to loose weight or other problems. Specialists were having to select patients that would receive treatment, or not. Some patients where informed that there had to be a certain amount of weight lost before their procedures were undertaken. The course was straight forward, although the regimes could be sticky.
They do ask the patients for class reunions, I moved out of that area, and I am to far to attend.
Operations now have to be cost effective, that sometimes can cause many problems that many would feel not fair in an NHS environment.. They look at a patient, ask how much their patient will benefit from that procedure and the cost that procedure and is it worth the money .
Over the last few years the Government has listened to the people and now are more strict with Nationals that are in the UK and claiming back costs of treatment..
All this sadly now comes to the fore and when something seems not fair it really gets to me,
So I am sorry I am not a Doctor or Specialist I am just like you all a patient who has concerns regarding the much loved NHS.
Now I am hoping to be able to take a more active position regarding patients and their needs. It will be.in an environment of money saving with a NHS staff doing a very hard job.
Also I will be a volunteer.
I am glad I am not a Doctor because it must be the devil to work in an environment that is working next to critical.
I can understand you being angry with the world but reading Bob's post he was trying his best to give helpful advice which is what we do on this site. He does not know all the facts, only what you have written.
Personally I have excellent care from the NHS with a pain management team they communicate with my GP and Specialist. Most GP's now have a practice nurse whom you can speak to, they usually have more time to listen will give you a general health check and are an important liaison with your GP and other services like Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.
If you are unable to form a working relationship with your GP then change GP. We all find different people communicate on different levels and it is a good idea to try someone else who will either, provide you with the test and diagnosis you need or tell you why inaction is the best decision.
I hope your pain management improves and that you find a solution that works for you.
You seem a a very angry,rude man, which perhaps I could forgive if you've been in pain for so long, however I see no need to be rude to people who are doing their best to advise and help you.
If you are really as unhappy as you say, with the treatment you have received from the NHS and are not happy with the diagnosis, you,v'e been given, may I suggest to get a second opinion from a specialist spinal consultant who you can see privately, Perhaps you would have more faith if you pay for your treatment.
I had a prolonged bout of NHS treatment, and did,en't seem to improve. I then saw a specialist spinal surgeon who is one of the top 5 consultants in Europe I'm very happy with the treatment, I have received
Ah come on now Handyman, there is no need to be abusive, and yes there are people on here that hide their true allegiances , but on the whole there are good people in a lot of pain that take the time to answer politely, I get angry and frustrated too and blurt out my own anguish in my own way but being abusive, well that is not right
Well Mr handymman if you feell this site is a waste of time perhaps you should consider leaving it. Ypu are clearly very angtry with the medical profession so perhaps some anger management could be useful to you?
We all try to help each other through some very difficult time - even though we all have varying degrees of chronic pain to live with.
If you laste 3 years to the pain clinic they must have ben very tolerant and doing something right. Have you thought of getting a second opinion from another GP> Perhaps best not to insult him as you have us.
Good Luck and hope you find whateve it is you want.
If a spinal surgeon has looked at you and said they won't do anything, then I guess there are a couple of choices: either ask for a second opinion, or ask to be referred to a pain clinic, as you are clearly not getting good enough pain management. Personally, I don't think there is any point in getting your GP to order more scans or xrays, as unless they are ordered by a specialist who actually looks at them themselves, the NHS reports are so brief that they can be meaningless. GPs are also quite limited in what kind of scans they can order - I believe they aren't generally allowed to order scans of head or neck.
Probably one of the worst things you can do is sit and not move. Hard as it might be, getting up regularly and moving around to stretch all your joints to their full range of movement is going to help you retain some flexibility. Not heavy exercise, just normal moving.
I was diagnosed with cervical spondylosis when I was only 28 and the NHS would do nothing for me, I did try various treatments, some that did nothing and some that made things worse and eventually found one that helped slightly (acupuncture) but when that doctor left the surgery and went private that stopped as I was in no position to pay for it..
It was quite a few years where I would have to work with some really bad pain and it was not until i was in my 50's that I got any relief, and that was because my wife's companies health insurance policy, covered existing conditions and spouses. I ended up having two operations over a couple of years at a cost of £20.000 a time.
Something I did learn from the man who operated on me is, if you can pay for an MRI scan then you have a good chance of getting to the top of the queue for treatment as it takes so long to get one you can cut the waiting list by up to 18 months to 2 years. I know it is a lot of expense but it could be worth it to get the symptoms and pain sorted.
Sorry but not much use I expect as it is quite expensive and I know I could never have afforded it but in the long term it was worth its weight in gold (through the insurance company).
Problem is I do have deterioration of the lower spine and it can not be operated on.
it is all a gamble as to how they can ease pain as some medication works and some do not,the trick is to find out what works and what does not.
Yes, it is all crap but you just have to realise that the NHS and GPs don't have all the answers. They work within narrow lines and there are probably tens of thousands of people just like you and worse. It doesn't seem fair but who ever said life is fair. If they can't cure your condition well, there are plenty others they can't cure either... Some do their best, others are lazy or have given up. They're human. Have you had a blood test to rule out other forms of arthritis? There are some medications for Ankylosing Spondylitis, for example that a rheumatologist could prescribe and can seem miraculous! Do you take a regular anti-inflammatory? I take Meloxicamb - without it I wouldn't be able to get out of bed. Sadly, you will have to accept that there is no cure - just management. You will have to find a form of movement that keeps you from getting worse. Swimming for example. Yes, it's all a bore but you become more accommodating after 15 years plus of pain and disability.... Here, you can discuss what you've already tried, what worked, what didn't. Your pain is a puzzle to try to solve. No point throwing your rattle out of the pram.... Best wishes
Hi I sympathise with you I have cervical and lumber spondylosis, disc bulge I cannot take most strong medication I can only take paracetamol I have had loads of MRI scans seen a top consultant to be told there was nothing they could do and an operation was too dangerous. Was this what you where told? If not and you think you are being fobbed of go on nhs web site and see another consultant in another area I did hope you get sorted it's not good being in pain all the time. You take care.x
yes the NHS has done the same with me, my back was damaged in a accident whilst i was in the army, i managed to stay in the army for a further 6 years but then they gave me a medical discharge at the time they could not discover what the problem was but they said that there was something wrong and i was not just imaging it they did a thing called manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) where they give you a general anesthesia and then try moving you about to see if you react to the movement the following day when the doctor came round to se me he had a very bad black eye when i asked how it happened he told me " this is the only time i would get away with knocking out a colonel" he then went on to tell me that they moved me one way and i reacted by lashing out with my leg and hit him in the eye.
since i left the army i had a MRI and they showed me that three of my bones were cracked right through L2, L3 and L4 but when they did a new MRI last year they tried to tell me that there is nothing wrong with my back so i told them about the last MRI and the results they asked me where i had had it and i told them it was in the same hospital and they just said they have no idea what has happened to not get the same results again last year i went back to the hosptial and had Xrays on my knee and hip as over 15 years before i was told they were worn out but to try and wait until i could not stand the pain any longer before returning after the Xrays i was told thet there is no wear in either when told them i had had them checked before and was told that they had never seen anyone so young with as much wear in them they asked me who had told me that i replied it was again in the same hospital but that day on the news there was a story about the NHS cutting back on hip and knee replacements.
i believe that if they think you are not going to return to work for a decent amount of time that they just tell you that there is nothing they can do and write you off as a lost cause, i am now on 9 different types of pain killers every day but as i am now 60 they have decided i am not worth bothering with any longer and just fob me off with any excuse, the army is the same when i have asked for a review of my case i just get told that as i have not had any type of medical or treatment that i am still the same as last time they did a review they did arrange for a medical for me which i went to but the doctor stopped it part way through as she put down that it was not safe for me to go any further as my neck had gone into spasm and i could not move so they decided that there was nothing new so i do not get a increase in my pension even though at the last review i could still walk withing reason and now i can hardly shuffle along for over 90% of the time this country has gone to the dogs no one cares how people are suffering all they care about is how much they can get out of the system, we are becoming a third world country.
I must say handyman, you gave me a good laugh. Your replies are so pathetic. I cannot understand why,if you feel this site is useless, you are even on here? I think anger management is more what you need to look into. Bob was only trying to help. I make a point of not going on here if I am in a bad place. One word of advice. anger burns up energy you need to control your pain. Good luck.
I’m in pain everyday and it is frustrating but getting as angry as you sound will make you tense and when your tense your pain will be worse I know it’s hard and for me very frustrating but getting angry will not help I wish you well
If there's no treatment for what you have then there is no point to send you for another scan.
You are in the area of health problems where the NHS has on the whole done nothing because there are no experts in the NHS who know how muscles function.
The area of muscle functioning is in the area of complementary medicine. There is probably no cure for the problem you have. However you can make the choice to seek out complementary medical treatment that will enable you to keep functioning at a better level than what you doing now.
To seek out complementary therapists requires networking to find out who are good and who are not.
McTimony Chiropractic is worth having a look at. You may be able to get this on the NHS if you do the initial legwork.
Alexander Teachers are also worth looking at. Look for one with ten years teaching experience. Google "STAT" to find one in your local area.
Find a local massage therapist.
None of the above mentioned will cure your problem, but they will help you manage it better.
Handyman. It maybe that having chronic pain has made you so depressed that you are angry with the whole world and maybe this is the reason that things don't get better for you. I am not a doctor either but I am a nurse and I know how depression can affect people. Try another gp and tell them how you feel. I wish you luck with your pain management but do try and listen to those who are treating you
Yes, I agree entirely with this reply. It is sad when people have become so embittered about the treatment they have received that they then bite the hand that tries to feed them.
I know exactly how you feel. Everyone in the NHS has written me off too. I'm on oral morphine, gabapentin and amitriptiline at night. Now that I am on morphine, I have given up driving (voluntarily). This has caused my a lot of anxiety because I have now lost all my independence. I cannot walk to the nearest bus stop. I am slowly losing the will to live.
After my last scan, requested by a locum GP, they found that I had arthritis in my facet joints as well as my two bulging discs. She referred me to yet another spinal specialist, who also said he could do nothing. I then insisted that my normal GP referred me to a pain management course at The Walton Centre in Liverpool. I had researched it on the internet. Ok, it didn't relieve my pain but it did boost my moral and I was able to move about better. It covers physical, mental and emotional issues and lasts for 16 weeks, five days a week. I would recommend you look into a course like this. Sadly there are no follow-up sessions so my benefited have deteriorated.
I know this post is rather old, however, I’ve been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis too in both hips. The medical personnel in South Wales refused to dig deeper into my medical condition. They would give me an X-ray and send me on my way saying they can’t do anything. I recently moved to stoke on Trent and the GP sent me to the University Hospital Of Staffordshire, I was set to have a total hip replacement on the 10th October. They cancelled it. Surprise surprise. I have a no win no fee case building up against the Aneurin Bevan Health Board in South Wales. My solicitor is confident that I’ll receive a minimum of £90,000 however, that doesn’t fix my problem. I think they’re just in it for the money. But it isn’t money I’m looking for. If I was you, I’d get the law involved too. Just try and point it across that it’s help that you’re seeking and if by any chance you’re offered a compensation for your troubles, happy days for you. But try to not just sit there and wait for the offer to come to you. Always pester them for the help that you’re asking for.
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