Christmas And OA

emmaadams
emmaadams Member Posts: 140
edited 31. Dec 2015, 11:20 in Living with Arthritis archive
hi all .. sorry ive been MIA for the last few weeks, had lots going on ect ...

i Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and as pain free as possible ..

i stupidly wore my Jeans on Christmas day and have been suffering since .. i was determined to look nice and not like a sack of potatoes... it got to around tea time Christmas day and the Hubby had to Prise me out of my Jeans, needless to say they will be going off to be re-homed soon along with most of my clothing as i have FINALLY admitted defeat. that i can no longer go around wearing Skinny jeans and leggings.....

any ways my knees seem to be doing OK for the time being( just a little Stiff but NO pain) however my Hips and upper Thighs have been stiff,sore and been really heavy . i had to lye on my back again in bed last night as the pain in my hips is getting worse/more frequent...they burn,tingle,sharp shooting and dull aching pains ...and no matter what i do or how i lay any slight touch or the smallest amount of pressure on them and im in agony .. i have since been discharged from Physio as they cant do anything more for me and ive been told its more pain management now( still waiting for app with Pain clinic and Neurology as well as a full body MRI)

i have lso now starting to feel pain in my shoulders . dull achy and very tender as well as sharp shooting pains ...

has OA ever spread in any of you ?? and if so has it spread this fast ??? i got diagnosed FINALLY in may this year but i have had problems with my knees for several years .. but over the past several months its now not just my knees .. its hips and shoulders too .. and could my Fallen Arches have anything to do with the pain in the hips ???

my GP has said that he cant do any more for me and i have to wait for appointments to come through for specialists ect .. he cant even change my pain meds as im on a high dose now .. as many of you know i am only 31 . i am not over weight in fact i am underweight and always have been i currently weigh just under 7 stone and i am 5"1....

now this is going to sound like a really weird idea but could any of these problems have been caused by the fact that i was a small weight baby ... i was only 4lb 3 at birth. i was also PRROM baby ( my mums waters went at 3 months pregnant) my mum had calcium spots on her womb and i was only feeding off half her placenta... i had to have surgery at 18 on my lower jaw due to the fact that my Lower Jaw stopped growing when i was a child .i have always had trouble with my joints giving out on me ( mainly Ankles)

the reason im asking this is because ive had bloods done ect and nothing has been found or shown up and my GP has no idea what going on .. which is why hes referred me to the specialist ect....

i may be barking up the wrong tree . but i have began to wonder weather any of the above information might shed some light on why all this is happening ....

sorry for the major long post ...

Emma xxx

Comments

  • Slosh
    Slosh Member Posts: 3,194
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Sorry to hear about the jeans,a lot of ushavehad to give up things we use to like wearing heels and for me jumpers/tee shirts amongst other things.

    As for the spread of OA, well yes it does spread and I can only share me experience, mine is mainly in my neck and that was diagnosed about 2 1/2 years ago and started about 4 months before that and last summer it was also diagnosed in my lower back. However other pains can have a different cause, in the summer I became worried about my left elbow which had become very painful. I left it a few weeks to se if it would subside but when it didn't saw my GP who diagnosed "golfer's elbow", it was treated with a steroid injection which dealt with the worst of it and now when either of my elbows is painful I put on a lightweight elbow support.

    I imagine as well that Christmas was probably pretty busy for you so as much as anything your body is probably telling you it wants a rest, I know mine is.

    I don't know how helpful that it is but I imagine there is a lot of frustration and anger mixed in as well (I saw your PIP post). I know I found some sessions with a counsellor very helpful and next year I may self-refer for some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a follow up, not everyone's cup of tea though I know.

    Take care
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    OA certainly can spread, Emma. Just read half the posts on here. Whether or not yours came as a result of your Mum's pregnancy problems is, I guess, something only a doc can answer, not us. I didn't even know losing one's waters was possible in early pregnancy let alone what the effect might or might not be on the baby.

    I'm sorry you're suffering post-Christmas but think it's a good idea to reconcile yourself, clotheswise, to how things are. My view is that we have enough pain in our lives without going looking for more.

    What type of specialist have you been referred to? I'm vaguely remembering neurologist, not rheumatologist.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • daffy2
    daffy2 Member Posts: 1,636
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Not sure if you'll find this reassuring or not Emma but my experience is that yes OA can spread quickly. Less than 3 years ago I had one finger that was definitely OA, now I have diagnosis from Xrays of feet,ankles, hands and spine, and from GP observation of knees, wrists, shoulder also. Others are probably also affected - but I've rather lost interest in knowing for sure! Nodules continue to sprout and grow and pain has become more of an issue recently. As you can imagine I kept asking the GP 'why' and 'what can I do about it', since there seemed to be active inflammatory processes at work. Repeated blood tests haven't come back with any answers, so for now I'm 'parking' that health problem and trying to sort out ways of improving the IBS and fibromyalgia I also have, not least because they really don't help with coping with the OA!
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I am sorry to read that you had such a tough time - learning the new 'rules' for our lives takes time (and confidence). Yet again I faced the season of supposed happiness and joy with two unwelcome lodgers but count myself lucky in that I am of an age to value comfort over everything else and care not what people may or not think about my dress sense (hosting a dinner party on December 19th I was in my nightie by 9pm (far more comfortable so I could enjoy things better) and everyone took that in their stride because, like me, they've had nineteen years to get used to my necessary 'vagaries').

    We face daily challenges that elude the healthy so, in my view, they have to adjust to OUR needs because we are unable to adjust to theirs. If they can't then I see it as their problem, not mine. OA 'spreads' but I reckon that's because we throw other joints out of kilter whilst we try too accommodate those that already hurt. I'm fortunate in that I know why I have OA but my original arthritis was a shock. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,280
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Emma this is a question I asked my consultant , why does OA spread so quickly in some people..he said to be honest we dont know the answer..there are so many types of Arthritis is is a case of finding out which one you have, I had been diagnosed with OA but now they think it is some sort of an inflammatory one..I do think there is more research needed into OA
    Love
    Barbara
  • emmaadams
    emmaadams Member Posts: 140
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    thanks all .. Sticky i have been referred to neurologist.pain clinic, and im still waiting on an appointment with a counsellor....no Rheumy as of yet ... GP said pain clinic will assess me and then refer me if needed .

    im not all that bothered what i look like in regards to clothing as i would rather be comfy, i just wanted to look nice at Christmas rather than frumpy and seen as i had had a few good weeks thought hey ill wear my jeans ( i LOVE jeans) ... but boy did i make the wrong decision .. i have since given all my jeans, dresses ( cant wear the heels any more ) and leggings to my sister, i gave all my heels away several months ago if not maybe last year as i just couldn't wear them ..

    i have spent the best part of the week since Xmas day in my jamas and slippers :) sooo comfy . we are spending the new year at the mother in laws which luckily for me is just round the corner .. i may go in loose pants and slippers :) no doubt ill be at home and in bed by half 9 lol xx

    Barbara i couldn't agree more they certainly need to do more research in to OA and how/why is spreads and even into some base line causes ...


    Christmas has in deed been very busy .. i have 2 boys 10 and 6 .. as well as the hubby who himself is just like a big kid lol .. we have a big family .. luckily i have NOT had to do any big cooking this year .. we were at my sisters Xmas day, Sister-in laws boxing day and we will be spending new years eve with the mother in law .. not lots of cooking but lots of socialising .. which in turn can also take its toll . as well as having my youngest's birthday today .. so when i really think about it Christmas has been Pretty Hectic ...


    Hope you all have a lovely New year xxx


    Emma xxx
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I thought it was neurology. I hope it comes through soon.

    The slippers might be doing more harm than good. They might be comfy but they don't support the feet properly so other bits of you, above the feet, might be having to work harder.

    As for research, it's going on all the time and plenty of it on all different types of arthritis but it's not a simple subject so no easy answers.

    See here for info on Research and new developments for osteoarthritis
    http://tinyurl.com/pa4ec8s .
    You can also click on it to see exactly what research projects into OA Arthritis Research UK are currently funding.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright