Scared

PHHall

Hi
Not sure what to say here . have just come back from the doctor for my x ray result has have had pain in my hip that is getting worse . She said it is borderline arthritis in my hip joint and that there is nothing they can do until it gets worse . But the pain is unbearable and I don't know what to do . I feel so down and wonder what my next steps are . I had booked a holiday in Vietnam with a fair bit of sightseeing and feel that I will have to cancel this and so let a friend down who I am going with . I live on my own and at this moment in time feel overwhelmed and angry and scared

[Deleted User]

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tedthered64

PHHall wrote:

Hi
Not sure what to say here . have just come back from the doctor for my x ray result has have had pain in my hip that is getting worse . She said it is borderline arthritis in my hip joint and that there is nothing they can do until it gets worse . But the pain is unbearable and I don't know what to do . I feel so down and wonder what my next steps are . I had booked a holiday in Vietnam with a fair bit of sightseeing and feel that I will have to cancel this and so let a friend down who I am going with . I live on my own and at this moment in time feel overwhelmed and angry and scared

Hi,
There are many wonderful people on here who are better suited and more knowledgable than me to answer this but please have a long think about things before you cancel you're holiday!
With good planning and good pain relief I am sure you will still be able to enjoy what looks like a wonderful holiday.
There is always a way, sometimes we just have to be strong enough to find it.
Welcome to the group x
Ted

stickywicket

Hello and welcome from me, too. I think 'overwhelmed and angry and scared' is a normal reaction to a diagnosis of any kind of arthritis but, as Ted so rightly says – there's always a way. I've had RA for over 50 years in most joints. I've never been to Vietnam but I do go to Los Angeles every year to visit my son and grandson.

What medication have you been prescribed? It will be either anti-inflammatories or pain dullers or both. Believe me the pain does get easier to tolerate as we become more used to it and less scared of it. You will have to modify some activities but, apart from any exercise which stresses the joint unduly (climbing, jogging to name but two) other exercise is actually beneficial as it keeps the supporting muscles strong.

I don't know what you'd planned to do on your holiday but, if very strenuous, could those plans be modified a little? Maybe you could sometimes take a rest and let your friend go on alone to do some things. Life with arthritis involves being flexible with our plans.

Here are some ways to manage things http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Selfmanagement You could also google Pathway Through Arthritis which is very helpful. On here, we all get the pain and frustration thing but life goes on and it can be very good.

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you but I am sorry you have had to find us. I am nineteen years in with my arthritis (I am 56, have two kinds, forty affected joints and am reliant on walking aids) so I'm not sure how much help I can be but I urge you not to panic.

This sounds like the very early days and there are things that you can do to help matters. Exercise is important for our muscles and walking is one of the better ones because it's low impact. Wear good, supportive footwear and maybe invest in a stick: they are very good at easing the strain on the painful joints as long as they are adjusted correctly and used properly. As I have OA in both ankles and both knees I use two.

For pain relief I use cocodamol 30/500, I take a minimum of four per day because it's easier to control the pain that way rather than letting it build. Pain is frightening and, when you're not used to living with it, intrusive, so it is easy to focus on it which only makes it worse. Of course this is a shock for you, but don't make any hasty decisions about the holiday, I see no reason why you cannot go (especially if it's just the one joint that's being troublesome) - if you start thinking more carefully, planning more thoughtfully and resting more often I am sure you will manage the holiday and manage well.

I have to go and cook. Bother. DD