Pain

muffin1234
muffin1234 Member Posts: 2
edited 28. Nov 2019, 10:46 in Living with arthritis
Hi I've not long been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my hands, feet and left knee. Rheumatologist says there's nothing they can do, really !!! I've tried cold, heat, medication and nothing works, I'm still working full time and starting to struggle a little.

Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Muffin and welcome. I'm sorry you 'qualify' to join us. Arthritis in any form is painful and difficult to live with. I started with RA as a teenager, OA rocked up later and it's not been easy though, on the whole, my life has been good.

    I expect you were referred to a rheumatologist to make sure that yours is OA (osteo) and not one of the autoimmune types such as RA. Rheumatologists don't normally deal with OA: that's the job for GPs. GPs can refer us to a physiotherapist for exercises and can prescribe anti-inflammatory meds and / or pain relief. They can also refer us to a Pain Clinic if necessary.

    But, mostly, it's about what we can do for ourselves - distraction from pain, physio, a healthy diet, not smoking. All of these things make a difference though none will actually cure it.

    I find that, if I overdo things, my OA plays up. If I pace myself, I'm not so bad. Sometimes, for a special occasion, it's worth overdoing things despite knowing there'll be a price to pay :D
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello muffin
    welcome to the forums, we are glad you have found us. Dealing with pain can be quite an individual thing and it is often a matter of finding what works for you. You might find it useful to read our website about osteoarthritis of the knee here https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee/
    There is also a useful section here on hand and wrist pain, https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/hand-and-wrist-pain/
    It is difficult when you are working, it may be time to start having some discussions with your employer about possible adaptations you might need to be able to continue working. https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/work/
    I am sure our members will offer you lots of suggestions too. Please let us know how you get on
    Best Wishes
    Sharon
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    On here pain is not news, it is the norm. Marks & Spencer, strawberries & cream, Fortnum & Mason, arthritis & pain, gin & tonic: four famous pairings and one infamous. My rheumatologist ignores my OA and the GP ignores my PsA, the meds I take for the PsA do nothing for the OA and the stuff the GP prescribes for that achieve little.

    I keep my pain relief to the minimum so I have room to maneouvre when needed. I am fortunate in that I have done the harder yards of living and working with disease, now I merely have to live which is, literally, a pain. It will stop one day, :lol: until then I will grind on because this dross is not going to defeat me. I recall my shock when OA was diagnosed in my knees fourteen years after the psoriatic began, I thought I had ticked the arthritis box, not realising that one could have both. Of the two I prefer the OA because it is more honest in how it presents, in what it does and I can exercise a certain amount of control in how it affects me whereas with the other I have no say. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben