help me plz

kelly81

hi all do any of you have bilateral patellofemoral degeneration with underlying instability i was diganoised last july and still dont have a clue about it the pain is unbearable and has left me unable to carry out a lot of things like walking and using stairs etc
my current medication dont help and now my gp thinks im lying
after doing some research thou i have symptons of rheumoid arthertis is anyone else going through this i would really love to have some advice and help from someone plz help

dreamdaisy

I have two kinds of arthritis, one of which is an auto-immune (there are many kinds of auto-immune and they cannot be diagnosed by a GP). In my experience GPs know very little about these conditions - has yours ever suggested a blood test for an auto-immune arthritis? If not then there's nothing wrong with asking for one and, depending on the results, you may or may not be referred to a rheumatologist. Why do you think it might be RA?

My knees are my worst affected joints and now use walking aids - I am much further in than you though, and went for years without a diagnosis. The meds are limited in what they can achieve, they ease and that's it. We have to adapt and change what we do and how we do it. DD

stickywicket

Hello Kelly81 and welcome to the forum though I'm sorry you had to find us.

Any kind of arthritis is painful. We do get used to it but it's unfortunate that we have to. I've had both my knees replaced (though I still have my kneecaps) and I can relate to your difficulties of walking and doing stairs. Arthritis doesn't go away, though, so we have to learn to move forward (no pun intended :roll: ) within our limitations. The medication you have been given is, presumably, pain relief. On here, many of us call them 'dullers' as they only ever dull the pain. It doesn't go away and it's pointless trying to achieve that.

I don't know why your GP should think you're lying. How can you lie about a diagnosis made by doctors?

However, I'd forget about diagnosing yourself from the internet. I've had RA for over 50 years and, from what you've said, I see no reason to suspect it in your knee.

kelly81

thanks to you both for the replys
my gp does nothing for me i hate going to be honest cos i feel as though she dont listen to me.
the reason i think that i have RA is because my knees are starting to deform and i have an arched foot and get pain in my ankles,toes and up my legs but i do have varicose veins due to the strain from my knees.
i also have walking stick only had that a few months thou.
i was told that i had knees of a seventy year old and that i needed new knees but due to my age the doctors wont operate.
im having a blood test due tomorrow to see if RA is found in my blood
i also have a vitamin d defenciecy
do any of you have this is there any medication or pain relief you have found helps dull the pain more than others
im currently taking Acupan or nefopam 30mg tablets (3x tablets three times a day )

barbara12

Hello Kelly and welcome to the forum
Sorry I cant help with your diagnoses, if its all down in black and white then he has to believe you..
Arthritis is very complex, I am still trying to find out what kind I have, you could ask for another appointment to see your consultant, and maybe be referred to a pain clinic..hope you can get some relief very soon..and good luck with the blood test...

stickywicket

It can often seem as if our medics are doing nothing but I feel for them because they are trained to make people better and, with arthritis, it's a difficult task to even make us feel a little better. Curing us is out of the question :roll: Your GP has offered a blood test and it sounds as if you have been referred to an orthopaedic consultant who presumably made the decision about your knees. (Would there be any point in new knees if the problem lies with your kneecaps :? )

We lead tough lives, no doubt about that. I try not to think too much about pain. Of course there are times when I can think of nothing else :roll: but, for general purposes, I just aim to get through it. I've altered my life constantly over the years to accommodate the arthritis but I prefer not to dwell on it as far as possible so I exercise daily to keep the pain to a minimum, distract myself from it, plan something nice (even if it's only the next meal) and try to have fun with friends and family as much as I can.

For pain relief I normally only take the mildest co-codamol though I've had codeine or tramadol post-op. I haven't heard of acupan.

Have you been offered Vit D tablets? Many of us find we need them, including me.

I'm not sure what I wish you for your blood test tomorrow. I wouldn't wish RA on anyone but, if you did have it, you'd need the meds. Please let us know how you get on.

stickywicket

I should have added that, far from causing my feet to arch, my RA caused my arches to flatten completely. Neither have I ever had varicose veins as a result of my knee problems or those above them. Sometimes we're all inclined to attribute every problem to the arthritis but, as Gershwin said, 'It ain't necessarily so'. We get other problems too :roll:

kelly81

hiya guys thanks once again for replys no i aint been offered the vit d tablets not once and i do attend pain clinics but i didnt know i could see the orhopic doc again and thanks for the good luck for tomorrow and yes i will let you know the outcome

stickywicket

If you've been told you need Vit D but not prescribed it I would guess that's because the cost would be less than the cost of a prescription. Please ask. I get mine free because of my age.

dreamdaisy

Vit D is a supplement (not a medication) which, among other things, helps to keep our bones strong. We naturally gain it from sunlight but it is increasingly common for people to be deficient in their levels due to the use of high factor sun cream, the skin cannot absorb the beneficial part of the rays.

It won't solve your troubles but it may help you for the future. As Sticky said, the cost of a script is far higher than buying a pot of tablets from the supermarket. When my rheumatologist told me I was low I went and bought some, mine are combined with calcium too, another good thing for bones. The knee cap is not part of the knee joint so if your upper and lower leg bones bones are OK you won't be offered a replacement joint.

It's far from easy to live with pain as part of your life but all of us on here do. I can no longer remember pain-free and I know I'll never have it again which is a relief. I began with one knee, now I have around forty affected joints but that's how it's worked out for me: everyone is different in what happens to them. DD

bubbadog

Hi Kelly81, I have RA as well as other things, I'm seeing the Orthotic Dr's on Friday for the first time. Another thing I wanted to add is if your not happy from the care your G.P gives you why don't you change your G.P? I wasn't happy with my old G.P and changed to another in the surgery and I'm extremely happy with my current one.

kelly81

hi everyone been and my blood done four differnt samples the doctor just put on the request form joint pain when she clearly knows the problem
do the people who suffer from ra get quite a lot of coughs and colds
im pleased i found this group all the advise you guys give is amazing and thanks for the info on vit d
and iam seriously considering changing my gp and good luck with your hospital appointment

stickywicket

On the contrary - not the RA but the meds we take for it :roll: RA and other forms of auto-immune arthritis eg PsA, AS are caused by an overactive immune system so we take meds to suppress our immune system. That lays us open to colds, flu and all the other nasties.

dreamdaisy

There's not a lot of room on blood forms for detail - joint pain is the trouble and they will be checking your rheumatoid factor, your inflammation levels and a few other more technical things.

There is a tendency to blame everything that happens health-wise to us on arthritis but it isn't the case: life carries on regardless of arthritis and that includes bugs, colds, coughs and sniffles. If you want to avoid them then increase your hand hygiene, as Sticky said it's the meds we take that suppress our immune systems that make those of us with an auto-immune arthritis more prone to infections. I frequently wash my hands, I have anti-bac wipes in my handbag and hand gel too.

Sometimes it's hard to understand that what we have to put up with is due to arthritis, we feel it should be something more and that the docs have a duty to mend us. For a fortunate few who have OA in the right joints they can be mended with joint replacements but for many of us that isn't the case, it is a case of 'put up and shut up' because there is very little to be done. Arthritis lacks the danger and 'glamour' of a disease such as cancer, plus it is very common: there are between 8 - 10 million arthritics in the UK. People who don't have it associate it only with the elderly, and think they know what it means but they don't have a clue.

Personally I hope you do not have RA or any other form of auto-immune arthritis. It's far from fun, the meds are not that pleasant in what they can do to the body, the repeated blood tests are a major chore and it's very hard work to live with. Of the two I have I much prefer my OA, it is far more honest in what it does and how it does it. DD

kelly81

Thanks guys still not heard anything back from bloods so im none of the wiser with regards to them the pain ive had these last couple of days have been in agony but like you all said theres nothing like pain free anymore nothing takes it away I dunno about anyone else but somedays it gets me really down and depressed

stickywicket

I'm sorry you're still feeling so rough. Have you tried ringing your GP for the blood results? The receptionist might not be able to tell you but could at least say if they're back so that you can make an appointment with the doc to discuss them.

Have you started on Vit D yet? A lack of that can cause joint and muscle pain so won't be at all helpful to you.