New member with shoulder pain

Sooze

Hello everyone, as you can see I'm a newbie. My name is Sooze and I'm in my 60's.

I recently had hip replacement surgery and I'm very pleased with the results, I have even lost a bit of weight because I can exercise properly now.

Now I'm finding I have dreadful pain in my shoulder, wrist and thumb joints. I know I must see my doctor but I wondered if any of you could give me any advice please.

I'll leave it there for now as I can't think of anything else to say.
Best wishes, Sooze xx

stickywicket

Hi Sooze and welcome. And sorry for the delayed reply....it's Christmas, the time when even the seasoned arthritics knacker themselves daily while promising to be more sensible tomorrow :roll:

I have RA and OA, hips and knees replaced very successfully. I'm very glad your op went well but sorry you now have problems elsewhere.

I guess you will realise that we can sympathise and empathise but not diagnose. It's not at all unusual for OA (I presume yours is OA?) to move on to pastures new and sometimes an operation can seem to encourage it. Maybe you're now doing so much more that you're making new demands on other joints.

I think, however, you need a proper diagnosis from your GP. If it is arthritis elsewhere then my next step would be to see a physio for exercises. It might seem odd to say that when I've just said you could be overdoing things but we usually overdo certain muscles etc and need others strengthening to counteract that.

Try to be sensible st Christmas. (Do as I say not as I do ) and maybe take steps now that will help you to deal with this afterwards. Good luck!
t79122

dreamdaisy

Hello, I have OA all over the place, including one shoulder, and another arthritis too which affects all my fingers and toes. It isn't fun.

I am pleased your hip op went well and hope you are enjoying exercising properly, (whatever that means). My shoulder has OA caused by a fall in January 2014 which resulted in my breaking the upper left humerus so, thanks to the predictable nature of OA, I know when it will be troublesome. It is at the moment thanks to seasonal physical overwork, the cold and the damp but I knew it would be so it's no big deal. My hands are also bad at the moment thanks to my other arthritis (psoriatic, one of the many auto-immune kinds). I take meds prescribed by my rheumatologist for that but they merely control disease activity; as we all know nothing repairs the physical damage caused by the disease unless one is fortunate to have it in joints suitable for replacement.

Like any measures we take with OA pain relief is not large and always temporary. In the morning I soak my hands in warm water and flex my fingers to wake them up and get them moving, sometimes I add Epsom salts for that extra little touch of luxury. I take pain relief at the minimum amount and regularly but when pain flares, as it does, that gives me room to maneouvre. I haven't seen the GP about it for years because I am already doing all I can do and so are the docs.

Any form of arthritis is progressive and degenerative, so although it is distressing other jonts are joining in, it is what they do. I began when I was 37 and thanks to my genetic inheritance it was always on the cards, now I am 60 so pretty used to the challenges and frustrations. I manage matters OA-wise by doing what I can when I can, resting often and distractng myself from the pain by keeping my mind busy. DD

Sooze

Thank you for the replies stickywicket and dreamdaisy. I certainly will go to my GP as soon as we are past the New Year festivities. I have OA in my back and also in my left knee. I suspect it's in my shoulders too.

I hope you both had a lovely Christmas, and I wish you a very Happy New Year. Sooze t78020

stickywicket

You too, Sooze
t07008

frogmorton

Poor you Sooze shoulders are so uncomfortable especially at night

My daughter had hers replaced at 19 and I was the person trying to help with the pain.

Having said that I have a friend who managed a year with a steroid injection into hers and so far 5 following an arthroscopy on the same shoulder. So there's plenty which can be done before replacement becomes necessary.

Best of luck and do let us know how you get on

Toni xx

Sooze

Thank you for your reply Toni, it has encouraged me to see my GP. Happy New Year to you and your family.
Sooze xx t07008

frogmorton

Good I am pleased Sooze

Have a good 2020 yourself and don't forget to post to let us know how you get on.

Toni xx