Hello

Paddington

Hello
I'm new here. I was diagnosed with inflammatory osteoarthritis before Christmas. (A term I am still confused by!) and given hydroxychloroquine. I have felt pretty awful but also was told I had a deficiency in vitamin d and given supplements for that. Starting to feel better than I was but feeling fed up with feeling so exhausted and waking up each day wondering where it will hurt today! Joined here to find folk that understand!!

[Deleted User]

Welcome to Arthritis Care Forums, Paddington, from the moderation team.

We have some fantastic members on here with a wide range of experiences of arthritis and living with the condition.

As moderators we are here to help with any problems you may have using the message boards so feel free to send us a message if you need to.

Please do join in wherever you like, you will be made very welcome.
I look forward to seeing you posting on the boards.

Best wishes

Moderator AC

stickywicket

Hi there, Paddington, and welcome to the forum. To be honest, I'm a bit confused too by the term inflammatory osteoarthritis but I vaguely remember someone else coming on here with it. I looked it up (There's not much info out there and even less on sites that I know and trust) and it seems to only affect fingers. Is that right?

Who diagnosed you? I guess, if you're on hydroxy, it was a rheumatologist. That's good as I think I'd want the diagnosis to be reviewed later. I started, over 50 years ago, with what my Mum thought was chilblains on my fingers. It turned out to be Stills Disease. I now take hydroxy but also methotrexate.

I hope things are on the up for you, anyway and please ask away if you have any questions. Best to ask on the Living With Arthritis forum as more look in on there.

Paddington

Hello sticky wicket. Thanks for your reply.
I have found very little on it either. I was diagnosed by the rheumatologist who did seem most interested in my fingers and thumbs. However, I have been suffering with widespread pain, initially in my back, hips and ankles. Now it is hands and wrists every day alongside back and hips. Occasionally my knees join in too... Just for fun! The Dr said it was all part of it so that's why I've been confused. I was hoping vitamin d would be the answer but alas no! I guess it's still early days and I'm less tired than I was. Maybe I will get more information when I go back for my review appointment next week.

TAH134

From one newbie to another -hello :P :P Sounds like you are going through exactly the same as me, although I do have osteoarthritis in both knees. One with a partial replacement. I understand how you feel completely. When I wake up in the morning the first think that comes into my mind is 'where will I hurt today'. I joined the forum today as I am hoping to get to speak with other people who are going through similar stages as myself.
I am waiting for results of blood tests and X-rays of my hands. But they do seem to think that there in an inflammatory factor rather than 'straight OA'.
I hope like me you get support from this forum. Fingers crossed.n

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's lovely to meet you but I am sorry you have had to find us. I'm one of the lucky ones with a creaky foot in both camps, I began with an auto-immune but the joint damage from that has led to OA. My rheumatologist ignores the OA and my GP the PsA (psoriatic arthritis). I know that one of the treatments for OA is taking an anti-inflammatory tablet but I thought it was a different kind of inflammation? I know I can feel a difference in the pain: with the PsA I have swelling of the joint and external heat but with the OA there's no swelling and the heat is contained deeply within the joint.

Hydroxy is a gentle DMARD (disease modifying anti rheumatic drug), and there is new stream of thought that osteo has an auto-immune root but it is early days in that research - maybe your rheumatologist is following that school of thought. I have to go and start cooking the dinner, I apologise. DD

stickywicket

Vit D will never be an answer to arthritis – there isn't one :roll: but several things such as exercise, a good diet, lack of smoking etc will help. Vit D deficiency can lead to other bone problems though and, as most of our Vit D comes from the sun, we can get deficient in this country. (Oily fish and eggs are good sources.) NHS recommends that everyone over 65 should take a supplement.

I'm glad you are under the care of a rheumatologist. It might be that you have an autoimmune form of arthritis and they can be difficult to diagnose but you are already on one DMARD and I'm sure another will be added if necessary. I hope the next appointment goes well.

This might be of interest to you. ARUK is a good site. http://tinyurl.com/zs2jhu3

frogmorton

Hello Paddington a quick welcome from me to

Lovely to meet you, but sorry you have to be here :?

I hope you'll come along in and join us on some of the other forums.

Love

Toni xxx