OA question

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margie1
margie1 Member Posts: 57
edited 14. Mar 2010, 17:42 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi

I was diagnosed with OA a few weeks ago and I have not been told anything about the condition. Does OA have flare ups like RA? if so, what should I do when the pain is bad, my gp told me to keep moving and that is all i have been told. sorry to sound stupid but I'm hoping you can give me advice on OA please.

cheers
marg :?

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  • elnafinn
    elnafinn Member Posts: 7,412
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Dear Marg

    I am sorry to hear that although you were diagnosed with OA you have been left to flounder. You can have flares with OA - it is not only people with RA that get them. I read you have arthritis in your lower back. Has your gp given you any medication to ease the pain? You also mention you are now getting discomfort in your neck, wrists, elbows and one finger. Personally I think that the gps you are seeing are being very flippant about all this. You are the one living with this pain, not them. They more than likely do not suffer with arthritis so have no idea what it is like. Gps usually know a little about a lot of ailments unless they choose to specialise in certain illnesses. Has RA being ruled out, if not you should be referred to a rheumi. You can ask to be referred to a pain clinic too. Do I remember right that you are waiting for a physio appointment? You could also be referred to a back specialist. When the spine is unhappy often other parts of the body become unhappy too. Please do not be fobbed off by these medics. You have to, unfortunately make a nuisance of yourself, sometimes if the help if not forthcoming to make them understand that your pain is very real to you and it is most definitely not in your head. Patients have been told that in the past, which is ridiculous. There is help out there but getting past the gp is sometimes difficult.

    It is good to keep moving if you are able to do so, but not to overdo it.

    I wish you well,

    Luv
    Elna x
    The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

    If you can lay down at night knowing in your heart that you made someone's day just a little bit better, you know you had a good day.
  • skezier
    skezier Member Posts: 11,333
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Marg,

    I think I remember being told it has active periods, I used to have a low grade fever as well, and then it goes quiet in second stage. Its a while ago since mine was there but yep I am sure mine used to get hot, swell up and grind for a while then stop and be quiet.

    I used to use heat on mine us I can't take the cold :wink: Cold might be better and I used to make it move even though it hurt.

    I just wonder if you might be able to get a double appointment with your gp and talk through whats going on and your options? I hope it soon settles down for you. Take care Cris
  • hileena111
    hileena111 Member Posts: 7,099
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi
    I've got OA and got to admit I dont get flare ups the same as someone with RA....but its your body....ask for a referral to a rheumy or ortho {was it your GP who diagnosed it} It was said...you do have to make a nuisance of yourself otherwise with a lot of docs its "just a little pain" etc etc
    Love
    Hileena
  • valval
    valval Member Posts: 14,911
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    they wait for you to go back and say this is so bad can not cope i was getting flare ups and swelling doc says it oa tried different meds still inflimation in bloods (you need blood test) so did i want to see a rhummy (doc knows i not to good with male docs lol) but was so bad said yes turns out got oa and inflimation arthritis so go back get help the stiffness and pain can get to much i need pain meds to sleep as legs and hips bad at moment but things so much better even started to get control of house again it had gotten away from me .
    val
  • margie1
    margie1 Member Posts: 57
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi

    I did have a blood test a week before i was diagnosed with OA, they asked me if i had had an infection of any kind, I hadn't so i was wondering if this could have been due to the OA which was not diagnosed until after an MRI scan.

    cheers marg :roll:
  • valval
    valval Member Posts: 14,911
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    margie1 wrote:
    Hi

    I did have a blood test a week before i was diagnosed with OA, they asked me if i had had an infection of any kind, I hadn't so i was wondering if this could have been due to the OA which was not diagnosed until after an MRI scan.

    cheers marg :roll:
    it might have had some inflimation in it did they do another i had three in a row as they did not belive i had not had an infection lol. but if not then they would think oa it takes a while to decide which you have it all tests and waiting with arther
    val
  • margie1
    margie1 Member Posts: 57
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    I had another blood test a week later when i had my MRI scan but not been told the results.

    marg
  • woodbon
    woodbon Member Posts: 4,969
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hello,
    As the other have said, it can take a while to get a diagnosis sometimes. I've been diagnosed with OA for several years now, but they still keep testing. Their is no test that says, Yes, this is OA, I wish we did have one! Just make sure that you keep the doctors informed of all the symptoms you get, that will help them with diagnosis.

    Hope all goes well,
    Love Sue
  • airwave
    airwave Member Posts: 579
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi,
    Yes, OA does change from day to day, sometimes second to second with me. I think of it as a transient illness, I seem to get the aches and pains in my lower body for a few days and then in my upper body followed by lower body again, this can be on a few days basis or as I said second to second.

    Despite having had this for a number of years, I have yet to find rhyme or reason for it or what has caused it in the first place. Pain is motivator when it comes to taking pills and going to the surgery although I'm on 8X 10/500 Co Dydramol a day, I have yet to find something that works and am fed up with asking my doctor for something that does.

    So, it seems as if OA is something we must learn to cope with, distraction techniques, cognitive thinking techniques, heat and gentle exercise are some of the things that do work and help our bodies to carry on working. A very gentle swim is good, as is a short walk, once a week, anything else and it all flares up for ages. I expect we are all different.

    So, there you are, doctors are available but don't want repeated visits with us asking for help, when in truth there isn't much there for us on a long term basis other than what we already do.

    Stay cool.

    8) Its a grin, honest!
  • bubbles
    bubbles Member Posts: 6,508
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi I find my OA flares up quite regularly, certainly since I fell last week, things have been agony Ivy. Pain killers are only just keeping me moving. At present I cannot sit or stand in one place for more than 10 minutes and have to potter and stumble about. I just go off into another room, lean on furniture, counter tops, anything to change position and try and ease things. If my radiculopathy fires off, then I just go away off and wait for it to pass. That really stops you in your tracks. My partner / carer is used to finding me gone from the room and poddling about somewhere else. Another week and things might be easier, when the pain relief is pretty good and you can do a little more.
    XX Aidan (still known as Bubbles).
  • asheem
    asheem Member Posts: 2
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    airwave wrote:
    Hi,
    Yes, OA does change from day to day, sometimes second to second with me. I think of it as a transient illness, I seem to get the aches and pains in my lower body for a few days and then in my upper body followed by lower body again, this can be on a few days basis or as I said second to second.

    Despite having had this for a number of years, I have yet to find rhyme or reason for it or what has caused it in the first place. Pain is motivator when it comes to taking pills and going to the surgery although I'm on 8X 10/500 Co Dydramol a day, I have yet to find something that works and am fed up with asking my doctor for something that does.

    So, it seems as if OA is something we must learn to cope with, distraction techniques, cognitive thinking techniques, heat and gentle exercise are some of the things that do work and help our bodies to carry on working. A very gentle swim is good, as is a short walk, once a week, anything else and it all flares up for ages. I expect we are all different.

    So, there you are, doctors are available but don't want repeated visits with us asking for help, when in truth there isn't much there for us on a long term basis other than what we already do.

    Stay cool.

    8) Its a grin, honest!

    helo i can help if is rheumatism i have this medicine i help peolpe is suffer for this sickeness , i am from AFRICA ?mali , idont how you can get soap and cream by using it is for ever my email is [removed by moderator] ,thanks
  • speedalong
    speedalong Member Posts: 3,315
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi Margie,

    I definitely had better times than others - I would be great for a while and then usually over do it and then I'd pay. Falling over would definitely cause me to have problems for awhile and I always suffer more in the depths of Winter. Now I'm in advanced stages of OA and waiting for op - it is a fine line - standing and walking for more than a few mins is agony but also staying still causes me to be very stiff and then moving again is painful too.
    Best to visit doc when you are having a flare up and try different meds - you can often stop taking them when the flare up is over (but check with doc.) For years anti-inflamatories were my best friend and defence.

    Speedalong
    I have had OA since mid twenties. It affects my hips and knees. I had a THR on the left aged 30 and now have a resurface-replacement on the right - done May 2010.
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