Just saying Hello!

Vgm68

Hi, just a quick hello.
It seems since I hit 50 last year everything is starting to break down. I have been diagnosed with OA in my spine with some disc bulges also. I have recently had an x-ray which shows OA in both feet and I await the results of a scan to confirm neuromas. I think I have OA in my hands and the start of trigger fingers and more recently pain in my hips and knees suggesting OA in those joints too.
I'm not letting it defeat me though and still work full time as a nurse on my feet all day, go to the gym a couple of times a week and plan to walk Hadrian's Wall next year.
Has anyone else had such a sudden and generalised onset of symptoms?

[Deleted User]

Hi vgm68,

Welcome to the forum it’s great to meet you. So you have decided to go for all the joints in one go. For myself I had a pain in my wrist/hand when opening the big push doors at school and I’d started shoulder barging them, or using a child to help and thought I should pop into the surgery when I had a minute. Then I fell over in the shower and was too bruised to get to school so decided to check out the wrist. Blood tests and a week later I found I had positive rheusus factor and on it went. Within a couple of weeks I had pain in many joints, proper interfering with life!

This is the relevant page of our website for all things osteoarthritis

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/?alphabeticIndex=O

Keep thinking positively-that’s the main thing and when you hit a snag you will develop lots of problem solving skills, though being a nurse I bet you have already got them fine tuned! Pop in here for any snags, information and to chat things through whenever you need to.

Take care
Yvonne x

stickywicket

I think it's not uncommon though my own OA rocked up sneakily on the back of my RA. I love your determined attitude but I'd caution against trying to ignore it completely. If you do so it'll ensure it has the last word. Keep on achieving but cautiously and factor it in. That way you'll keep on top for longer.

dreamdaisy

Hello, like Sticky my OA hid behind the skirts of my other arthritis (psoriatic, an auto-immune kind) but I can empathise with the age thing: I turned 60 in March and although not given to hysteria and hyperbole definitely feel that everything is worse. Mind you, I had a grim summer thanks to a meds change so it could well be the case.

Of the two I prefer the OA because it is predictable so, to some extent, controllable. It's grim today thanks to the weather (out of my control) and I can aggravate it all by myself by eating too much acidic food and overdoing thngs. The other is far more sneaky, requires nasty meds and yet will still misbehave. I began the PsA in 1997 when I was 37 and the OA was diagnosed in 2011 when I was 52 so they're old friends now. DD