In pain and not coping

TheLordFlasheart

I feel so miserable right now, the pain in my knee is gradually wearing me down to the point I feel I can't keep going. I thought I was coping, but it feels like i'm not, and my arthritis is winning.

I try to remain as positive as I can, but with winter approaching, the damp weather is making things far worse. Right now the pain has me in tears, and having to stop using morphine patches is not helping (they were irritating my skin). Maybe I need to go on something stronger, or find better ways to manage the pain, I just don't know right now.

trepolpen

there are things you can do to help your joints , like voltarol gel which you can get over the counter or on prescription , get some exercises to support your knees from a physiotherapy & maybe a brace

my knee are going to be replaced some time early next year , dont think you can totaly get rid of the pain , go see you GP/doctor & maybe get some more painkillers & maybe some anti-inflammatories

dreamdaisy

I think it must be harder for you as the pain is so localised - nothing else hurts so it really stands out. There is nothing we can do about the weather, all of us know that the damp and cold aggravate the condition; hopefully you are in one of the warmer spots of the country and the next few days will help to ease matters. Neoprene knee supports can give some relief with warmth and holding the joint 'up' but they shouldn't be over-used as the muscles which should be doing that job weaken thus making matters worse.

It's grim, Alistair, no doubt about that, all I can say from long experience is that it will pass because all things do. DD

mig

Oh Alistair I am so sorry that you are feeling so bad at the moment no words of mine can help but I am thinking of you and I am sending mega gentle hugs (((((()))))) Mig

TheLordFlasheart

Thanks for the support, I forgot to add that it's mainly early evening when the pain racks up, and is not all the time. This unpredictablilty makes it harder to cope, as I never know when it will hit.

It's passed for now, but I know will it hit again, I just need to enjoy more the days when the pain is less.

bubbles

Sending a very large amount of anti pain vibes your way. It is horrid, even more so when the pain is localised and intense.
Worth having a medication review, there are other patches that can be tried, maybe depo medrone injection would help, I know our GP's do them, had a fair few over the years.

A brace, or support, but as mentioned, they can weaken muscles if worn all the time. But certainly they can help if you are out and about. Physio would advise and help with that.

Arnica gel, which you can use by the ton, as many times a day as you like, the SBC one is the best.
Voltarol gel is good too, it does help a lot of people.

Take lots of care XX Aidan

dreamdaisy

That makes sense, Alistair, and isn't entirely unpredictable. Your days are long and strenuous so it's no wonder that things ramp up come the evening.

The trouble with pain relief is that the body begins to need more and more to gain the same dulling effect - I learned that in my early days so, even though it's unpleasant and makes life harder work, to me it makes sense to keep mine to the minimum so I have an escape route for when things really zing. I still find distraction the best pain relief method for me, and as we are going to a party tonight that will abound in spades but I'll make doubly sure by taking a slow-release morphine tablet later on today. DD

mig

Hi Alistair,as DD says distraction is quite good,I have mild restless leg I take low dose amtrip and it works wonders for me but if I have had a busy day out then I know its going to start really bothering me out comes my ipad and play any sort of puzzle games,crosswords,jigsaws and mahjong I know its not for everyone but it works for me.Hugs (((((()))))) Mig

dreamdaisy

Hello, how are things now? I hope it has settled down and you are feeling brighter. DD

Slosh

I'm just catching up on things. Hope things are starting to ease.

TheLordFlasheart

Sorry for not getting back sooner, just be busy with work etc, but things have settled down and it's back to a near constent dull ache. I'm doing my best to cope best I can, so glad I bought a TENS machine, it's a god send!

On a seperate note, I got a copy of a letter sent to my GP from the Orthor consultant, and its states I have patellofemoral arthritis when oringinally diagnosed (I couldn't remember the name, hence saying I got OA, which is more general term), and there is early joint space reduction medially and some degenerativre changes. But the consultant needs more information, hence the MRI scan this coming Monday.

Thanks for checking up on me.

Alastair

mig

Glad its eased a bit and good luck with the mri. Mig

Slosh

Glad the tens machine is helping