Starting my arthritis journey

dansmam

Hello,

I'm new to this group, I'm 42 and just been diagnosed with moderate osteoarthritis of my right knee and arthritis in my right ankle. I've been in constant pain for over 10wks now, the severity is changeable but rarely drops below 5/10 on a pain scale.

I struggle being on my feet for too long and walking more than short distances. I'm currently waiting for my first appointment with MSK after it was cancelled last week.

I must admit to feeling a little low due to being in pain for so long. I've been prescribed Naproxen but it doesn't seem to be helping much. I've bought hot and cold sprays which give temporary relief and my latest purchase is an electric heat pad which I can put over my knee which has helped a bit.

I'm uncertain about what the future holds; I'm currently working in a nursery school a job that I love but I'm finding the 10hr days a bit much and struggling with doing certain aspects of my job due to the pain.

I don't know whether the pain will ease with warmer weather or if MSK exercises will help, if this is a flare up that will end at some point or whether I need to consider cutting my hours at work.

I can't financially afford to cut my hours so would have to apply for PIP but unsure how easy the application process is or whether it'll even be approved.

Everything just feels so uncertain at the moment and hoping to get some advice from people who've been in the same situation.

CarylW

Hello @dansmam

I am glad you have found this very supportive and friendly community. I hope you find interaction with our members useful. It is entirely understandable that you are worried about your work and finances and are feeling low at the moment. Being in pain is no fun, and makes everything feel more difficult.

Everyone is different as you know, but many of us find the warmer months less painful, and the recent wet weather has been very difficult for many, including me!

It may be worth thinking about talking to your doctor about pain killers in addition to Naproxen.

I am posting a couple of pieces of information below which may help you:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/financial-support/

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

https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/naproxen/

Do keep posting and let us know how you get on with your MSK appointment.

Best wishes

Caryl

jonr

Hi dansmam and welcome,

It is natural to feel worried about the future but there is a lot you can do to help improve your condition and quality of life.

Firstly - medication. Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory, it will help with the swelling and the heat but not the pain. Painkillers, both prescribed and those derived from food supplements are the way forward in my opinion. I would recommend you make an appointment to speak with your GP about being prescribed Co-Codemol or equivalent, if they won't then it's available from Pharmacies. There is a good section on the VA website about pain management, lots of things to read up on and different treatments to try. Some may work, some may not - it's trial and error. I use those ice packs for cool boxes on my knees, wrapped in a tea towel, could be worth a try?

Next is exercise. Your surgery probably has a physio, certainly MSK do - ask about a F2F assessment for a personalised plan. It's important you build strength around the joints which are under strain. Physio and non-impact activity like walking and cycling will really help. If you're worried about your knee or ankle giving way then invest in some support, these are available online or in pharmacies, I use a variety to suit different activities and aid confidence, the compression is also good for the swelling. Shops like Tresspass sell running sock which are very supportive and will aid your ankle.

It's early days but do ask if you have any questions or find it all a bit daunting!

Jon

dansmam

Just had my MSK appt today and have been told the muscles in my right knee aren't working the way they should which is causing more pain. This is probably being aggravated by the type of work I do.

I've been emailed some exercises to try. I've another appointment I'm a month and she said we could discuss pain relief and possibly steroid injection if exercises aren't helping.

In the meantime I've asked to cut my hours at work down to 8hr days, 4 days a week instead oh 10hr days and I have a telephone appointment with my GP tomorrow to discuss pain relief options in the interim. Hopefully this will help.

jonr

Good news dansmam on the exercises, injections and pain relief. You're on a long journey and it will get better but it's going to take a lot of research, experimentation and determination on your part because the health pros can only take you so far.

Please do keep us upto date with your progress.

Jon

Lisamac

Hi damsmam

You can claim PIP while you are still working and the fact that your illness is already affecting your life as you have had to reduce your hours will help your claim. The form is time consuming but fairly easy, they ask some strange question but I say go for it, the worst they can do is say no. You may also be able to claim universal credit, that depends on your income but PIP doesn't.

Hope this helps.

Glad you are getting things sorted. I can say from experience that the steroid injections are wonderful and you may need them to enable you to do the exercises but hopefully not. I have had injections that have lasted three months and I have had them only last two weeks. As you can only have them two or three time a year I usually have them at busy times like Christmas or holidays.

Take care

Lisa

dansmam

@Lisamac could you tell me a bit more about how the injection works; when I've spoke to the doctor today he's offered to do the injection next week rather than wait longer for MSK to do it.

Do I need to rest up afterwards?

How quick does it take affect?

Did you have more movement afterwards?

My knee is quite stiff and painful, cracking regularly so I'm hoping the injection will reduce the stiffness and allow more movement and alleviate some of the pain but unsure if my expectations are unrealistic?

I've tried the exercises today some were manageable but started to experience quite a bit pain with with others so had to stop.

There seems like quite a lot of exercises 8 different ones, recommended to do twice a day (not sure when I'll have time factoring in work and pain! ) some of the exercises are 12 reps 3 sets so seems quite a lot when you're in pain.

I've seen MSK for my ankle previously and was given exercises but that was 2-3x a week and only 6 reps, 3 sets which increased to 8 reps over time. This is a different physiotherapist but seems like a lot of exercises to start off...

Lisamac

Hi damsmam

The injection is a steroid which reduces inflammation. Inflammation causes swelling, which causes immobility. The steroid reduces inflammation, the swelling goes down, you can move. Yes I do have a lot more movement and a lot less pain when I have the injection.

Yes you must rest after, at least 12 hours but 48 hours is better. You shouldn't work on the day you have the injection and defiantly no exercises. It will feel better almost instantly but that's because they put an anaesthetic in with the steroid. It will feel like you can do things, please don't, if you do too much in those first 12 hours it will not work. When the anaesthetic wears off it's going to hurt like hell, that's why I say 48 hours. After 48 hours you will feel it working and it will improve over the next week. Then and if you are lucky, it will last for three months. In the third month you will feel the pain and stiffness coming back

The injection will hurt but only for a minute. Ask the doc if he can put half in your knee and half in your ankle. If your doc puts it all in your knee it will still help your ankle but it would be better to have half in each.

As for the exercises, I wouldn't do any for at least a week after your injection. After a week the steroid is working well and you may be able to do the exercises without pain.

It does seems a lot of exercises. My physio gave me exercises but his advice was different, mine are 10 reps, 3 sets, but he said build up to the reps and sets. If you can only do 3 reps and 1 set, do that a few time then do 6 reps and 1 set, then do 6 rep 2 sets and so on until you build up to the 10 reps, 3 sets.

I do hope the injection works for the three months, it doesn't always, I have had them and they have only lasted 2 or 3 weeks but mostly they last for 3 months.

Hope this helps.

Take care

Lisa

dansmam

I had the injection on Tuesday evening and all going well so far.

I could feel a slight difference within a few hours and the next day it felt a lot better although still a little stiff and cracking. Today pain levels are down to 1-2/10 rather than 5-6+/10 still have some stiffness today but it's manageable.

I asked the doctor if I needed to rest afterwards and he said no, so attempted to do some of the exercises on Wednesday but didn't push myself, same today but mainly standing from sitting position without using hands, very gentle exercises.

Keeping everything crossed it lasts a few months 🤞🏻

jonr

Great stuff dansmam, really pleased the injections worked and fingers crossed the effects will be long-lasting.

dansmam

I've been in quite a bit pain today, (72hrs since injection). Hoping it's the anesthetic has worn off like @Lisamac mentioned and not the fact I've been doing exercises when perhaps I should have been resting 🙄 I tried to push on with the exercises as the doctor said there was no need to rest after the injection. I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.

dansmam

It's now a week since I had the injection and apart from 48hrs relief the pain level has crept back up to almost what it was previously.

My knee is still stiff and cracks every time I walk. The pain was previously between a 5-8/10 most days however now it's averaging 4-5/10. So I'm guessing it hasn't worked as it should have done!

Not sure what to do next as can't have another injection for 3-4mths and doctor was reluctant to prescribe codeine when I asked.

I've been in touch with the doctor multiple times since February regarding the pain and don't seem to be much further forward. 😔

jonr

Hi Dansmam,

Firstly, really sorry to learn the injections have worn off so quickly. Secondly, you really should have been advised to rest for the medication to settle in, 1-2 days but they don't work for everyone particularly if there's little cartilage left to inject into.

There is a lot of advice on the website about pain relief that is worth reading up on. I find that FlexiSeq gel works well for crunching and cracking. A deep tissue massaging gun is good for stiffness, as is walking.