Flare up

harleyquin

Hi I have had a nasty flare up of joint pain and stiffness for the last 3-4 weeks.
I have been diagnosed with OA in my hips, knees, hands, shoulders and now I have pain in my neck and lower back.
I am finding it incredibly difficult to walk and even just lying in bed I feel stiff and achey all the time.
My original inflammatory markers were negative for RA but my GP agreed to run more blood tests this week as the original tests were done when it was just my knees and hips that I was suffering with.
I won't get my results until I see her again on 10th May.
Is it normal to get these prolonged periods of pain and "disability" with
OA ?
She did seem to think it was unusual to have been laid low for so long.
(I have also had recurring UTIs over the last few months, I'm not sure if this has any bearing on anything other than my ability to get to the toilet in time)
I would appreciate your advice on this as there doesn't seem to be any let up on the horizon.

Many thanks
Harley

maria09

Hi Harley,
I have Osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis
My inflammatory markers are all normal so I'm not a classic case
I like you have many joints affected in fact all my joints plus have long standing back pain so I know exactly how you feel
Even with my meds I have pain 24/7 of varying degrees it is so debilitating I try not to get too bogged down with it and have just managed to stop my anti depressants I also think it helps as I have retired due to ill health so if I have a bad day I can just rest and not stress about going to work
It's a case of finding what works for you medication wise and I'm still trying to get the right balance
I hope my post helps as I do find myself going off at a tangent
Best wishes
Maria

harleyquin

Thank you for replying Maria, it's always good to know there are people out there who understand what you are going through.
It's very hard not to get bogged down with this thing and feel sorry for myself.
I am 52 but also class myself as retired because, due to other health problems, I haven't been able to work for 8 years, so I am able to rest when I need to, and on a lovely day like today, relax in my garden, as I have a lovely comfy garden sofa.
The result being though that I have a "healthy looking" tan lol

I am lucky to have a really good GP and she offered to prescribe stronger pain meds, but I try to avoid taking the maximum daily dosage of the ones I'm already on, so said I would try upping those first.
It worries me that I am on strong painkillers every day, but as you say, it is a case of getting the right balance and finding what works.
I have had all the necessary adaptations done to my house, although with this flare up I am finding the stairs increasingly difficult now, so have to rely on my daughter ( my Carer ) to get things from upstairs, once I have got up.

Thank you again Maria.
Take care

Harley x

maria09

Hi again
I'm 49 oh 50 in 12 days time!!
I wanted to keep working till I was at least 50 maybe 55 but these last 5yrs at work were horrendous and knew I couldn't do it mentally or physically I was a staff nurse on a busy orthopaedic ward where most of the patients were fitter than me! I even knelt down once and couldn't get back up my patient helped me how bad is that! We did have a good laugh about it but enough was enough!
What I found really hard was my ward manager and above couldn't understand I had pain 24/7 so much for a caring profession
You are right about making it feel better when you know someone in the position as yourself
This site has helped me so much I don't think I could have got through every thing without it
Take care
Maria

helpline_team

harleyquin wrote:

Hi I have had a nasty flare up of joint pain and stiffness for the last 3-4 weeks.
I have been diagnosed with OA in my hips, knees, hands, shoulders and now I have pain in my neck and lower back.
I am finding it incredibly difficult to walk and even just lying in bed I feel stiff and achey all the time.
My original inflammatory markers were negative for RA but my GP agreed to run more blood tests this week as the original tests were done when it was just my knees and hips that I was suffering with.
I won't get my results until I see her again on 10th May.
Is it normal to get these prolonged periods of pain and "disability" with
OA ?
She did seem to think it was unusual to have been laid low for so long.
(I have also had recurring UTIs over the last few months, I'm not sure if this has any bearing on anything other than my ability to get to the toilet in time)
I would appreciate your advice on this as there doesn't seem to be any let up on the horizon.

Many thanks
Harley

Hi Harley

I am sorry that you have been in so much pain. OA can be extremely painful and I know that you have had responses from other members of the forum who have posted about this and it is common to feel stiff and achey on first waking. It is positive though that your GP is doing more investigations to rule out other conditions. There are ways to manage arthritis and if you click on the link
http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Booklets
you can download our booklets that should help with this. In particular the booklet ‘Coping with pain’ should give you information about managing pain. You could also talk to your doctor about a review of your pain relief. The booklet ‘Exercise and arthritis’ talks about the benefits of arthritis for this condition. ‘Living with arthritis’ can also tell you more about the condition and how to manage this. You can also call us here on our freephone helpline on 0808 800 4050 (Weekdays, 10am – 4pm) to talk things through with one of our helpline team.

I hope this information is helpful.

Best Wishes
Dawn

harleyquin

Sorry for the delay in replying.
Many thanks for your advice.
I will see if my blood tests show up any inflammation and take things from there.

Regards
Harley