Struggling with pain

Chunkygardener

Hi, I am 59 and have had arthritis for several years in my hip ( also creaky in a few other places). My hip has deteriorated to the point that I need a hip replacement. I have been waiting for 2 years, likely to wait another 5-6 months before I get to the top of the waiting list.

I am struggling with pain and increasingly limited range of movement which affects pretty much everything I do. I work very part time as a nurse but can only do light work and I really pay for it later. I take naproxen, codeine and paracetamol.

I am trying to lose weight. This has become harder as my mobility has reduced, I try to keep as active as I can as I am aware that I am losing muscle in my affected leg and hip.

Feeling fed up generally and just want to get a good night's sleep for once.

Sorry to sound miserable, I'm not generally a miserable person but this is really getting me down.

My family are supportive but don't really get how hard I'm finding life at the moment.

PeterJ

Hello @Chunkygardener and welcome to the community. You are among friends who will share their experiences and support.

I understand that you have arthritis in your hip and are waiting for a replacement and that the pain is getting you down at the moment. Our website has a lot of useful information and a good search facility and I would suggest having a look around it. To help I've put a couple of links in below to articles you might find interesting.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2021/november/ways-to-help-manage-hip-pain/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/hip-replacement-surgery/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/emotional-wellbeing/

We also have our Helpline who can provide answers to specific questions you might have.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/get-help/

Please do keep posting and let us know how you are getting on and I am sure that others will connect with you as well and share their experiences

With very best wishes

Peter (moderator)

Lilymary

Hi @Chunkygardener, I'm sorry to hear you're so totally fed up with your hip. I went through the same in 2020-21, and it was wretched. I managed a little work, and found a bit of gardening (which often just turned into "crashing through the undergrowth while grunting a lot") very therapeutic, and took my mind off the pain a bit. I was on similar medication, but like you I found all it did was knock the edge of the pain. You might need a bit more in your armoury, and I found some of the tips in this link helpful:

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

Distraction and mindfulness/meditation helped me (and I'm not the hippy type), and I found I needed to schedule in rest days if I'd been particularly "active", as pushing through the pain was exhausting.

This last run up to the replacement surgery can be really hard. I'm afraid when, after waiting over a year through lockdown, I heard my waiting time was about to go to another 18 months, I caved in and went private (at that time a 3 month waiting list) for the sake of my mental health, keeping my business from folding and to regain any sort of mobility, as by that time I was in constant excrutiating pain and took an hour to hobble, in agony, one mile round the village, and could barely get round a supermarket. That was the tipping point for me. I hope yiou can get through these last few months - take heart from there being light at the end of the tunnel. It's a really rubbish tunnel to be in, but it does lead to a sunny day eventually.

buzzyhornet

@Chunkygardener Could you possibly gave a word with you GP to see if you can be prioritised for a replacement. It can happen and it sounds is as if you are more than a deserving case. Otherwise I found pre op swimming a god send or aqua robotics might suit as an aid to weight loss and wellbeing.