Pain in left knee and right forearm

[Caulkhead63]

I'm getting quite bad pain in left knee and right forearm ordinary pain killers don't touch it it's very hard to get a face to face with a doc over here on the Isle of Wight. I haven't had one since last October all it seems to be is phone calls and even then I have to wait up to a fortnight! What pain killers would you recommend?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Have you been reducing your pred dose? Both pains could be due to bursitis which is part of PMR but you really do need to see a doctor to check if that is a possibility. It would be helpful for us if you filled in your profile with details of your PMR journey.

Paracetamol or cocodamol are the recommended pain killers when you are taking pred - but they are unlikely to work well for PMR-related pain.

[Caulkhead63 in reply to PMRpro]

Yes I am reducing and I'll sort out my profile paracetamol doesn't work at all

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Caulkhead63]

Are you on stomach protection medication? If so, the odd dose of ibuprofen shouldn't be a problem and if it works would show if it is an inflammatory cause.

[Caulkhead63 in reply to PMRpro]

Yes I'm on stomach protection so will give it a try thanks

[Louisnhoe]

I too am on the IOW so understand your difficulty with getting a face to face appointment with your GP. If you are able to contact your surgery via e consult you will at least have an opportunity to explain your situation when they respond and will hopefully be offered an appointment fairly quickly. Good luck....

[Caulkhead63 in reply to Louisnhoe]

As another doctor surgery is about to close over here I think things will get even worse! I'm having a NHS full health check in a fortnight time maybe speak to them?

[Louisnhoe in reply to Caulkhead63]

Yes..definitely..but hopefully you will have seen a GP by then..fingers x'd..

[Sharitone]

I have similar problems and was prescribed co-codamol. I don't take it as often as I should because I don't want the constipation. If they can't give you a consultation, would they at least give you a prescription for co-codamol in the meantime? The ones you get on prescription are stronger than the over-the -counter ones.

[Caulkhead63 in reply to Sharitone]

Yes if I can't get a face to face I'll at least request a prescription I'm a cleaner and it's making things difficult for me. We've only 3 surgery's left in our town with one about to close! That's going to make it even harder to see anyone. I can see some people falling through the cracks!

[Sharitone]

If you have PMR and are working as a cleaner, I think you should have a prescription for a medal!🙂