xrays

twobob
twobob Member Posts: 7
edited 5. Aug 2012, 14:53 in Living with Arthritis archive
just wondering if anyone knows if, or how arthritis shows up on xray. only i had one and they say that there is a clear difference between the left hip and my poorly right, otherwise appears normal. im confused!. the pain isnt normal thats for sure. any ideas.
regards
twobob

Comments

  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello twobob, it's nice to meet you. Xrays are useful for showing up OA as they reveal the narrowing of joint space plus any erosion or bone growth. They are not so good for the auto-immune sorts although I've had them for that. MRIs give more detail than Xrays. Are you an OA-er or an auto-type? I'm lucky as I have foot in both camps! :wink: DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • knuckleduster
    knuckleduster Member Posts: 551
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello twobob.

    It was my osteopath who noticed something was wrong with my right hip and suggested I had an x-ray. I was speechless when the doctor gave me the results - severe OA in my right hip with a narrowing of the gap and moderate in my left. And I won't go into what it said about my back. Had the right hip replaced in December 2010 and the left one is holding on in there. If in doubt, go back to your doctor and ask what is the next step forward.

    Janet
  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Twobob

    Welcome to the forum. I am sorry that you are in pain and that you have a lot going on in your life at the moment too.

    I presume you have been diagnosed with Osteo Arthritis (OA) as you mention arthritis in another posting and that you have been referred to physio. I presume it was your gp that referred you for xrays too. He appears not to have explained the results too well from what you say. Best to return to have a chat with him and ask for more explanation of what was showing on your xray. I have not doubt that you are experiencing a lot of pain. The xrays do not show that up to the medics unfortunately. Have you been prescribed anti inflammatories as well as a med for the pain? I am not sure if you have said what has been prescribed for you. If they are not working for you, again chat with your gp about it.

    Elna x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • twobob
    twobob Member Posts: 7
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hi dreamdaisy
    thanks for your reply. i am OA , narrowing joint space. havent been offered mri . guesss its early days as diagnosis goes, (april). waited 12 weeks for physio, hummm. sorry to read of your struggles. i had no idea so many people are affected by these issues. what an eyeopener this forum is.

    twobob
  • twobob
    twobob Member Posts: 7
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hi knuckleduster
    thanks for the advice, i agree, time for another chat with my gp. our last chat included lines like, (your far too young for a hip replacement). scary isnt it. so on we go.

    twobob
  • knuckleduster
    knuckleduster Member Posts: 551
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi twobob

    I asked for extra physio six months after my hip replacement as I wasn't satisfied with my progress and, guess what, I too had to wait 12 weeks and only got 3 sessions. Perhaps 12 weeks is the standard waiting time.

    Hope you get another appointment with your doctor soon.

    Janet
  • twobob
    twobob Member Posts: 7
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hi elnafinn , nice to hear from you. next appointment coming up. im learning from this forum what sort of questions i need to be asking the gp. im working with naproxen, co codamol, co dydramol, struggling to find the right meds, due to the (floating away with the fairys side effect). get there eventually i guess. thanks for the quotes.

    twobob
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have OA in my knees (bone-on-bone through about 3/4 of both joints) and my ankles are catching up too. It's there thanks to the joint damage caused by my auto-immune version, psoriatic arthritis. The meds for that don't touch the OA (obviously) and that is the worse of the two pains. My knees feel as though they are on fire, it's a deep, hot pain. Yuk. I use crutches on the better days, a rollator on the poorer ones. I dread my hips joining the party.

    The problem is that once one joint is affected we (almost unkowingly) alter the way we stand, sit and walk. This throws other things out of position and so the aches and pains spread. Do you use a stick? They can take quite a bit of strain off the affected joint but it must be held in the opposite hand to the hurty joint. I too use cocos for dullling the pain and I have moved from naproxen to diclofenac which I find much more effective. I hope you have a stomach protector too, I take omeprazole.

    There are around ten million arthritics in the UK, the vast majority of whom have OA. One thing's for sure - you're not alone! :wink: DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben

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