How does everyone stay so strong despite being in so much pain?

Lisbeth

I can’t see my doctor due to the COVID pandemic so I have to ring the surgery and request a call back.

I appreciate that everyone is in the same situation and he is very busy but when he does call I get the impression that he is not taking me seriously at all .

In the past he gave me an injection for my shoulder which helped tremendously but I have recently asked if I could have the same treatment for my hip which is progressively getting worse. I have had three falls in 2020, they have all been caused by sudden sharp pain shooting up into my groin causing my leg to give way. These falls resulted in a fractured wrist, I was really lucky I didn’t fracture my right thigh bone and an injury to my right foot that meant I had to use a boot and crutches for three weeks.

my doctor is unwilling to give me the injection in my hip because it’s a complicated procedure he wasn’t sure would work anyway..

I feel like there’s no hope of getting any help. Because I am on anti depression medication my doctor is also reluctant to prescribe me anything stronger than paracetamol or cocodamol however, on Thursday he begrudgingly prescribed codine which I think he only did to shut me up.

my mental health has spiralled downwards too. I live on my own so even having a bath is challenging. I know there are many people experiencing horrendous situations which makes me sound so selfish for which I can only apologise. Maybe someone can just offer some advice that I could take comfort in.

If any of you have made it to this point, just thank you for sticking with me.

Stay safe everyone, in these uncertain times and I wish for you all a healthier and safer 2021

Jona

Hi Lisbeth

You are not selfish at all and we know doctors are busy but I’ve found that we are dismissed a lot of the time I was given tramadol but it is now making me feel sick and it makes me vomit but I’m told all they can give me is morphine now but it’s the morphine that actually makes me sick so I just take it now when I can’t stand the pain any longer

please don’t think because theres worse in the world going on because we are just as important as we are in pain

please read my comments from my page I really do understand it’s just so frustrating but your not alone just we just have to shout louder take care 😊

frogmorton

I think it's time you asked for a referral to a pain clinic @Lisbeth and maybe physio if you haven't already. Pain clinics can arrange those injections via Xray so it's in the exact right spot and if you have fallen I think you might need the support of some walking aids now.

You take care and please don't ever worry about needing to make long posts - we all do fro time to time and we totally understand ((()))

Keep posting - it helps!

Babs55

Hi Lisbeth, I so totally feel your pain, as we all must. Ive arthritis in both knees, the cartridge that's supposed to be in between my knee joint has now totally gone. Zero cartridge so im walking bone on bone. It was your comment about the bath. Its near impossible to get into one. I do believe even doctors dont fully understand our pain. My doctor is exactly the same as yours, very reluctant on pain relief. I had a knee replacement operation cancelled last year but good news, ive been told i should be operated on within 8 weeks, covid considering of course.

I want you to know im with you and i understand. Babs

Lilymary

Hi @Lisbeth , I’ve mainly been lucky with my GP. i’d had general pains in my leg for a year or two, and reduced mobility, and my physio said an X-ray would be useful to see what was going on, My GP said “no point, as if it’s just wear and tear there’s no treatment anyway”.

A few months later I had a fall and the pain ramped up like mad, so she finally sent me for an X-ray. They took one look at the result and instantly doubled my pain relief and referred me for hip replacement. Mind you, when the pain continued getting worse, they said there wasn’t anymore they could do about that, and “just putting up with it” was utterly demoralising and depressing. Luckily the pain eased a little after a few months as I was able to rest it during the first lockdown.

My surgeon, on the other hand, left me feeling utterly depressed and seemed not to believe I was in much pain at all. Anyway, he agreed I needed a new hip and we tried a steroid injection into the hip. I know some people get varying degrees of relief from this but I had none at all, not even fleetingly. A friend in a similar position was told by her surgeon that there was no point giving her the steroid injection as the hip was too far gone, she has recently had a new hip fitted. The steroid injection isn’t THAT complicated, you have a local anaesthetic (not that mine worked), and the surgeon injects the site guided by X-ray. So there’s quite a few people involved, but it only takes about 10 mins, I’m pleased to say I’m seeing a different surgeon now,

If these aren’t being offered, I agree that you should ask for referral to a pain clinic. But is there a reason why they’re not offering a new hip, if it’s so bad that it’s causing such catastrophic falls?

this must be miserable dealing with this on your own, and in lockdown. We’re all here if you want someone to moan to, but try to take small pleasures where you can find them, be kind to yourself, and distract yourself from the pain with hobbies, movies or chatting to friends and family on the phone etc. It all helps.

Nikkijo

@Lisbeth

You never need to apologise for the way that you feel. The fact that you're acknowledging that there are people everywhere with problems shows that you're not selfish. It's all relative and you're entitled to feel the way that feel with your own, clearly significant pain and frustration.

Do you know if your consultant rheumatologist has an injection clinic? If so they can (like physio as mentioned earlier) arrange for joint injections. If you are unsure then you could try calling your hospital or clinic and asking to speak to his or her secretary. I live near Glasgow so I don't know if this is something local to my area or not but here you can usually get one of these appointments within, a week or so if you're in significant pain - Notwithstanding covid of course but worth a try if you haven't already.

Nikki :)

Shell_H

Hi @Nikkijo - welcome to the online community!

Glad you decided to join us - would you like to share how arthritis has touched your life? Can we offer help to you in any way?

The online community has a discussion board called Say Hello where you can do a brief introduction if you're comfortable doing so - no pressure if you don't, but we like to offer help or advice if we can.

We're a very friendly bunch, do have a look around and join in any discussion you want. It's nice to be able to talk to people who have an understanding of what's going on, with no pressure.

It's lovely to meet you!

Shell

Nikkijo

Thanks @Shell_H I'll do that, nice to sort of meet you too! :)