New and frustrated

KerryN

Hi Im Kerry from Nth Lanarkshire -

Ive been diagnosed with arthritis in my Neck, Hip and Spine recently, but struggling with the Gps and Consultant

Back story:- I was diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer in 2020, I had the usual treatment which has been successful though there's a higher chance of recurrence. Since the treatment I went into Menopause, I also have peripheral neuropathy in my feet and hands so on Gabapentin and tramadol as I'm unable to take NSIDs. I struggle with brain fog and fatigue

There's literally zero help for menopause which causes brain fog, more fatigue and low moods. The menopause nurse is on long term personal leave, so I'm waiting a month for a telephone appointment with the practise nurse.

My orthopaedic consultant wrote to me to say the arthritis in my neck was of no real concern even though he'd asked me at the appointment he offered an operation 🙄

'One Gp just wants to through more drugs at me, another was more helpful, my actual GP is impossible to get hold of, she is popular bc she listens to you and doesn't try to fob you off. I asked if menopause could be affecting arthritis but not got anything usualful

I;m still on LCWRA but expect that to be stopped even though I would struggle to work due to Brain Fog, fatigue and pain. Some days I struggle to get up

Anyway that's me and my sorry tale

[Deleted User]

Hi @KerryN

Welcome to our Online Community, thank you for taking the time to join us, we are a lovely group of people and hope your experience with us will be helpful.

We are sorry to hear that you have been diagnosed with conditions that effect so many areas of your body. So pleased that the cancer treatment has been successful for you bet that was a huge relief for you.

Finding the right treatment can be a difficult process when you are first diagnosed but physio can help and is a very important part of treatment for arthritis. Depending on what type of arthritis that you have been diagnosed with, the two most common ones is Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid (RA) both treated differently and often can be worse due to stress, some people say the weather and over doing it can make the condition worse so learning how to pace yourself will help.

I have added a link to Sarah's story about her experience with arthritis and menopause we hope that will help.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/arthritis/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/news/2021/august/i-wanted-to-get-my-arthritis-pain-under-control-i-wasn-t-thinking-about-the-menopause/

Best wishes

Chris (Moderator)

Lilymary

Hi Kerry, I'm sorry you've had such a tough time lately. I did mine the other way round, hip replacement followed 6 months later by breast cancer. Luckily I only needed surgery followed by radiotherapy and hormone therapy, ie letrosole. However, a friend (fellow bc warrior) was put on tamoxifen which gave her dreadful brain fog and fatigue which her usual GP just dismissed. She mentioned it to a locum GP, after being on it for a few years, who immediately put it down to the tamoxifen and put her an alternative, which made a Huge Difference for her. I do find the letrosole makes me very stiff, and muscle strains and viral infections take much, much longer to heal and are more severe than pre bc . This may have impacted my recovery from the hip surgery, which has been long and tortuous, and I feel, with the two combined, like I've suddenly aged 10 years.

it might be worth reviewing this with your breast care team, so you can start unravelling what's making your symptoms worse, ie the arthritis or your hormone therapy.

KerryN

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/712888#Comment_712888

Hi. Thank you for your kind thoughts

Unfortunately my bc was Triple negative so treatment such as tamoxifen or letrosole isn't used, so basically left to hope that it doesn't come back. I'm on hrt though as the menopause symptoms were awful, my oncology team aren't happy but it's my body lol

I'm going to go private for physio as NHS appointments are taking years and often just a phone call and exercise sheet

I hope you're well after treatment, I struggle with being literally kicked out after being told I'm in remission, fortunately there's a really good online support group

Kerry x

Lilymary

Hi Kerry, sorry, I've been off the internet with terminal IT problems for a while. I'm sorry to hear about your bc issues. That sounds really rubbish for you. But as you say, it's your body, so long as you are fully informed about your options, it's up to you to choose which you can best live with. I hope your online support group are helping you through this tough time.

I gave upwith NHS physio years ago - the waiting list is absurdly long and the allocation of appointments is mucy too short. Private physios aren't that expensive in the scheme of things, and they can see you as and when you need help and review as things progress, rather than NHS where you have to take what you can get when it's offered. I hope you can get some relief with them.