New member

SandraH

Hi there,
I am struggling with Arthritis in my lower back and knees. I have severe diverticulitis so cannot really take meds and use a gel on my knee and every 5 months have a cortisone injection in it.
I do exercise and have physio every week as I had an adverse reaction to a quinolone antibiotic and it damaged the tendons and nerves in my legs. Not sure if this will be permanent or not.
I have a hiatus hernia too so diet is delicate.
I have a stepper and exercise bi,e to help and also an electric bike.
I find my legs so painful at night and any adviçe would be helpful

[Deleted User]

Hello Sandrah and welcome to the Versus Arthritis forums from the moderation team.

I am very sorry to hear about your diagnosis of Arthritis in your knees as well as the pain in your lower back. It sounds as though you have had some really bad luck having a reaction to an antibiotic too. I am thinking maybe the diverticulitis limits some medication options as well?

We have a great community here, who have lots of experience of arthritis who I know will make you very welcome and help in any way they can, but in the meantime I hope the following link will help you:

This link is about managing pain and is interesting reading. I particularly like the ‘self-help’ section:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

I look forward to seeing you posting in future.

Best wishes

Ellen.

stickywicket

Hi Sandra.

You have a lot on your plate but you do seem to be trying to do a lot to help yourself so it's a great shame that things are still so difficult.

I have rheumatoid and osteoarthritis and I've had a hiatus hernia for years. In the early years I wasn't even aware of it but now I also have GORD so I do have to be careful with medication and diet.

I can't take anti-inflammatories but I'm OK on pain relief though I do take as few as possible and always take any medication with a small amount of food to be on the safe side – a small, plain biscuit usually. I do have omeprazole though, too. It's a stomach-protecting med. And gaviscon for as and when.

Can your physio offer any advice about sleeping? How old is your bed / mattress? They reckon only to last about 10 years. I sleep much better since we bought a king-sized bed (My 6'2” husband used to lie diagonally across the double one :roll: ) with ¾ sprung and ¼ memory foam plus a shaped, memory foam pillow. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees though.

Is it worth asking your GP for stronger pain relief for night time? I mean straight pain relief not anti-inflammatories. According to the NHS on diverticulitis, it does sound possible. https://tinyurl.com/y547ka9q .

I don't know when you exercise on the bike but I'm wondering if it would be best to do it early in the day rather than evening as that might help your legs.

Sorry, I can't really help.