Saying Hello

Jen

Just want to say Hi, I have osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The arthritis is a more recent development. My last flare lasted 8 weeks and I was unable to walk properly because of it.

I have aches and pains at the moment but I am unsure if these have been caused by the osteo med.

Thanks all, good to know this forum is here.

Jen x

[Deleted User]

Welcome to the forums Jen,

I am sure you will find support, advice and a little light relief here so please feel free to join in wherever you like.

Finally I want to welcome you on behalf of myself and the rest of the moderation team. If you need help with the technicalities of the forum just get in touch via a personal message and one of us will do our best to help out.

I look forward to seeing you posting.

Best wishes

Moderator AC

stickywicket

Hello Jen and welcome from me too

I also have osteoporosis and OA but the latter, and possibly the former, both came as a result of years of RA.

Where is your OA? Walking as naturally as possibly is advisable (though highly unlikely for many of us ) and we can take steps (no pun intended) to help eg exercises, orthotic insoles, walking aids.

Why would your pain be caused by the meds? I've never heard of that although anti-inflammatories can cause stomach problems if used regularly without a stomach-protecting med.

Please join us on the other forums where more people look in

theresak

Hello Jen, and welcome - it's nice to 'meet' you. I have RA, with some OA as well. Makes life interesting!

Do keep posting,

Tezz x

hileena111

Hi
Welcome to the forums.
I have Osteo Arthritis in various places and recently been diagnosed with Osteoporosis.
I understand what you mean about the pain possibly being caused by the meds....you mean the Osteoporosis meds??
I have read things about certain ones causing aches and pains.
I've had OA for quite a long time so cant really tell if my OP meds are making it any worse...I dont think so?
Love
Hileena

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's lovely to meet you but I am sorry you have had need to find us. I have psoriatic arthritis (PsA, begun in 1997) OA (officially diagnosed in 2011) and fibromyalgia - it's a right old malarkey! Of the two arthritic conditions I far prefer the OA because it is far more honest in how it presents and it what it does. The PsA (in addition to causing pain and swelling) can also make me feel mightily fatigued when it's having a nip. The OA just plain hurts, sometimes a little more than at others, but that's it.

I hope you find the forum a source of useful information and practical tips and hints, everyone on here understands just how demanding life can be when we are living with arthritis. I look forward to seeing your name here and there around the boards. DD

Jen

Many thanks all for your welcome and support. Sorry I haven't been back sooner.

My OA when diagnosed was in the right foot only. By xray, I don't know if that is usual (maybe I should ask this elsewhere)

But I was recently put on a OP drug and was on it just over a month when the pain started and although I've not taken it for a week the pain continues and now the OA in the foot seems to have flared. I am getting pains in my wrist now too which is a new one, although I have been working in the garden today and repeatedly pulling weeds.

Yes walking as naturally as possibly is a bit of a joke when the OA is flaring.

Thanks again everyone and thanks also moderators

I will have a look around more and post more

x x Jen x x

dreamdaisy

OA is usually diagnosed by Xray, that's one of the ways to see what's going on inside; it's how mine was diagnosed in my knees and ankles but for my hips the GP just manoeuvred things until I yelped. It is also usual for OA to spread to other joints, we hold ourselves differently, move differently to try to lessen pain and thus throw other joints out of kilter.

I was given alendronic acid whilst I was taking oral steroids but I was able to come off it when I stopped the steroids - my bone density increased by 3.4% as a result which was pleasing! Have you had a DEXA scan? Was this how they found the OP? DD

hileena111

Hi Again
Was it Alendronic Acid you were taking {are taking}?
I remember DD and I were taking it at the same time and it was awful stuff....get up, take it before other tablets, sit upright, etc etc...we hated it ....I was able to come off it as well because it was for Osteopinia and when I changed GP's she said I didnt need it for that.
When it progressed to Osteoporosis I had to go back on to them....but got them changed to anbother one.
Love
Hileena

stickywicket

X-rays are a good and normal way of diagnosing OA but, if they have shown you have it in one joint, your GP might consider it unnecessary to x-ray another as the medication for one will treat both.

I think, if you have OA, it will be painful. I've not heard of osteoporosis meds causing OA though I attribute my own osteoporosis, in part, to my RA and RA meds, both of which can cause osteoporosis.

Repetitive actions will often cause pain whether or not someone has arthritis especially if we are using muscles that don't often get much of a workout but that's usually a muscular pain rather than a joint one.

Jen

Hi again stickywicket and heleena,

not sure if we are ok to go off into other discussions on this post or should start a new one.

Not AA had that one week only, bad reaction 2nd try was risedronate supposed half dose of AA had a different side affect each week but mild until the 4th week teeth and bone aches, but I did take another week after that as I wasn't sure, the teeth gum ache has been there for a few weeks on and off.

I only got an xray in my foot because of the pain and trouble walking properly, it lasted over 8 weeks 1st time it occurred during xmas new year this year. the doc said oA probably because I've had OP for 5 years near on.

I think the drug has triggered this flare although I've not taken the drug now for over a week and I am finding twinges and pain in wrists, forearms feet, ankles today. I didn't want to risk continuing the drug especially as I'd had quite a few of the side affects listed for the drug and I felt to continue would just cause me another health problem or two, I'm not prepared to do that. I already have enough to be going on with.

hileena111

Hi
One of the side effects I have read.....{people having it although rare} is osteonecrosis of the jaw, dont know if that has anything to do with your pain.
I came off it and was put on riseondrate as well LOL
My only noticeable side effects were nausea the day I took it.
So the GP put me on another one, same family, same instructions for taking it but you only take it once a month not once a week. She thought that if it was nausea all day on the day I took it at least once a month shouldnt be so bad.

Love
Hileena

daffy2

Hi Jen
I'm another 'double O' person(OA and OP). It's an interesting conundrum isn't it trying to do the weight bearing exercise for OP when your feet(and in my case ankles knees and back as well) are affected by OA?!
As a matter of interest have you had your VitD levels checked? It's important for the OP, to ensure absorption of calcium, but may also have a bearing on pain in joints and muscles. If you haven't already looked at the NOS site forum you would find it worth doing so - there's a lot on VitD.

Jen

Hi Daffy, yes I know the NOS site and yes I know my vitamin D situation and I take calcium but I do wonder if the calcium supplement isn't the problem with the OA flaring, I don't take the full dose prescribed, but get a lot of calcium from the food I eat. But I have come here on this site for the arthritis rather than the porosis. Are you thinking the two are connected?

There are people with arthritis that don't have OP, I am not convinced they are connected but I think my doctor thinks that OA comes because of OP and with age, yet not all aged persons have either.

Some say all disease is a result of inflammation in the body, yes Arthritis definitely is, but I wouldn't have thought bone thinning is at all.

hileena111

Hi
I dont think the two are connected at all.
I've had OA long before the OP reared its ugly head.
It's such a nuisance trying to juggle the two.....one needs HIGH impact exercises and the other one is LOW impact exercise.
OP....they say that swimming is not a useful exercise yet OA it is the first exercise that is suggested

Love
Hileena

daffy2

Hi Jen
No I wasn't meaning to suggest a connection between OA and OP, but as deficiency of VitD can cause bone and muscle pain that's an additional reason for checking levels if you have both. I certainly found that once I was getting mine back to a sensible level the problems I had with pain in my leg muscles improved. I had just assumed it was another arthritis thing, like the fatigue. As you've been checked then that won't be relevant in your case.

Jen

I'm of the same mind heleena its a problem, I'm having to forego my usual gym exercise because of the OA and can't walk very far, but the foot is much happier resting, so for now I guess I should just go easy on it.

I will continue with the qi gong and tai chi though, these are the only movements that don't put any undue pressure or stress on my foot and other joints, relaxing

Best wishes to all.