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Sophieleanne18

Hi all,

I’m 26 years old and I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the spine 2 years ago. It’s been a long battle.

I finally paid private to get my MRI scan done and the results show only minimal structural damage which is not enough for surgery.

I’m in pain 24 hours a day and it has been affecting my life both physically and mentally. I don’t know how I can get the pain to stop. I’ve been doing physio and taking medication for 2 years, the physio hasn’t helped me and the medication side effects are not worth any benefits they may give me in the long run.

I am really struggling to wrap my head around waking up every day with the pain I know I’m going to experience and also knowing nothing can be done for me.

Does anybody have any advice?

Anna

Hi @Sophieleanne18 and welcome to the online community,

You were diagnosed with Osteoarthritis of the spine two years ago and you’re finding it increasingly difficult to deal with the pain. When we’re in continual pain it can be very difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m sure many of our members can understand your situation and would want to reassure you that things will get better and you don’t just have to put up with your pain.

Could you go back to your GP to discuss your condition with a view to changing your medication? Sometimes it can take a while to find the meds that suit you. Additionally, you could ask to be referred to a pain clinic where they will look at different ways to treat you.

The Versus Arthritis website has some information on osteoarthritis of the spine that you might find useful. It includes details of the various drugs that could be considered as well as other suggestions for treatment.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-oa-of-the-spine/

Best wishes to you, and do let us know how you’re getting on.

Anna ( mod)

Sophieleanne18

Thank you Anna. My GP has said I’ve tried all medication I can (gabopentin, naproxen, amitriptyline, nortripyline, codeine, co-codamol)

I’ll certainly look in to the article and other treatments.

Thank you for reaching out.

Lilymary

That sounds really hard to deal with. In addition to the link Anna has suggested, there is another on this site for Pain Management, that you may find helpful.

Mike1

You need to ask your GP for a referral to your local Pain Clinic, they are more experienced and will be able to suggest other medications and therapies.

Shell_H

@Sophieleanne18 - this is the link to the pain management page @Lilymary suggested above (I believe). It's got a lot of different suggestions on there which can help.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

I do hope you get some help. As @Mike1 advised, there are specialist pain clinics your GP can refer you to which specialise in long term and chronic pain. They can help with strategies and with prescriptions.

A Physiotherapist may be able to help as well. Your back is one of those areas which is in constant use and yet not inyuative at all when you need to stretch it or you're looking to build up your muscles there. If you can get a physiotherapist to advise you on what might be the right way to go about it, strengtheneing your back muslces would lead to less strain being put on your spine as the muscles would take some of the work on. It's not a neasy place to work o ntho, and it can affect every single movement you try to do (I often get bad back ache myself - not as bad as yours I'm sure, but not good) and finding the right way to stretch has helped me. It may help you. Hot baths or showers also help me, and they're a lot easier to do than the exercise!

Do let us know how you're doing and if we've found anything which oculd help.

Shell

Jona

Hi Sophieleanne,

Unfortunately I have found both with physio and pain clinic that as soon as the mri or X-ray say minimum damage they don’t seem to want to bother I was even told “oh it’s not that bad” I’ve waited 12 months for referral to them and they referred me to their pharmacist it’s now week 6 and still nothing so I’m afraid I have felt very let down but hot water bottles, tramadol and light stretching helps a little

good lucK and take care

love Jona 😊💪

Lilymary

Hi @Jona , that’s such a shame. I know the NHS have to prioritise at the moment, but to be brushed off when you’re struggling can only be counterproductive in the longer term. If you can afford it, find a private physio who may be able to recommend suitable exercises that will help you manage your condition better until your turn comes up on the waiting list. I suspect waiting list for just about all NHS referrals and treatments are off the chart at the moment, so we need to manage things as best we can till things pick up.

Jona

Hi Lilymary,

im sorry if I sound negative but I’ve just been told I need a biopsy next week as I’ve been telling the doctors I’m autoimmune but have been dismissed with that also but the disease I have is secondary to autoimmune plus I need surgery as have had constant uti’s for years I also have oa in nearly every bone but have been dismissed as depressed or anxiety although X-rays show the damage so I must admit I’m really not confident in them I know they have done amazing through the pandemic and they deserve praise I’ve also worked through the pandemic as front line being on reception I am first contact

I am angry more so at the lack of proper funding the nhs has been run down to the bone and people have and are paying the price now although and forgive me I’m a little angry

Lilymary

I can’t disagree with you there @Jona , sadly the woeful funding massively impacts on the treatments they can offer, and the end result is people suffering worse and for longer, making us unproductive so we can’t contribute to the economy, pay more taxes, and thus put more money back into the NHS so that less people suffer. The U.K. healthcare system is on a terrible vicious circle at the mo, and the government doesn’t have the chutzpah to do the decent thing and get it back on track. All we can do is keep fighting our corner I’m afraid, but it shouldn’t have to be like this x