OA in both hips/pelvis

anglerman

New to this site and new to OA. I have OA in both hips and pelvic area with schlerotic changes and ospheolytes,noticed recently that I get tingly/numbness down the legs to my knees and sometimes pain in the calf area when walking as well as at rest is this usual with my symptoms.
Thanks to all who read this and to those who help by replying.
Do not know which avenue to go down next.
I have had the MRI because first diagnosis was a slipped disc
I had an x-ray which showed I had OA etc last August but I have been gradually deteriorating in terms of pain and discomfort when doing nothing and everything.
Is this the norm

dreamdaisy

Hello and welcome to the fortums. I don't have OA, I have PA, it started in one knee, and now affects toes, ankles, knees, sacro-iliac joints, fingers, wrists, shoulders and neck. This deterioration has happened over the past 14 years. It's a grand game. I cannot help on the meds front because the two types are treated so differently, but rest assured OA people will be along soon. It is a degenerative disease, but degeneration rates vary from person to person. I am so sorry that you have recieved this diagnosis, it's a shock when it happens. I wish you well with it all, keep us posted so we know how you get on. Dreamdaisy

speedalong

Hi, Sorry to hear you have OA too. Welcome to the forum.

Symptoms sound familiar to me, what did the doc say? Have you been referred to an ortho consultant yet?

Speedy

tanith

Hi there, sorry to hear your diagnosis.. I too have O/A in many joints , had my first Hip-replacement 5yrs ago .
Has your GP prescribed some medication for pain and inflammation? Are you still working? My rule of thumb regarding how much more of this I can stand was when I was in pain at every step and had pain that woke me at night (my GP gave me something to help with that too) He should also be referring you to the hospital for further investigation if you are in constant pain.

Yes its normal some people deteriorate at a much quicker rate.. my hip went from being a niggle to 24hr excrutiating pain in 4/5 mths.. but bear in mind a new joint will never be as good as the original , and your readiness to go down the surgery route will depend on how much its affecting your everyday life..

Ask as many questions as you want someone will have an answer for you..

hileena111

Hi
Welcome to the site and ask as many questions as you need to.
I have OA in both hips, ankle and neck.....Also in spine.
4 months ago I had my first THR ...probably will have the 2nd one before the end of the year.
I found mine came gradually but more recently it has been getting worse quicker if that makes sense
I know you said you had a MRI, what else has your GP done? has he referred you to an orthopaedic surgeon?
Ask Ask and Ask.....GP, doc, forum LOL
Love
Hileena

anglerman

I now have a panel of people I have never met refuseing me a blue badge and to go back to them when i qualify for the highest DLA for mobility.
I am in pain discomfort everyday when I walk about,but due to the fact I was wholesome with the truth and said I still manage to get around albeit slowly at times.
That will teach me to be honest lol. :x

elnafinn

Hi there, welcome to the forum.

I am sorry to hear of your permanent pain whether at rest or play. that must be incredibly debilitating.

You can still be wholesome with the truth when claiming DLA but you have to tell about how you are on your very worst days nothing else.

I am not sure why you cannot obtain a blue badge. I thought you go through your gp to get this.

Look after yourself,

Elna x

anglerman

speedalong wrote:

Hi, Sorry to hear you have OA too. Welcome to the forum.

Symptoms sound familiar to me, what did the doc say? Have you been referred to an ortho consultant yet?

Speedy

No I have not been referred to an ortho consultant and my gp says its to soon 10 months on to have anymore x-rays.

thank you for your time to answer my questions

elnafinn

Hi again,

What meds has your "friendly, caring" gp offered you?

Elna x

anglerman

elnafinn wrote:

Hi again,

What meds has your "friendly, caring" gp offered you?

Elna x

I take diclofenic and ozmeprole as well as neurofen.
I am also on thyroxine for an underactive thyroid

elnafinn

"anglermanNo wrote:

What is your gp's reasoning behind that? Because it is not good to have too many xrays or because he thinks no more deterioration will show up in 10 months?

Elna x

anglerman

elnafinn wrote:

"anglermanNo wrote:

What is your gp's reasoning behind that? Because it is not good to have too many xrays or because he thinks no more deterioration will show up in 10 months?

Elna x

She believes that I should not have too many x-rays (radiation levels)

elnafinn

anglerman wrote:

elnafinn wrote:

Hi again,

What meds has your "friendly, caring" gp offered you?

Elna x

I take diclofenic and ozmeprole as well as neurofen.
I am also on thyroxine for an underactive thyroid

Snap! I am on thyroxine, since the age of 16 years. Will be 60 at the end of this year I now only take 125 mcg per day. This is quite recent, I used to take 200 mcg daily for years. I take another anti inflam (not diclo) and have co-codamol 30/500 tabs, which can be taken 4 times a day, one or two tabs each time. I never found them that great though. By the way, I have OA but nowhere near as bad as you. I have had two knee replacements in the last two years.

If your pain is stopping you sleeping there are other meds that your gp can prescribe which others on here have found of great help.

Elna x

anglerman

elnafinn wrote:

anglerman wrote:

elnafinn wrote:

Hi again,

What meds has your "friendly, caring" gp offered you?

Elna x

I take diclofenic and ozmeprole as well as neurofen.
I am also on thyroxine for an underactive thyroid

Snap! I am on thyroxine, since the age of 16 years. Will be 60 at the end of this year I now only take 125 mcg per day. This is quite recent, I used to take 200 mcg daily for years. I take another anti inflam (not diclo) and have co-codamol 30/500 tabs, which can be taken 4 times a day, one or two tabs each time. I never found them that great though. By the way, I have OA but nowhere near as bad as you. I have had two knee replacements in the last two years.

If your pain is stopping you sleeping there are other meds that your gp can prescribe which others on here have found of great help.

Elna x

Thank you for your reply ,but I have to say that I am in no way as far down the O/A road as your good self I have not had any surgery and probably due to the fact I have it in my hips every movement whether asleep or awake lets me Know the O/A bugger is there.
It maybe that not sleeping properly etc etc may be making me grumpy.
I hope not because I like nothing better than a good laugh and living life to the full albeit painful AT TIMES.
I hold my hand out to you both knees replaced and jovial with it.

elnafinn

Having a good sense of humour has kept me going, family support to a degree and also doing daily stretching exercises.

I must admit when I have bouts of not sleeping well, it does makes me tetchy and irritable. Waking up in pain at night on a regular basis is not good for morale. We do need some hours break from the pain. :roll: I can well understand the discomfort you must be in with pain in both hips and the pelvic area and I am sorry.

Perhaps, if you wish, you could discuss medication to make you sleep better with your gp or start another post on here asking what gp's prescribe peeps with OA who have trouble sleeping at night through pain. You could then do a little research and go armed with your findings to your gp. Knowledge is power as we also find out quite quickly on this forum.

Elna x

anglerman

elnafinn wrote:

Having a good sense of humour has kept me going, family support to a degree and also doing daily stretching exercises.

I must admit when I have bouts of not sleeping well, it does makes me tetchy and irritable. Waking up in pain at night on a regular basis is not good for morale. We do need some hours break from the pain. :roll: I can well understand the discomfort you must be in with pain in both hips and the pelvic area and I am sorry.

Perhaps, if you wish, you could discuss medication to make you sleep better with your gp or start another post on here asking what gp's prescribe peeps with OA who have trouble sleeping at night through pain. You could then do a little research and go armed with your findings to your gp. Knowledge is power as we also find out quite quickly on this forum.

Elna x

I hate taking tablets of any form and find myself staying up untill I can stay awake no longer then I go to bed think 2/3or even 4 hrs solid sleep is better than broken sleep

speedalong

No I have not been referred to an ortho consultant and my gp says its to soon 10 months on to have anymore x-rays.

Make a fuss!!! I had x -rays in May/June 09 - very little change in my right hip ... in lots of pain by Nov ... put it off ... by Feb 10 - OA as severe as it gets - put on urgent list for surgery!!

If the GP is just sending you for x-rays and not via a consultant - no one will be monitoring the changes - the GP will just get back results saying you have OA ...

The whole risk with x-rays things is a "cop out!" I had x rays May 09, Christmas/New year, Feb 10, May 10 and will be having them again in June ... still alive and breathing ... They are costly though!!

Speedy

anglerman

elnafinn wrote:

Having a good sense of humour has kept me going, family support to a degree and also doing daily stretching exercises.

I must admit when I have bouts of not sleeping well, it does makes me tetchy and irritable. Waking up in pain at night on a regular basis is not good for morale. We do need some hours break from the pain. :roll: I can well understand the discomfort you must be in with pain in both hips and the pelvic area and I am sorry.

Perhaps, if you wish, you could discuss medication to make you sleep better with your gp or start another post on here asking what gp's prescribe peeps with OA who have trouble sleeping at night through pain. You could then do a little research and go armed with your findings to your gp. Knowledge is power as we also find out quite quickly on this forum.

Elna x

I hate taking tablets of any form and find myself staying up untill I can stay awake no longer then I go to bed think 2/3or even 4 hrs solid sleep is better than broken sleep

elnafinn

[quote="anglerman I hate taking tablets of any form and find myself staying up untill I can stay awake no longer then I go to bed think 2/3or even 4 hrs solid sleep is better than broken sleep[/quote]

I can understand you not wishing to take lots of meds. Do you take the diclo and stomach protector on a regular daily basis? I find anti inflams help me greatly but they do have to be taken every day. I have been off them for nearly two weeks due to trying to sort out a non arthritis complaint :roll: and I really notice a huge difference in pain and discomfort levels.

Elna x

elnafinn

I agree with Speedalong about xrays. It is more likely that your gp wants to save money rather than your health. :x I have had many xrays done in a short period of time on my knees, and other joints, especially when I add on the ones done by the dentist. I had two lots done on my back tooth and a wisdom tooth by different dentists in one week as I was looking for the best deal, being all private dentists in our area. Plus the injections I had done twice in my lower back under xray direction in under a year. I am still here to tell the tale too.

Perhaps you should make an appointment with another gp if possible and get referred to a consultant. That is what usually happens.

Elna x

dreamdaisy

It's humour and only humour that get's one through all this business. You rapidly have to learn to laugh at yourself when you fall over just putting on your knickers. (You also learn a swift lesson: get dressed sitting down. Yet another adult ability has been taken away.)

It doesn't matter what your GP thinks - if you are in increasing pain you need to be checked out. She's the lucky one because she doesn't have it, so therefore does not understand. Radiation levels is a poor excuse - you would have to have quite a few in rapid succession to end up glowing! I've had radiation therapy in nuclear medicine - had a Geiger counter passed over me, never even hit the danger mark.

Could you see another GP? And, just a reminder: be economical with the actualite (can't find the acute flex - that last word was yer actual French.) There are times to be truthful (doctors) and times not (panels of 'experts' and credit card insurance schemes.) DD

sharmaine

Hi Anglerman

Have you seen your GP/specialist recently? They may suggest you having your a total hip replacement? You may also need to review your meds.

I have OA knees,but had a total knee replacement in February my next knee will be done at the end of the year or early next year.
OA is degenerative but my GP tells me that they can replace most things these days! I just wish they would find a cure.

It's a painful process having arthur. There are many people on this site who have had OA in the hips and THR surgery and I'm sure they'll be full of good advice for you.

Welcome to the forum.

Sharmaine

hileena111

Hi again,
Like I said you moan as much as you want to...the time will come when you will be lifting us up and answering our questions LOL
The rest will tell you the abount of questions I fired at them before my first hip replacement.....then not being able to sleep....question after question.
The weird thing is I have OA in both hips spine and ankle and before my hip replacement never woke up duiring the night with pain.
After my first hip replacement, I couldnt sleep, kept getting wakened up with pain . Back and forward to my GP and eventually seem to have found something {a few days ago}Dihydrocodeine 60mg...1 at night...seems to be working....still not getting a relaxing night but at least not getting wakened up with pain now. Although I dont know how addictive it is.
As for the blue badge...I cant get DLA {either the lowest or highest} but I got a blue badge without any problem.
Am due to go in for my 2nd hip replacement October.
Good Luck
Love
Hileena