feeling confused and very lonely

lovepugs79

Hi everyone,my name is danni and this is my first post.
I hope I've put it in the right place..
Basically I'm feeling so teary and sore and really at an all time low.
I suffer with chronic endometriosis pain and am so am no stranger to living everyday with pain and the awful mental health complications that comes hand in hand.
About a year ago I started getting awful grinding pain in my lower back and spine, sometimes my body I felt would actually "refuse" to do any more walking,like it literally seized up and there was no movement left,it felt different from the endo pain but when describing it to my doctor I was just fobbed off. After going to see a new doc at the surgery she sent me for a x-ray on my lower spine and I saw she had written bony abnormality on the form. My results came back and the receptionist said "oh its just showing some wear and tear make a routine appointment which i did,i saw a doc 4 weeks later and she said its showing wear and tear on your spine. I was quite upset coming out of the appoitment and convinced myself that perhaps I'm just a bit weak and why was I making a fuss over nothing.now I've come home and searched it,it seems to me like wear and tear maybe another name for osteoarthritis? Is this the case? And is anyone able to shed some light on this mysterious bony abnormality and the term wear and tear for me please? Many thanks in advance

Danni ❤❤❤

stickywicket

Hello Danni. It’s good to meet you but I’m sorry you had to find us. You’ve clearly had a lot of pain for a long time and I can see that this must seem like the last straw.

‘Wear and tear’ is, indeed, just another way of describing osteoarthritis. We tend not to like the term on here as it implies it’s just ‘normal’ for one’s age but, sometimes, even very young people can get it. However, the term ‘bony abnormality’ would cover a multitude of sins and none of us, on here, are qualified to determine just what it means in your case. I suggest you make an appointment with your GP and ask exactly what was said in the covering letter.

OA can be very painful but there are things you can do to help ease the pain – exercise the joints, eat a healthy diet, make sure you have a decent, supporting mattress. You could ask your GP for physio and to refer you to a Pain Clinic where they will help you deal with it. Mental health complications don’t ‘come hand in hand’ with pain but it’s not at all unusual to have both. I think the Pain Clinic might help both your new pain and also that from endometriosis. Why not ask to be referred?

snowdrop123

Hi Danni

I just wanted you to know that you're not on your own and all the lovely people on this site know what it's like to be living with pain even if they don't have exactly the same problems as you have.
I agree wholeheartedly with everything that stickywicket said. Find out exactly what the doc meant by 'bony abnornmality' and go back asap if you're in a lot of pain. The receptionist isn't anymore qualified than I am to decide whether you need a routine appointment in 4 weeks or give you a diagnosis such as 'wear and tear'. Try not to worry too much in the meantime because until you know exactly what you're dealing with you won't know where to start finding things that will help you.
Best wishes and good luck
Kate

fowls48

Hi Danni


I know how you feel , i have RA but have been told i have OA in my knee , and wear and tear in my jaw which has just been diagnosed today :roll: When i was told i had oa in my knee the rheumy doctor was Oh its a little osteo in your knee thats all , i thought alright for you too say its not your knee , Thankfully my own GP is a little more sensitive ,But as the girls say receptionist should not be telling your results in such a manner .

I really wish you well , the people are so lovely on this forum and have helped me alot to understand whats going on with my body .

karen xx

lizzieuk1

Hi,
Reading what you've said it sounds like that gp wrote bony abnormality on your referral form to the xray department, if thats the case I would say that's a normal referral form that tells the imaging department what she would like them to look for. As said bony abnormality can mean many things and thats what the gp is asking the radiographer to look for rather than giving that as a diagnosis, the report back obv said wear and tear so the receptionist would have read that off your file. You are right it is the same as OA but there are many degrees of wear and tear and virtually everyone has some degree of it once they reach 30! That said you are obv in pain and they need to find out why, have you considered it could be referred pain from your endometriosis to your back, this is a common pattern and perhaps one to explore if ur xray is within normal limits.
Hope that helps a bit and u feel better soon.xx

barbara12

Hello Danni and a warm welcome from me..
Like SW says many GPs call OA wear and tear..and it imply's just that but nothing really painful...I have OA in multiple joints and yes it is painful, but you are not on your own being fobbed off...If the pain is too much you must ask for a referral to a pain clinic, there are many things they can do .
I have the bony growth at the bottom of my spine... its your body ways of compensating for loss of bone..wish it hadn't bothered... :roll:
I do hope you get some help very soon, please make yourself heard when you next visit your GP...and good luck x

lovepugs79

Hi everyone and thank you ever so much for taking the time to reply to me,it means so much honestly!
Funnily enough not long after I'd posted this,I was so sore that I called the docs back and managed to speak to get another GP at the practice and I'm afraid to say I broke down on him,he confirmed what a lot of what you'd all said and yes the x-rays did show wear and tear but he actually called it osteoarthritis,I'm only 33 but I know that people can get it much earlier than me so I should be thankful for that,he wrote a script for some stronger pain meds and am going in to discuss with him next week the bony abnormality and getting a referral through to a pain clinic and phisio.
It was actually a relief to get told that this is what I'm dealing with as like I said thought that "wear and tear" meant nothing at all was wrong with my back and could not get my head around the intensity of the pain.
Now comes the time to lose some weight,do as much research as possible,try to get my back as strong as possible I suppose. Has anyone had surgery on their backs? Is that an option for osteo at all?

Thanks again for your lovely replies,support and advice,what a difference knowing you're not alone makes xx

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's lovely to meet you and I hope we can help with information and support.

'Wear and tear' is an attempt to explain the origins of osteo-arthritis; it differs from the auto-immune types such as rheumatoid and, having an arthritic foot in both camps, I know how wearing and tiring it can be. OA and endo lead to a very nasty mix. You poor girl.

I began with an auto-immune arthritis back in 1997 and the joint damage from that has led to OA in my ankles, knees and right hip. The OA pain is very different to the other, it's sharper, hotter, keener and bl**dy miserable at times, especially when the other arthritis joins the party. There are around ten million arthritics in the UK and the majority have OA. I think that the fact it is so common works against it. GPs are the ones charged with treating it but, truth be told, there is not much they can do. Surgery may become an option after a number of years but that depends on where one is affected. New knees or hips are not a problem but spines are a different matter.

I know of one person on here who has had back surgery due to an auto-immune arthritis but I cannot recall an OA-er in a similar boat. I could be wrong, however, I am going through a tough time myself (not arthritis-related but it's having an affect on it) and I am very tired. You are facing your situation on your own but you are not alone: we know what it's like and I hope we can help. Take care. DD

lizzieuk1

Hi again,
Glad u talked to the go and feel about better for it. Regards ops on the back for oa I have had as few patients have a bone scrape, however I think the oa has to be v severe before they will do that since it can cause more problems. As said physio will be a good idea and help u support our back, also pilates can be a great help.
Take things one day at a time and know ur not alone we're all here to help if we can. Xx

bubbadog

Hi Danni, I'm glad you got to speak to another doctor and he prescribed some strong painkillers for you and is going to see you again. That's a step forward for you. I wanted to add I had endrometriosis at a young age so know what sort of pain your going through there. I sadly had to have a full hystroectomy which meant I can't have children but to be honest I was so glad to be out of the pain that didn't hit me till later. But know I have 2 crazy kittens that are just like kids to me! If you ever want to talk just PM (private message) me back.

dreamdaisy

Hello again, how are you feeling today? DD

maria09

Hi Danni
Just saw your post
We on here are a friendly bunch and offer great support and compassion
I have osteoarthritis and now inflammatory arthritis and at present trying to find the exact medication to work
Chronic pain is nasty nasty nasty and certainly makes you feel dreadful
I know your GP explained it as wear and tear I think they use that expression as everyone understands it and not to be little the condition
We all know what your going through as we have been there and if we can help in any way just ask you can always pm me if you like
Take care
Maria

hileena111

Hi Danni
I'm just catching up after a short holiday.
Yes as Sticky says they do use wear and tear to mean arthritis.
Its stupid.....because if you have OA at a very young age how can it be put down to wear and tear :?
I have OA in my spine, hips, ankle and neck.

I've had surgery on one hip.
Painkillers/dullers {paracetamol}
Anti inflammatories {naproxen}
Codeine if necessary
Heat helps me {some people cold helps them}
TENS machine
Exercise {as much as I can}
I use heat patches now and then on my back
Don't sit for a long time but don't walk for a long time...you'll find your range
I use relaxation tapes as well.
That's about it....you might find something in that lot that might help
Love
Hileena

maria09

Hi Danni
How you feeling today?
Hope you are not feeling as lonely now you have joined this site
Maria