Spondylosis or DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease)

gemmarh100

Does anyone on here have Spondylosis or DDD?? My dad has had it since I was little and it is now getting severely worse.... Does anyone know if it is hereditary?? I have recently been diagnosed with RA and am worried it may all be connected...

I'm scared of what the future may hold for me.... as my dad is almost to the point of being in a wheelchair and he is only 50 :shock:

Gem X

frogmella

Hi, I have had DDD and facet joint arthritis. I think there is some debate about the genetics of DDD. My new surgeon is a bit of an expert on it - I will PM you the link to his page where he talks about it. I have just gone back to work today after successful treatment on my spine - there is hope out there!

suzygirl

Hi, I have both conditions in my neck and lumbar region. They are painful, but manageable and treatable for some people. To my knowledge they are not hereditary. Trying to keep moving and eating healthily have got to help in my opinion. Hopefully, the meds will keep your RA under control, and you can live a normal life.

lupin15

Hubby has Spondylosis and so did his father.. must admit nothing has been said about it passing down form one generation to another. However they both had accidents which started the process early in there years. Hubby has been bad on and off for years and had a med discharge from army and was only in his early 40... keeping as active as possible does help but finding the right meds is a god send. Try to keep positive ...

suzygirl

I had a car accident, hit from behind by a speeding truck :shock: I am sure that it accelerated my spine problems. In fact the neuro asked if I had ever had whiplash when discussing my neck problems.

annieh

hi all,
I too have been diagnosed with spondylosis in my thoracic region as well as left shoulder and neck, plus degenerative disc disease in my lumber region. my knees also have mild arthiritis in them too. I am only 50 years of age but my mother was diagnosed with spondylosis in her lumber region when she was in her mid thirties.i asked my gp about it being hereditary and she said that usually arthiritis was found to be a common ailment in a lot of families to which I am enclined to agree because my mothers father and her brothers all have arthiritis in their spines of one form or another. at the moment I am trying to manage my pain with tramadol and amitryptiline because I have gerd and cannot take anti-inflammatories. however I am finding that some days I feel very aggressive towards my loved ones and have been wandering if it is the combination of meds that I am taking that is causing my mood. has anyone else on here had these side affects whilst taking these meds. I am not an aggressive person by nature and don't like feeling like this, especially as at the moment I have to rely on family members to do a lot of my housework for me. eighteen months ago I was working full-time doing a job I loved and spent 12 and a half hours on my feet a day doing it. now I am lucky if I can vacuum a room in one attempt without increasing the pain in my back. thank god I have a good husband that's all I can say. your views and experiences on meds would be greatly appreciated thanks.
hope to here from some of you soon, take care all and hope that your day is going ok.
annie x

stickywicket

I'm writing purely from the point of view of a fellow arthritic. I've never taken amitryp. and only had trammies very briefly while in hospital once. It's possible that either or both might be the cause of your aggression. I don't even know listed side-effects.

What I do know, though, is that you have a lot of pain, in different areas which causes a lot of difficulties. (I do have GERD and that's a pain when it kicks in) It seems to me you have ample cause for aggression, annieh, even if you're not a naturally aggressive person. You have lost a lot in a short time. I, too, have a good husband who will take up the slack and I'm very grateful for him but it can still be extremely annoying not to be able to do simple things. (It's also extremely annoying when the good husband carelessly leaves things lying about, maybe on the floor, which will take him seconds and little effort to pick up and will take me minutes, the grabber, a lot of effort and some pain :roll: )

I think we all have to acknowledge and actually mourn our losses before we can move on. It's not much fun being eternally grateful to people for doing the tasks we'd rather be doing ourselves.

I could be completely wrong and the meds may be the cause of your aggression. Have you asked your husband if he's noticed any changes and when they happened? That might throw some light on it.

Boomer13

stickywicket wrote:

(It's also extremely annoying when the good husband carelessly leaves things lying about, maybe on the floor, which will take him seconds and little effort to pick up and will take me minutes, the grabber, a lot of effort and some pain )

Yes!!!! And you've explained nicely how many of your 'spoons' this will use up for the day :x :x while trying to . Search 'Spoon Theory' if I have baffled you.

Feeling aggressive toward able-bodied folks is a normal part of living with these diseases and you can expect to go through this. It doesn't mean you don't love them, just that you may be grieving your loss of function as SW said. It's also distressing to think you are losing your previously sweet nature too.

Having gone through emotional side-effects of meds too, I wouldn't discount this either.

xxAnna

Boomer13

Gem, does your dad have an autoimmune type? These can manifest differently between family members. For example, one may have RA and another lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, or none at all. If his is due to 'wear and tear' then likely is not related.

Anna

annieh

thanks guys for your support. I have mentioned the way I am feeling to my husband and he thinks it is my meds too, so will defo book into see my GP next week sometime. will let you all know the outcome of my visit.
take care all. x annie

Kittkat

Hello Gem
my dad has a terrible bad back and he manages with disciplined exercise regime and painkillers when he needs them. Try not to worry about the future. Meds/exercise and eating well is all we can do really

frogmella

I didn't have the anger on ami but I did when I was on gabapentin. Mind you, at that point, I didn't know that my new surgeon was going to do such a good job of giving me a second chance at life and so i was in a pretty dark place emotionally. I agree that the limitations that constant pain put on your life can drag you down so low that your whole personality seems to be hijacked by a maniac! I am amazed I have any tongue left the amount I bit it rather than say what was on my mind!

I have to disagree that exercise and eating well is all we can do - I tried that before "giving in" and having my second spinal fusion. I am now 25 weeks post op and pain free. Sometimes exercise etc is all we can do but sometimes there are surgical/invasive options. It depends on how lucky you get with your surgeon - and in fact in getting your gp to refer you to a surgeon in the first place!

Susiesoo

Gem ..... how are you doing? How many weeks have you been on MTX now?

Susie

GraceB

Hi,
I've got OA in my lumbar spine (L5, L4 and L3) and know I have facet joint damage. I'm currently waiting for MRI results as my spinal consultant wanted to see if I had degeneration of the discs (DDD). I suspect this will be confirmed.
With regards to arthritis being genetic? I can only speak from experience with regards to osteo-arthritis and not rheumatoid. My dad (88 now and very, very frail) is absolutely riddled with OA; I am one of four siblings and we have all had OA of varying degrees. My older half sister and I are worse off - she has OA both hips, knees, ankles, lumbar spine, wrists (one hip replaced to date - other weight bearing joints to be done in the future). I have OA in both knees (one partly replaced, the other needs doing, OA in left ankle and lumbar spine - as above. My late sister had OA in her spine and my younger brother also has OA in his spine and has had surgery.
I'm not sure if that has helped or not but ...
In the meantime, ask as many questions as you need to of the medical people you are involved with. How about calling the Support Line here?
Take care and look after yourself
GraceB