How long do you put up with the pain?

piglet1

Hi There

Just wondering, how long do you keep going back & forwards to the doctors, before you request to be referred? I have Osteoarthritis, currently on a new prescription of Nefopam, only started this at the weekend so see how we go, anybody else out there on this. Was on Lodine, and had also been prescribed Diclofenac, which did me no good what so ever. I was under a consultant at the hospital, probably just over a year ago now, to be honest my hands weren't half as bad as they are now, they discharged me, saying they would send a letter to the GP with a list of things to try, none of which seem to have worked so far.
How long do you have to go through this process before you toatlly loose your patience, and say enough is enough. Not forgetting that you will probably have to wait a couple of months. Sorry for wingeing xx

Piglet 1 :P

liesa

im the same, i was so happy when i was put on placquenil and then methotrexate, but after 12 and 18 months on them they were stopped by my consultant, now all i get is painkillers.... they didnt give me anything else to try... didnt get on with the consultant either so am really reluctant to go back, think it was his version of whats going on in my joints that got my dla stopped

dreamdaisy

I've been in pain since 1997. The pain dullers are useful but all they ever do, no matter what their strength, is take off the edge. Arthritis hurts, end of story.

If you have osteo arthritis it is unlikely that you will be referred to a rheumatologist: they deal with the auto-immune versions of this dross, not the 'wear and tear' version, that is treated by GPs with pain dullers and anti-inflammatories. Your GP may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon where you will be assessed for possible surgery. This all takes time - I am waiting to hear from orthopaedics, it's only been seven weeks so far, I will start chasing next week. DD

stickywicket

Piglet 1, I don't want to sound discouraging but I think it does depend on what you mean by the question. There are levels of pain and some are much more tolerable than others but, at the end of the day, you put up with it for life. Some meds will make it easier and which do it for you is just a matter of trial and error. Anything more than pain killers usually takes 6 weeks or so to kick in. I'm sorry to sound so negative but this is reality. The painfree days are over. You can have a very good, very enjoyable, very fulfilling life with arthritis but pain will always be a factor.

Maybe a good chat with your GP might help. I do hope you soon find it easier to live with.

bubbadog

That is the 40,000$ question!! I have M.S.T and oromorph for my pain but if it gets worse to a point that the M.S.T & oromorph doesn't help I give it 24/48hrs and then we go to A & E. But that's proberbly a diferent intensity of pain. And that's why I said it's the 40,000$ question. We all have different intensities of pain, My doc told me no one should suffer with pain and if it's bareable you go and see your doc within 3 days. But if it's severe you should get to A&E as soon as you can. Sorry I couldn't give you the answer. Amanda/bubbadog.

woodbon

Hello, I also have OA in several joints and my spine. I take tramadol and amatriptylne. They don't get rid of all the pain, but then that would be a asking too much. They just dull it and make things easier to cope with. I've also had physio, which helps a bit. I expect your doctor would refer you to a pysio for a cours of treatment, and an Occupational Therapist if you need any aids to help you. They gave me wrist splints, which help when its really achy and a heated pad to put on the place the pain is coming from eases lots of people, including me. Some people prefer ice wrapped in a towel to cool the joint down.
Talk to your GP, tell him how you feel about keep going to see him, but you would like to do something to ease the pain.
Thats how I cope, but even so I do have bad days!!! love Sue xx

hileena111

Hi,
I've gt OA in my spine and various joints. You have been to a rheumy you said???
It took me ages to get my GP to refer me in the first place.....when he did it was to a rheumy and then that was it.....I was on paracetamol....eventually I went back and asked point blank for a referral.....was sent to an orthopaedic surgeon {who deals with OA} and had a hip replacement. At the moement they are working on my back.....then the other hip will be sorted....I see the ortho on Friday.....sorry this is no help to you really.
What about asking your doc to refer you to a pain clinic?.....that and the physio and OT are the only things i can think of


Love
Hileena

frogmorton

Hi Piglet

too much pain for me is when l am crying with it.

I am pretty good at putting pain to the back of my mind, but there are times when that does not work and then l go to the doctor and you must too.

The pain releif regime l have is pretty well effective for me.

I wonder if it woudl help for you to visit a pain clinic...l only say this as they DO tend to know bets which pain releif methods will be best to try in each case.

Love and hugs

Toni xx

DebraKelly

I would also recommend physio therapy, I get this on a regular basis (about once a month) and helps with the inflamation and pain in my leg.

But I would have a chat with your GP first to see what he/she recommends.

charrisse

I am also a sufferer of arthritis of the spine and have Ankolising Spondilitis which is aggravated by my being Spina Bifida.
Am now taking Naproxyn + 2 Paracetamol and half of a Cocodamol when things get too bad. Any stronger pain killers either makes me terribly constipated and that gives the SB agro, or anything like Amytriptolin makes me like a complete Zombie and I will then suffer with "Restless Legs Syndrome" living on my own that is an absolute NoNo!
The AS has now gotten to the stage of affecting the mobility of my arms and the thoughts of what is to transpire in the future is quite frightening.
My doctor has put me in for scans and an injection for the pains in my arms but after reading several writeups from others about this procedure I am not sure whether I want to go down that road as it seems that 90% of the time their condition was made worse!... :???:

angry

Hi everyone dito dito dito
My wife has been having similer probs with doctors and yes it is neverending pain her doc prescribed co codamol as orther drugs have had bad side affects im talking about anti inflams
I realy feel so sorry for all the people on this site and in britain in general
because the docs of this country dont wish to reconise O S they call it old age syndrome. People are suffering at the mercy of the government in terms of benefifts and well being people are living longer and poorer
day by day. Its such a pity that people with O/S R/A and orther rumatoid illneses have to be put through the new medical asessment and forced in to work. I love my wife as im sure every partner who cares for there's does too. Never give up keep pressing your doctor and keep taking the pills life's a fight from cradle to grave more so for all O/R sufferers on this wonderful site and beyond

dreamdaisy

Society has some very difficult problems to address with the ageing population that we will all become. It's all well and good trumpeting the fact that we can all live so much longer (hoo-bloody rah) but ill health is usually the only outcome of that. If it isn't arthritis then it'll be dementia, if it isn't that then heart problems, if not that then diabetes, if not that a wondrous mixture of all of them. I know that I am likely to die ten years earlier than a healthy peer and that to me is a blessing. I am living old age now.

The doctors do recognise the problems arthritics have, the problem is we don't realise that quickly that there is, actually, nothing they can do. It is not the doctors' fault they cannot mend us, blame Mother Nature - she has out-witted them on this one! DD

dippyhips

The trouble is it's not just an ageing problem any more, many youngsters are now suffering too with this dreadful arther condition, and also there are so many different varieties of it too.

I also suffer from OA but mine stems back from a deformity from birth, and I had to have a left THR done just over 2 weeks ago, but the other one will also need treatment too in the near future, poss the knees too.

I'm sorry to here that you are in so much pain at the moment Piglet, and hope that something works soon, whether its through meds, physio, pain clinic or surgery. Let your dr know if the new one isn't working but do give it a reasonable time to work as some things take a little while to work especially when the pain is severe.

All the best
lots of ((((((hugs))))))
Sue x

joann1

Hiya

I no how you all feel i have arthritis in both knees and my right hip, i recently had this ground breaking surgery on my right knee which is starting to really hurt again it has given way a few times but i have managed to catch myself if that makes sense, the thing is it has affected my back which makes sleeping practically impossible and the only meds im getting off my gp are paracetamol, brufen and codeine, i have tried the dihydracodeine/diclofenac and numerous others but felt they didnt work for me, i have asked for something stronger but im allergic to morphine but could be given fentynl patches but my gp is unwilling to give me those and wont give me a reason for this, i do think that unless your gp really knows from a personal experience what arthritis is like they dont seem to symapathise with you or try and help you out or maybe thats just my gp, anyway hope your all feeling better that you did yesterday

Jo-Ann

hileena111

Hi......I know we have an ageing population.....but I dont look forward to popping my clogs....I will survive as long as I possibly can and do everything I can to manage my conditions.
Hope you are feeling a bit more up beat today

Love
Hileena

angry

There's no cure for cancer as none for O/A R/A so on cancer is terminal
But arthritis suffers who experience pain can live on, but the stress on the rest of ones body must tell in time, my wife has a heart murmur and during the last 18mths her health has gone much worse although its not doctors fault in general i feel very strongly that patient care and understanding of pain is lacking to say the least.

dreamdaisy

The number of cancers that can be successfully treated is rising all the time, especially as people are becoming much more aware of the importance of regular check ups. Cancer is the glamourous area of the medical world, the biggest Holy Grail is finding how to prevent it. Arthritis lacks glamour, probably because it doesn't kill. There are over ten million people in the UK now with some form of this dross - our numbers are overwhelming but for sure we lack glamour.

I cannot speak for eveyone on here but I am lucky in that my hospital does respond well on the rheumatology front and I have found - by chance - a wonderful GP. (It was a ghastly GP who left my arthritis untreated for five years, telling me there was nothing wrong and it would go away.) I do have to say though that the majority of the work in getting through a day and surviving life is done by me. And that is how it should be. Other people cannot change my circumstances, neither can I, but I am the one who has to live it. DD