Saying hello

TheMurphy

Hi all,

New to the forum but not new to arthritis!

Just need to vent as I am in a dark place at the moment!

I am 34 and since turning 30 which felt more like 70 especially how I feel now.

I am a very tall fellow and with that always had aches and pains in my back, neck shoulders and other areas whilst being casually told when growing up it was growing pains(I wish)
Anyway one day out of the blue my constantly cracking knee gave way and dislocated my knee cap and this started happening more often than not, so after seeing a few different consultants I was diagnosed with bilateral valgus deformity had an athroscopy on my worst knee and nothing improved so I had reconstruction surgery and (touch wood) its not dislocated since, still gives me a lot pain and cracks a lot and was nonchalantly told I had arthritis.
Then I started getting awful pain in the soles of my feet which then diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and a leg length deficiency due to a misaligned hip and now shoulder, neck wrists are killing me in which I have been told just last week that I have a deformed clavicle and will need surgery due to the clavicle coming detached from my breast bone!

Throughout the last 4 years I have had various pain killers, anti inflammatories, physio, insoles, massages, braces, taping up, herbal medicines and I only feel worse!
Now the prospect of more surgery is getting to much to cope with as I do not see a light at the end as every time I did something else goes. What next as I get older with a degenerative disease? Potentially 3 ops in 5 years to start with I will end up in surgery on an annual basis!

Sorry for the rant but has anyone else experiienced the same or is this it now or does it get better?

Thanks for reading, hope I haven't bummed out to many people..

moderator

Welcome to Arthritis Care Forums TheMurphy from the moderation team

As mods we are here to help with any problems you may have on the message boards.

There are lots of lovely people here with a wide range of experiences with arthritis and the problems of living with the condition. Just join in wherever you like you will be made very welcome.

I look forward to seeing you posting on the boards.

Best wishes

Mod John

stickywicket

TheMurphy wrote:

Thanks for reading, hope I haven't bummed out to many people..

Definitely not. If you can put up with the reality of all that the least we can do is to read about it.

There is no doubt that arthritis, whether osteo or an autoimmune form, can arrive much earlier than previously thought. It's also quite 'normal' for osteo to set in at the site of an old injury. But some of what you write seems a bit strange for arthritis. Knees don't usually dislocate with arthritis and clavicles don't normally detach from the breast bone.

I guess you just want less pain and fewer operations but I wonder if anyone has actually worked out why all this is happening or if you are just being treated piecemeal for the different things.

Have you ever seen a rheumatologist? Do any family members have autoimmune disorders? If you have a leg length discrepancy you might need surgical shoes rather than just orthotic insoles.

I hope you feel a little better just for getting it all down in print. We can't cure anything on here but it's a good place to share experiences and empathy.

dreamdaisy

Hi, I have read your post a couple of times and feel, like Sticky, that what you have described is very unusual for any form of arthritis; knees might give way but not dislocate (knee caps are nothing to do with the joint, they are there as a protective cover for the lower end of the upper and the upper end of the lower leg bones) and shoulders can ache (I know mine do) but no-one has ever mentioned clavicle trouble on here.

How tall are you? My first boyfriend was 6' 10" and he had aches and pains due his height and coping with ordinary sized furniture and public seating etc. I wonder if you are struggling with loose ligaments, or hypermobile joints? Your skeleton is not as it should be with odd length legs, some joint deformity, has anyone looked at you as a whole rather than as a collection of troubles? Are other family members tall or have had similar troubles? Arthritis can begin at any age (the auto-immune ones can start as early as 18 months old) and OA is not unknown in young people now but because it is so ubiquitous it is often nonchalantly mentioned by doctors. DD

TheMurphy

Thanks for all your replies!

I will try and answer what I remember from your replies.

Family history is hard to answer as non or them are no longer with us...but I do remember my mum & grandmother had arthritis and my other grandmother had a hump back, apart from that no clue.

I am 6'8.

I have seen
A knee specialist
A foot specialist
A shoulder specialist
But non together despite me asking but it's probably due to NHS red tape or funding or whatever but I keep trying!

When I fractured my clavicle it never came away from the breastbone and when the guy noticed it he had a very concerned look on his face as I hadn't reinjured it? :?

My knee as I think mentioned not one problem until the dislocation and my other leg is giving me pain which I didn't have before the bad one dislocated so...??

Again thanks and thanks for any advice

Ohh and it is too hot!! :too-hot:

stickywicket

Now that orthopaedics is so specialised it's quite normal to see someone who only deals with whatever bit of you is currently giving trouble but has no-one ever mentioned joint hypermobility to you? You sound to me to have many of the symptoms. This is what NHS Choices says about it. http://tinyurl.com/qzkapyx . In your situation I'd read up on it here and then go back to my GP and ask about it.

dreamdaisy

Have you ever been referred to a muscular-skeletal clinic? (I think that's what it's called.) The docs in there know a great deal about how the body is 'strung' together (you can tell I'm not one of them ) and conditions that can result if something is not as it should be. GPs are generalists in that they know a little about a lot whereas I feel you need to see someone who knows a lot about a little - namely a specialist.

Who diagnosed you with arthritis? Did they specify that it was osteo or another form? If the latter then you must have had blood tests and should be seeing a rheumatologist because they deal with the auto-immune conditions (around 300 kinds) and GPs with OA - I have a creaky foot in both camps but I still think that your symptoms are different to mine and others with both kinds.

I agree about the heat, I am wilting yet again, my joints are misbehaving as a result. YUK. :too-hot:

DD

daffy2

I'm sorry to hear of the problems you're having with both your joint issues and in trying to get solutions. I would agree with DD and Sticky that the current piecemeal approach is probably not going to deal with your problems. 'Fixing' the knee could well have set off the hip problems, and that in itself can cause pain higher up as your body tries to adapt and protect. Unfortunately the NHS isn't good at the holistic approach. I have back problems due to 3 different degenerative conditions(one of 50 years standing, the others in the last 4 years or so) and trying to get an assessment of my spine as a complete unit rather than 3 separate conditions, to plan for future management, took the best part of 2 years and help from a charity about what specialists there were in my area and my right to be referred.The GP was sympathetic but kept coming up against NHS procedures which blocked referral.At one stage I thought I would have to see the consultant privately.
I think it is possible that more would be achieved for you by addressing muscle imbalances, gait irregularities etc to try and prevent the need for more joint surgery. Muscles that are unhappy can cause immense pain, and that can add to the problem as others then tense up as well.

barbara12

hello and a warm welcome to the forum
Your story is so familiar to me, but Im a lot older at 66..but had joint pain from being very young..and yesfgrowing pains.. :roll:
I have been on this forum for many years now and its has been such a good help, in the information you can get and the support off others..so please stay around talking is a good release..