Advice for Newly Diagnosed

seekat
seekat Member Posts: 2
edited 28. Feb 2018, 08:39 in Say Hello Archive
I was recently diagnosed with this horrible disease and have significant knee pain that has had a huge impact on my mobility and general well being. My GP thinks that I will most likely need a knee replacement and I am due to see the Muscoskeletal team at Oxted, for an assessment, in a couple of weeks time. I have had a steroid injection that has not resulted in an improvement to my symptoms and have recently been perscribed Naproxen and Co Codamol.

I take the Cocodamol only when absolutely necessary (it makes me woozy and I don't want to get hooked). Whilst the Naproxen has significantly improved symptoms, I really do not like taking it because of the long list of very worrying side effects.

The other issue is that I have joined Slimming World last Autumn and have steadily and slowly lost weight (almost two stone to date) until three weeks ago which coincided with starting Naproxene , when I stopped loosing weight and indeed putting on 1 pound whilst still following the plan. Having looked into this, I understand that this is most likely due to fluid retention due to the high sodium content - opinion varies however and many users report material weight gains. In any case I feel more than a little upset about all of this and feel a bit like between a rock and a hard place.
Any tips advice etc will be gratefully received

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi seekat
    Welcome to the forum so sorry you have been diagnosed with Arthritis and are in a lot of pain,we have all gone through the procedures that you have on the road to an actual diagnosis. The forum is a very friendly and everyone is understanding and willing to help with advice.
    The most popular forums are Living with Arthritis and Chit Chat if you post on these forums you will get an answer quite quickly. We also have a telephone number you can contact us by it is 08088004050.
    All the best Christine
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi and welcome from me, too :D

    Steroid jabs are a bit hit and miss. They work well for some for up to 6-8 weeks but do nothing for others. Cocodamol? What strength have you been prescribed? I take the lowest strength 8/500 occasionally but my 6'2", fairly heavy husband went straight in at the highest (30/500). He hardly ever takes them because he doesn't want to sleep his life away :roll: There is also 15/500.

    Naproxen is an anti-inflammatory. If you're not used to prescribed medication you'll probably be unaware that virtually every prescribed med comes with an alarming list of potential side effects. That's because makers are legally bound to list everything that could possibly occur. Most of the side effects will only have been experienced by patients who have multiple conditions and are therefore on multiple meds. They key word is 'potential'.

    However, all anti-inflammatories can damage the stomach lining so always take them with a little food (very little will do) and, if taking them regularly, ask your GP for a stomach-protecting med to take too.

    Grace111 has given some good advice about slimming and she should know. She's done very well indeed. As she says, the naproxen will help you to stay mobile and that's good for the weight loss and also for a host of other things. For the record, I've not heard anyone on here say that naproxen has prevented their weight loss - and we have had quite a few successful slimmers. I don't recall any such problems back in the day when I was taking it. I was never aiming to lose weight but I don't think I put any on.

    I hope your appointment with musculo-skeletal goes well but I'd caution against expecting a new knee quickly. It doesn't usually happen that way. Physio might be useful if you could get that Make a list of questions you might like to ask when you go and, if possible, take someone with you as a second pair of ears. Good luck.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello, it's lovely to meet you but I am sorry you have had to find us. There are around ten million arthritics in the UK the majority of whom have OA - your condition may feel very unusual to you but it's run-of-the-mill to GPs, physios etc. and this can sometimes lead to patients feeling mis-understood and occasionally neglected. We all get it because we've got it, some of us for many years so we know our stuff but we cannot advise or recommend treatments etc. because we are not doctors.

    As for pain relief I believe in a little and often, my usual intake is four tablets per day but I am fortunate in that I am in my twenty-first year of this nonsense, have two kinds of arthritis, multiple affected joints and cannot remember being pain-free. If pain is allowed to build then whatever you take won't have much of an effect, my GP prescribes 30/500 cocodamol but I also take 12/500 which I can buy over the counter. I personally found naproxen useless but for some it makes a huge difference to pain levels because, when taken as prescribed, it reduces then prevents inflammation which is always a good thing. Potential side-effects have to be listed by law and the key word is 'potential'; many of us on here are on multiple meds due to auto-immune arthritis or other conditions so need to be more aware of possible interactions. My favourite side effect is the one which states 'may cause joint aches and pains'. :roll:

    I started back in 1997, aged 37, with my left knee swelling and swelling. Over the years I have learned to tailor my acitivites according to my abilites, TBH I cannot recall the early days when things were far easier than they are now. I do remember losing three stone despite being bed-bound but there was no pain reduction whatsoever because the damage was done.

    These are not easy days for you, I appreciate that, because it is all so new and a shock. There are other new ones, also recently diagnosed, who have posted on Say Hello and Living With Arthritis, you may be feeling somewhat alone with this but believe you me, you're not and that is where the forum can be handy. I wish you well. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben