Hello All

AchesNpains

Hello - I have just joined
I am a 64 year old male and about three years ago I went to the Doctor because of pains in the neck and shoulders. After tests etc. the Doctor said I had Cervical spondylosis and that it would only get worse and offered me co-codamol. A year after that I had bad pains in my knees (my right leg swelled up to about twice the size of the left one) - I had an x-ray and was told it was 'wear and tear' and was prescribed naproxen. The doctor did not relate it to the spondylosis.
Although the symptoms lessened, they have come back and I have now got pain in the knees, left leg, left groin, and left hip - somedays I have to use a walking stick to get around and I have been in constant pain for months (the naproxen hardly touches it and co codamol has never helped (in fact its added constipation to the problem) so I dont take them any more. I would go back to the Doctor, but the attitude seems to be that there is nothing that can be done - just take some more pills and put up with it.
Has anybody got any advice?

[Deleted User]

Hi AchesNpains,

Lovely to meet you, welcome to the forum, it sounds like you are in pain in multiple areas now having initially had problems with your neck and then knee.

Here’s a leaflet about osteoarthritis in general

https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/assets/000/001/893/OA_2017_Update_original.pdf?1510589554

As you will see, once osteoarthritis is causing significant impact on your quality of life it is time to visit your GP again. In the mean time there are ideas there for helping you to manage your condition.

If you want to chat to someone our helpline is open Monday to Friday on 0800 520 0520

Do keep posting to let us know how you get on, and join in anywhere you feel comfortable

Take care
Yvonne x

dreamdaisy

Hello, it's nice to meet you and I am sorry you have had to find us. I began my first arthritis when I was 37, one of the many auto-immune kinds, and that in turn led to the development of osteoarthritis which was diagnosed in 2011. I have around forty affected joints, some have one, some the other and others both. I am now 60.

One of the things that works against osteoarthritis is its ubiquity, there are around ten million arthritics in the UK and the majority have OA. There is nothing that will properly get rid of the pain, it never fully goes away and it always comes back. Joint replacement can be good but if one has OA in the wrong joints it's not so easy. Poor weather and over-exertion can aggravate matters too; for myself I find that it Is eat too many pickles or chutneys then things deteriorate probably due to the excess acid. There is an element of PUASU (put up and shut up) from the medical profession because, in truth, there is no solution to the problem.

I keep my pain relief to the minimum as that leaves room to maneouvre when things are had (they are at the moment). I take a minimum of four 30/500 cocodamol per day, supplemented by up to a dozen prunes to help unblock my main drain. Having been compromised since birth with health issues I am very used to having to do things I don't like or enjoy to maintain my health, I am not fond of prunes but they are cheaper, a natural product and more effective than a commercial laxative. I exercise as much as I can but not in a way that a healthy person would recognise as exercise, I try to keep the muscles surrounding my joints as strong as possible so they better support them, it hurts when I do, hurts when I don't and hurts differently when I am fitter. I have used walking aids for years and I am sure this has helped me to maintain a better range of movement in those joints (both are affected by the OA, as are both ankles whereas my knees have both kinds of arthritis).

I am sorry, I can't think of anything else to say as I am not at my best. I wish you well. DD

stickywicket

I would go back to the Doctor, but the attitude seems to be that there is nothing that can be done - just take some more pills and put up with it.
Has anybody got any advice?


GPs can often seem a bit brusque and dismissive about arthritis as there's not much they can do about it. Mostly it's about what we can do for ourselves. This might help https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/
I'd especially emphasis exercise and exercises. They are essential for keeping our muscles strong and supporting our joints. That helps a lot The section on exercise(s) comes under 'Self help' on the left side menu.