Coping with pain

[Marg66]

Hi. I'm new here. I have suffered from osteoarthritis for some years now, but my pain is getting worse and my mobility decreasing. I'm trying to cope with this, and find ways round the difficulties I have getting around, but my life does now feel very much restricted. How do others cope when they know their condition is deteriorating?

[Jenharri]

i have noticed this over the years and it has taken me awhile to accept I cannot do the things I once did and am a lot slower than I used to be. The pain on waking in the morning is horrendous it does take sometime to get moving. I've noticed that all my joints are stiff and painful.

Once I started accepting this is how it is I need to use the mobility scooter aids etc I feel much better about myself. I pace myself even on good days I pace myself. I know if I do to much I will pay for it.

My doc sent me to the Pain clinic they have been helpful because they're so many drugs I can't take . He suggested Butrans patch and Ibuprofen + Cocodamol for breakthrough pain.

So far the patch works for me although I don't find they give the 7 day pain relief which they are meant for. More like 4 to 5 days.

Sorry you are suffering more so now and hope that the pain isn't getting you down too much. It's just another stage it's putting us through.

Take it easy I hope you find the right treatment to help your present pain.

Jen X

[Coastwalker in reply to Jenharri]

Hi Jenharri,

Stiffness getting up out of chairs or bed in the morning 'can' be down to low or deficient vitamin D. Mine was and since supplementing a high (safe,) dose of vitamin D3 my stiffness went almost overnight and only comes back when I forget to take my Vitamin D3.

Not saying it will cure everyone with stiffness as we are all different.

[Jenharri in reply to Coastwalker]

One of my prescriptions is vitamin D3 these are chewable large tablets. I haven't really noticed any difference with stiffness. I was given them because I had multiple traebacular fractures in my Talus & Calcaneus. These were inside the bones very fragile.

My vitiman D level was only slightly low the doc said if I did the test on all my patients almost all would have low vitiman D due to very nature of where we live. The levels are fine now but they would be because it's summer and D levels are high.

Jen X

[Coastwalker in reply to Jenharri]

Hi again Jenharri,

I was prescribed 1000iu of D3 to correct my vitamin D deficiency and coincidentally noticed my stiffness and other pains went overnight, but came back again a few days later, but once on a far higher dose my pains and stiffness went and stayed away. My Doctor said I was on a very high dose of D3, but I was later told it was not a high dose, 1000iu was a mere maintenance dose and to check out the vitamindcouncil.com for more up to date (safe) doses.

Has your stiffness got any better now the sun is out ?

[Jenharri in reply to Coastwalker]

Hi Coastwalker thank you for trying to help but the psoriatic arthritis has a mind of its own - just recently ive been having a flare swollen hands & fingers - sausages - I find the OA is more affected by the weather. The same can be said for my Psoriasis the pustular worse in the sun the guttate better.

It's the nature of what I live with. The DDD has a mind of its own.

Must keep moving 😉

Jen X

[Coastwalker in reply to Jenharri]

Oh! that is not so good Jenharri, sorry I have no knowledge there at all.

(Suggestion only.)

On 'you tube,' Dr John Bergman has many top videos on how to get down to the root causes of illnesses, (for free, no cost)) even cure OA and many other conditions too, even down to Asthma, COPD, MS, fibromyalgia and cancers, the videos might shock some viewers as we are programmed by NHS to think there is no cure from so many illnesses, but we just need to think out of the box as our bodies can actually heal itself (if allowed to.)

[Jenharri in reply to Coastwalker]

You know I think I do really well. I don't dwell on it to much. Try to avoid stress and avoid as many meds as possible because they don't like me. Lol

Jen x

[Coastwalker in reply to Jenharri]

Good you already know these things jenharri (ALL prescribed meds have side effects,) you will get to the bottom of it all soon, I am sure

[Rosepetal60]

I've been reading Jenharri's reply and totally agree. Also I started researching the scooter topic about 3 years ago on line and later checking a few out in mobility shops. I thought I had found the right one, only to discover it would not fit into my estate car with a hoist ( need a hoist as I cannot do lifting ramps etc). so my advice would be : research and more research whilst you are able to still get about on your pins!

[Jenharri in reply to Rosepetal60]

I agree with all of that Rosepetal if they're to heavy you can't put the scooter in the car.

Our next car I'm making sure we have a small hoist fitted. We don't have large scooters. It's alright the things coming apart but even the parts. Are heavy!!

Jen X

[Salsybar73]

Hello everyone

A year ago i went for just a simple lumbar and sacral mri

They ended up doing my whole spine ..

I found that in 2014 i had osteo of the hands which when i use my hands for just under an hour they are swollen ..

My archille tendon been swollen for 10 months now

Docs tell me to rest but keep active

My body is in pain in every joint of my body ..

Knees

Ankles

Toes

Hands

Fingers

Knuckles

Hips

Thighs

Cervical

Thoracic

Lumbar

I have to have a follow up mri in october

But also dealing with underactive could this be putting more stress on my bones ..

I have annulus bulges at c4 c5 c6

Marginal osteophytes at t6 t7 t8

Disc desiccation at t6 t7 t8

Degenerative changes l4 l5 s1

Tropism of the facet joints l4 l5 s1

Annular tear at posterior

And the one that puzzles me that i can not get info on is

Slight prominence of the central canal at the spinal cord of t7

And i have been kept under clinical review

The pains through my body are awful and i feel 63 not 43

Anybody got any advice or going through the same please

[Hidden]

Hi

Jenharri is absolutely spot on with her comments, finding the right meds for you is the easy part, the hardest thing is accepting that you are now disabled.

One coping mechanism I found is realising that there are many folk who are worse off than yourself and this is especially true of children whose stoicism is often awesome.

Just remember that you're not alone, this is an excellent web site where you can off load and have a rant and rave if it helps, we will read your words and we will understand

Take care

John

Attempt83.

[Solbs]

@ marg66

Concerning mobility in the case of people with osteoarthritis or arthritis , wearing orthopedic shoes alliviate considerably the pain when waking. It is also important to excerice regularly, if possible, to stengthen the muscles enveloping the joints. I have arthritis. I have declined to take medications to protect my liver, which is slighlty in poor conditions. Instead, I use cooling anti-inflammation sheets, which is not the perfect solution. Nevertheless , they reduce the pain considerably in combination with my orthopedic snickers. I ride my bicycle for half an hour and walk for 10 to 20 minutes everyday wearing my orthopedic snickers to protect my bones from excessive pressure and shocks. My feet have improved considerably over time.

I take photos of me my feet every week or so and I am sure that my new rheumatologist, whom I will be visiting next week, will be very surprised.

Without undue respect towards the medical profession, the majority of doctors' default diagnosis is to give strong medication without consideration of the bad side effects on other parts of the body. They have many reasons to do so. However. They must consult with other coleagues to reduce potential of damaging other parts of the body. Unfortunately, the majority of them just don't.