Hello. osteoarthritis diagnosed last October

paulbn

After several months of what I thought was muscular inflammation I went for an xray and was told I had osteoarthritis in left hip and knee. Apart from being given increasingly strong painkillers I was given no other information. NSAIDs do help reduce pain by about 50% but also affetc my testosterone levels which is not a good thing as I have been living with locally advanced prostate cancer for 4 years. Why can I not discuss the arthritis to get full details such as how advanced it is, whether any abnormalities have occurred or what posible actions can be taken. My GP just issues stronger painkillers, which is not always useful as I drive part-tim for a living so cannot take anything which affects my safety. He will not refer me to a specialist.

[Deleted User]

Hello paulbn, and welcome to the forum.

I am sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis, and that you haven't been happy with the support you have received since.

It sounds like you and your GP would benefit from having a discussion about why a referral to a specialist is not warranted. Although we are unable to offer any specific medical advice, the link below provides some useful information on living with osteoarthritis and the treatments available.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis/

Dealing with multiple problems at once can be overwhelming at the best of times. I hope that this forum at least provides you with useful information and support. I'm sure our members will soon jump in and share their experiences with you.

Do let us know how you get on.

Best wishes,
Alice

dreamdaisy

Hello, I am sorry you have had this diagnosis on top of everything else. I have OA as a result of my other arthritis and yes, it is true to say that there is little to be done about it until the deterioration is such that surgery becomes an option.

GPs deal with OA but they are limited in their options - pain relief, anti-inflammatory medication and perhaps a referral to physio is the limit of what can be done. Any form of arthritis is progressive and degenerative, with OA once the right level of damage is reached surgery can become an option but until then there is little to be done. Your GP doesn't seem to be that helpful, one thing that works against OA is its ubiquity and there are no specialists a such, just orthopaedic surgeons: it could be that your OA is not advanced enough as yet for that but at least he could tell you that rather than just refusing a referral. There are around ten million arthritics in the UK, the majority with OA. It is a disease that can have its worst effects remediated but it is not curable as such.

I cannot think of anything else to say - I am under the pain cosh at the moment so have a brain like porridge. DD

stickywicket

Hi Paul and welcome from me too.

I'm sorry about the diagnosis. Given your prostate cancer it seems very unfair that you should have OA but, I guess, no-one ever said life should be fair so we just have to get on with things.

Which is clearly what you're trying to do but feeling hampered by the GP's apparent lack of interest. As DD says, it can often seem like that as there really isn't a great deal they can do. We can help ourselves though (I have RA and OA) by sticking to a sensible weight, a healthy diet and doing plenty of exercise(s). We're not usually referred to a consultant until / unless we need surgery. There are no specialists in OA. It's the orthopaedic surgeons who deal with OA once needed.

I wonder where you got your information about NSAIDS from as, according to the NHS, that's not wholly accurate. See here https://tinyurl.com/y5qp57g5 .

Your GP will be able to give some thoughts on how advanced it is from the x-ray. Frankly, that doesn't mean much though as pain perception seems to bear little relationship to that. I don't know what you mean by 'abnormalities'. I guess we can get osteophytes / bony projections but they make no difference to anything, certainly not treatment. You main action to take, believe me, is physio. That does make a difference. You can ask for a referral or just look at the exercises given on the top menu here.

paulbn

Hello again and thanks for your replies. Regarding NSAID for E.D. , specifically ibuprofen, I first noticed this effect myself once I began taking it rergularly, and believe me, when, as a formerly "active" male you lose that ability it can be devastating. I was getting noticeable effects. I then went to the internet to find it is a possible side effect. (have I "accidentally found a non-viagra answer? haha.)

As to my GP. when I can actually see the same one more than once!, I shall specifically ask for more detailed info regarding my xray results.

Thanks for your support. I shall visit this forum regularly.
Regards.