Hello

joelenegaler

Just a hello. I am newly diagnosed with osteoarthritis in one knee (post injury) and having a nightmare with my GP. They've given me a small supply of naproxen and sent me away. They said they would refer me, but have not. I was suprised by their response and dismissal.

Naomi33

Hello @joelenegaler and welcome to the Community.

We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience as well.

I understand that you have rheumatoid arthritis and that you have been diagnosed osteoarthritis I am sure that others will connect with you to share their support, but in the meantime have a look at the following from our website.

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

Personally I would keep persisting with doctors for a referral as I did and was eventually referred and seen but could have quite easily gone under their radar !!

Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on and I am sure others will connect with you soon.

With best wishes

@Naomi33

Fran54

Hi@joelenegaler

I totally agree with the comment that @Naomi33 above has mentioned. Sometimes you have to be persistent in chasing up your Doctor as you can get lost in the system which happened to me earlier this year. I am also on Naproxen and also given Omeprazole ( to help with the stomach lining ) Hopefully you were given this as well. Please let us know how you get on and remember you are not alone with this as we are all here to help.

Take care🙂

jonr

Hello @joelenegaler and welcome.

This might sound like an odd question to ask but there is a reason for it: do you live in England by chance?

If so, there could be another route to referral open to you.

Thanks,

Jon

joelenegaler

Thank you, I have managed to see my GP this morning. They have given me 2 months of Naproxen and Omeprazole, he did seem reluctant to give me a repeat perscription so I will have to keep going back. I showed them the consultants letter. He asked if I had tried physio, I have and have been discharged. The Dr said he has now sent the urgent referral, I have no time scale on that though.

jonr

Well that's a good start @joelenegaler.

It sounds like you're at the beginning of your Arthritis journey, fortunately there's a great deal of information on this website to help you lead a decent quality of life by managing your condition.

Many sufferers (me included) find that effective pain management and exercise/physio go hand-in-hand together. The physio and exercise is needed to strengthen the tissues and tendons surrounding the weakened joint. These will come under strain as they pick up the slack so strengthening these will not only help them cope but assist in propping up your knee so less chance of it locking or giving way. However, it can be very painful to do this so experimenting with different things to boost your pain relief is the way forward.

You've been prescribed the usual meds by your GP but it's not likely to be enough. Naproxen is an effective anti-inflammatory so will help with stiffness, fever, throbbing, itching and aching but not pain. As there is only so much GPs can do, it really is down to us as individuals to help ourselves and you can top your meds up with supplements, changes to your diet, rub-in gels and cream plus alternative therapies like Acupuncture and Tai Chi.

If you don't already go to a gym, there is the GP exercise referral programme. This is government funded and your GP shoudl know about it. Arthritis is a qualified condition and getting onto this programme should mean a 1:1 assessment with a specialist at your local sport centre who can show you which pieces of equipment to use in order to target the muscles around your knee, they'll also devise some exercises for you though there are plenty listed on this website. By being on the programme you'll get a discount on annual membership.

The main thing with Arthritis is to keep on moving which helps to keep things supple, builds strength and helps to aid physical and mental well-being.

Now you've been referred (presumably to MSK), you ought to get a more detailed assessment of your condition and what treatment options (if any) are available. This usually means surgery but it's regarded as the absolute last resort.

Hope some of these suggestions are helpful

Jon

joelenegaler

@jonr That is great advice thank you.

I have started this suppliment: https://bettervits.co.uk/products/glucosamine-complex I did a little research and seemed to be a good one.

That is great news about the gym, I will ask my GP about this as I have been looking at gyms in my area to help me get back on my feet as running is not an option at the moment and I miss being active.

The consultant thinks there is a block in my knee making any physio even harder to do but I try my best.

Thank you again for this advice and reassurance.

jonr

Glad you found some of this helpful @joelenegaler,

I don't know how severe your Arthritis is but I can relate and empathise as I too was a Runner up until it simply became too painful and recovery stretched into weeks, not days.

So the good news is if you run or used to run then you're ahead of the game already, if you can find the right blend of pain relief you'll not only be able to do your daily physio at home but get back into sport. Funny thing is, there is no medical link between high-impact Sport like running and in fact it's helpful in maintaining joint strength. In my case, I've worn away all the cartilage in both knees and on the list for a double total replacement so I've had to adapt.

If you are or were a regular runner than it's not just the physical hit you're going to take by not being active but the mental one. Maybe you could swap your Running for non-impact sport like cycling and swimming and if you do run take it indoors to a treadmill which is sprung so less impact on your knees and ankles. As well as the weights at the gym I use the exercise bike a lot and attend Spin classes.

You mention you're taking Glucosamine which is designed to help encourage the growth of cartilage. There is not much evidence to support its efficacy, probably because cartilage has no blood supply so can't regenerate. It's one of several supplements derived from shellfish or animals which is promoted to help OsteoArthritis. Now despite knowing it was unproven I took it anyway and it made my symptoms worse - I got throbbing, hot and achy legs and sharp stabbing pains and the symptoms occured everytime I took one of these cartilage-boosting supplements. I'm not allergic but I think it may be down to the fact I've zero cartilage now so there could have been a clash. You may well be o.k though and some other sufferers swear by them - I just swear at them lol!

There's a lot on here about supplements and it truly is a case of experimentation and what works for one, may not for another.

All the best,

Jon