Best Of

I think you would do well to ask for a referral to a physio who can work out an appropriate level of exercise for you that won't make things worse.

Just wanted to add my two pennies worth 😁

All medical professionals are meant to keep themselves updated with the most current “evidence based” practices.

I would imagine this is difficult sometimes due to the amount of updates, changes and demands on them. Especially in the current climate.

Saying that some medical types are just rubbish in my experience and you do need to keep on at them. Some are old school with their terminology and some are new and fresh.

I recommend the student GPs as they are fully trained Drs with experience or the Advanced Practitioners who are experienced paramedics and nurses who do extra training, so you know they want to be there.

I think with any condition a specialist is always your best bet, however, it’s getting that referral in the first place that’s difficult and frustrating.

As for wear and tear, I was told this at the age of 42 which was daft and the Rheumatologist OT advised it was actually due to a huge family history (thanks fam) & having had a full ladies operation at 40.

I’m a medical professional and it’s very frustrating both professionally and personally communicating with GP surgery’s. I find telling them politely what I want rather than what they think I need helps.

Best of luck everyone and stay safe 😊

I had a phone consultation with a GP from my surgery this morning to discuss some X-ray results. He used the term ‘wear and tear arthritis’ I didn’t think this term was used anymore to describe Osteoarthritis???

Does anyone else feel that some GP’s are out of touch with arthritis, a condition which effects so many people!!?

My rheumatologist has already confirmed an inflammatory arthritis from blood test results, which included a positive RF and positive ANA with a titre of 1/400

Hi @Whiskey26 and @Jewels , oh boy can I relate! my hip packed in at the start of the pandemic (great timing) and I'm reduced to needing a stick whenever I'm out and sometimes round the house. I used to be very active, in Jan 21 I was hill walking, but now it's literally all I can do to get round a supermarket, buoyed up by handfuls of industrial strength pain killers. I get referred pain all the way down my left leg, my right leg is getting fed up with doing all the work and joining in the general winge-fest, and my back's now playing up from walking so weirdly for 12 months. My hip hurts whenever I do something, and the rest of the time when I don't. It wakes me up at night just to remind me it's there, and is determined to make me as miserable as possible. It's completely ok to feel fed up with this, because it is awful.

It is also completely ok to ask for help. If your daughter was in pain, wouldn't you be there for her? Explain to your family how bad your pain feels, where you feel it and when, and tell them how it makes you feel sad, frustrated, tearful, depressed, defeated and useless, and how you would really like to do everything the way you used to, but just can't anymore. It's really difficult to get the effects of this across to people who don't know what it's like to be in constant pain, how it affects what you can do, and how exhausted it makes you feel, but if you don't tell them they won't know. It's their turn to support you now. We may hate it, but that's the reality of the situation.

Meanwhile there are probably some things you can do for YOU. You'd probably benefit from the Let's Move with Leon programme, which gets the rest of your body loosened up (it's so easy for everything to tense up when you're in pain and when your odd posture affects the rest of your body), It may even help build the muscles that support your hip, reducing your pain. They're also quite fun, and you can make them as gentle as you feel you need them to be, or a bit more "strenuous" if you feel you're up to it.

You also sound like you need to schedule in some rest time. If your body is constantly working, you are constantly aggravating the damaged joint, so it never recovers. If I have to do a full day on my feet for work, I programme in a couple of days on the sofa afterwards (cos that's the effect it has on me). Allow some rest time every day, even if it's just the evening. This is NOT being lazy, this is because you NEED it and it should be entirely guilt free. You need this as much as you need to go to bed to sleep at night. People with arthritis can't carry on pretending they're ok indefinitely, the need for rest is a fact of life now.

I find a hot wheat bag on my hip helps if I've really overdone it. I also prop myself up on a strange arrangement of cushions etc in bed that puts my wrecked hip in a comfortable and supported position. Experiment a bit and see what works for you.

Also, find time to do things you enjoy that take your mind off the pain. Depression is arthritis's bed-fellow I'm afraid, so you need to nurture your mental health and well being as well. Find things to do that lift your spirits a little, or that give you a sense of peace and relaxation. Sometimes that will be spending time with friends, or doing a spot of light gardening, a bit of crafting/knitting etc, or just sitting in front of a movie. But it needs to be done, just like you need to eat and drink.

It might also be worth speaking with your GP about pain relief, or get yourself referred to a pain clinic. You haven't said whether you're waiting for surgery, but if it's affecting you this badly, maybe it's time this was considered?

I hope these help. They've certainly helped me get through the last year, when my hip has got worse and worse at a rate of knots. I finally have a date for surgery, and without that in sight, I think I would be on the verge of despair.

Sending hugs xx

I live alone too and have OA almost everywhere. I suggest that you contact the Adult Social Care Department of your local Council, they will send an OT out to see you to see what aids you may need to make life easier for you around the house, they may also supply them too. I contacted them about 5 years ago and received a recliner, perch stools, wet room, handrails and other bits and bobs. They are coming again next Monday to measure me up for a new electric recliner. Well worth a try.