can it be this bad?

jmg1414

Hello there all this is my first post here.
I need a bit of help to understand what is really happening here.
I was diagnosed with arthritis in my left knee last year it started so quickly I thought that it could not be arthritis..Got up one morning couldnt stand for pain needed several days rest to be able to stand properly and walk well...knee was stiff to straighten and painful..over the year it doesnt seem a lot worse even better can bend it now but not put full weight on it I go up stairs one at a time.
Now hip has been painful when I stand from sitting it can take me ten minutes or more to get my hip back where it should be and the pain is dreadful during this period..I now stand most of the time or lean over a chair unless I am in bed...what I dont understand is I meet lots of much older people who tell me that they have bad knees and terrible hips and are waiting for operations...they come to my shop sit down in low chairs,walk without a stick,get up unaided after sitting for twenty mins or more and walk out as if nothing is wrong,,,,,me I cannot even sit down now...I am not stiffwhen I get up in the morning I would say I am at my best in the morning the pain makes me disabled as the day goes on....am I just unusual?
I am waiting to see a consultant again and am thoroughly depressed with life...unable to walk more than a few yards as the day goes on ...whats going on? anyone else out there like me?

mandy_b1967

I am so sorry you are feeling so down. I don't think I can help but welcome and I am sure someone will be along soon with more advice for you.
Mandy

lindalegs

Hi Jmg and welcome to the forum,

The answer to your main question is that, yes, there are lots of us like you.

Alot of us get worse as the day goes on because we're weight bearing and we get tired - I used to be terrible at bedtime and still go to bed on a bad day knowing that the night will 'heal' me, rest my joints and I'll feel alot better in the morning. As a double whammy on bad flares we get stiffness too in the morning and that has to wear off before we can get going and then joints tire as the day go on. :shock:

The people who sit in low chairs are possibly shorter than you and are obviously not as badly affected as you are at the moment - they just think they are. :roll:

I'm so sorry that you're feeling rough but with the correct medication it will get better - it's just awful when it interferes with your life so much.

Hope you start to feel better very soon.

Luv Legs

vonski

Hi

Welcome to the site, I'm sure you will get lots of help and maybe a bit of fun too

The answer is yes there are other like you It's a horrible thing but I'm sure you will find your own way of coping with it. You could be having a flare up now and the proper meds will help. I used to feel stiff when I first got up, this went off, but by the evening it was more than stiff if was a lot of pain. Some people with arthritis seem to be able to do more than others, all depends on how advanced it is and your pain threshold. I've had it 22 yrs and managed quite well for 20, had a few problems for the last 2 but could be circulation on me too so don't panic

Hope you get some answers soon. You may have to try a few meds before you find the best ones for you, see how you go. You can always come on here just for a moan, we will listen

Love
Vonski x

jmg1414

How quickly you have all replied thanks so much...I have never been a moaner I am still trying to run a business but am quite fearful about the future, I am only 60 years young. At the moment though without my lovely hubby I couldnt manage, he helps me so much ...Its not the pain that gets me (although that can be really bad at times)I take pain killers and an anti inf ...its the pain of trying to get my hip back where it should be when I get up. We have a high vehicle so I have to slide down thank goodness when I get out(I could never get out of a normal car) I stretch and stretch and wiggle about,I dont know what people must think when they see me leaning on my seat and doing some kind of primeval dance.
I just hope that this doesnt go on for too long!!!!!

elnafinn

Hello

Sounds like you could do with a new hip. :roll: Perhaps your consultant may suggest that when you see him. You may have aggravated the hip by the way you have been getting around when your knee plays up. Pain can be referred too. The body really is a weird and wonderful thing :roll: :shock:

Anyways, welcome. Even if we cannot come up with an easy answer we do offer lots of support. I have been on here for a couple of years now and it has been of great help to me at times and I like to try and help others as and when I can, to show my gratitude.

Look after yourself,
Elna

nearlybionic

Hi and welcome!
I feel stiffness in the mornings, but not usually too much pain at first. The pain tends to worsen as day goes on, and I can get stiff if in 1 position for too long! I have recently had a new hip (I`m 40) and this has helped with pain, especially in evenings. But I know what you mean about trying to get your joints back where they should be! My poor hubby has had to give `traction` ( pull and hold my legs) to ease pain and stop bones cracking!
I have a few remedies I fall back on when it gets bad, regular pain relief and anti inflammatories, wheat/heat pack, V pillow, and tantrums if all else fails!!! :shock:
I hope that you start to feel better soon. And get some answers from the dr`s.
NB

frogmorton

Hi Jmg
Welcome from me too!!
This is a lovely forum full of great people who will always try to help
Sorry to hear you are suffering at the moment and I agree with Elna that hopefully your consultant will sort you out.
Seriously though this can't go on can it?
In the meantime you have US!!
Take care
Toni x

mistywillow

frogmorton wrote:

Hi Jmg
Welcome from me too!!
This is a lovely forum full of great people who will always try to help
Sorry to hear you are suffering at the moment and I agree with Elna that hopefully your consultant will sort you out.
Seriously though this can't go on can it?
In the meantime you have US!!
Take care
Toni x

Hi Jmg
and welcome from me too. Sorry you are feeling so bad at the moment but hopefully things will get sorted for you soon
Gill x

woodbon

Hello, Welcome to the site. I'm sorry things are so bad at the moment. It does make you feel down, depressed and tearful at times. My pain can be worse some days and I have worked out a few things that help me cope. I am unable to work at the moment, as I am a care assistant and my occy health doctor is advising my employer to retire me on ill health. I am very sorry about this, but, I knew it would come to this for quite a few months now.

However, hopefully you'll have the treatment you need and find life easier to cope with. Standing, even for !/2 hour, makes my back very sore, so if you have to stand at work I can understand how hard that must be! :? can you sit on a chair or even a perch stool? Maybe an occupational therapist would be able to help you. Sue

petmad

Hi and welcome to the forum, I am 53 and have OA. You are among friends and fellow sufferers. Linda

penfactor

Hello there I understand exactly how you are feeling - I have OA of right hip & knee and as I also work in a shop understand how you are suffering so much. I had a lady just before Xmas who told me her arthritis was far worse than mine because she was older (I'm 50) but she was tottering around on 5in high stillettos!! I can't remember the last time I was able to wear anything but trainers with special insoles! However here you will find there are lovely people telling their own pain stories & you are NOT alone
love Pen x

Wonkylegs

HI & Welcome, & welcome to all those others I have not 'spoken' to before who have posted on ehre.

I wonder if a perching stool might help you in the shop? It would maybe take a bit of pressure off your knees and feet without givng your hips any more trouble. I have not used one myself, but find myself sitting on high stools rather than lower chairs when my knees / back/ hips etc give out on me.

They are available in loads of catalogues and shops, but if you get your GP to refer you to an occupational therapist (OT) then they would be able to asses you and see what could help you both at work and at home.

good luck!!!

joanlawson

Hi jmg
Sorry you are having such a bad time at the moment. I have arthritis in my knees, one much worse than the other. Mine came on very suddenly too,about 18months ago. I was coming down the stairs when I got a terrible pain shooting through my knee, and I had to sit on the stairs for ages. That was the beginning of it, and since then I've had arthroscopy (key-hole surgery) last Dec. Afterwards they told me that the arthritis was worse than expected and I will need a knee replacement. However, I'm taking a bit of thinking time before I decide.

After my op. I started getting a terrible pain in my hip.That was worse than the knee pain and it reduced me to tears. It was diagnosed as Bursitis, which is inflammation of the sac of fluid which cushions the joint. The consultant thought it might have been triggered because I was walking with a limp and putting pressure on the hip.

I had a steroid injection which didn't work, but since then I've had physio and acupuncture. It has taken three months, but now the hip pain has gone, and I use a stick to support me if I go out. I am usually a bit stiff in the morning, then I get better, but by evening I need to rest as I get pain in my knee if I overdo it.

I hope you get sorted out as you can't carry on as you are. All the best.
Joan

nearlybionic

penfactor wrote:

Hello there I understand exactly how you are feeling - I have OA of right hip & knee and as I also work in a shop understand how you are suffering so much. I had a lady just before Xmas who told me her arthritis was far worse than mine because she was older (I'm 50) but she was tottering around on 5in high stillettos!! I can't remember the last time I was able to wear anything but trainers with special insoles! However here you will find there are lovely people telling their own pain stories & you are NOT alone
love Pen x

Hi Pennie
I didn`t know that arthritis was a competition!! How unhelpful your colleague was! 5" stilletos? I don`t think I could walk in them without arthur, but I haven`t even worn any type of heel for years. Uggs, trainers and flat slip on type shoes is all I can manage!
I hope that you are able to have a bit of understanding at work x
NB