Hi Everybody

anton
anton Member Posts: 3
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:05 in Living with arthritis
Have had arthritis for well over 30 years mostly hips and knees but now affecting ankles and fingers.Have managed to cope for most of those years but succumbed to a left THR in 2014,followed by a right THR in March 2019.This hip was finally signed off by the Consultant last Tuesday and will not require follow up for 6 years.
****'s Law then intervened by making me fall due to a sudden excruciating pain in my left knee which has become so painful all of a sudden.Admittedly a knee replacement was advised around the same time as the hip diagnosis in 2014 but as I am a coward I managed that by regular visits to the gym,but now those visits are becoming doubtful because of the pain (taking Meloxicam).My GP says I have NO inflammation markers in my blood tests so what's going on there?
I am still a coward and therefore reluctant to go for knee replacement surgery (don't think I could stand another bout of that!)
Anyway I'm looking forward to reading the community posts and getting to know you all.
Best wishes
Ant

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi anton and welcome to the Versus Arthritis community.

    Reading your story, it seems possible that you had adapted brilliantly to having one hip replaced and then the second nearly a year ago. It is the icing on the cake that your knee has now decided to take its turn in requiring attention!

    In case you need to refer to the information, we have a good page on knee replacement surgery here:

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/knee-replacement-surgery/

    Don't hesitate to join in any discussions as after more than 30 years you have quite a lot of helpful experience for those newly diagnosed with arthritis :)

    Best wishes
    Brynmor
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello, I have both an auto-immune arthritis and OA, I prefer the OA as it is both predictable (cold & damp aggravate it), manageable (be sensible and stop when I thnk I can do more) and doesn't need nasty meds to control disease activity.

    I was refused new knees aged 52 due to extreme youth, despite being bone-on-bone throughout both. Because everything else is so much worse now I won't be bothering as the benefit will be minimal: below the waist the PsA is in all my toes and both knees, the OA in both ankles, both knees and both hips.

    I don't think any sane person relishes surgery - many underestimate its effects on the whole body and the length of recovery time - but I am generally a fan of it as all the ops I have had had made things better. Over my arthritic years I have learned that my OA inflammation is localised, appears to protect the joint after its has been stressed and disappears with a careful mix of rest and exercise. The cold and damp merely increases pain and does not cause inflammation.
    Auto-immune inflammation affects the whole body and does not go with rest and exercise. My inflammation levels dropped from the 170s to nothing once I found the right combination of meds for the PsA whereas a couple of ibuprophen OR a rub of Voltarol sorts out the OA if I overdo stuff. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ant and welcome from me too.

    I've had hips and knees replaced but never thought of it as 'succumbing', just necessary. My husband is currently 3 weeks post THR op and he just sees it as a way of getting back on the golf course.

    I think surgery can become a little daunting the more we have as we become more aware of all that can go wrong - but usually doesn't
    :lol:

    As for inflammation - it sounds as if your doc might have tested for an autoimmune form of arthritis. These (usually) show up in blood tests as the inflammation from them goes throughout the body whereas in OA (osteoarthritis0 the inflammation is restricted to the joint(s) involved.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • anton
    anton Member Posts: 3
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you both for the welcome and to stickywicket for the info on auto immune inflammation;didn't know that.So it may make sense to look at suppressing inflammation by whatever means (OTC meds/nutrition)I didn't bother to research the topic as it was not explained thoroughly by my GP. I am trying to avoid surgery by every conceivable method, and not just because I'm a coward but have had very bad instances of depression during the lengthy recovery from the hips surgeries.Cabin Fever? I don't know.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I'm so sorry to hear about the depression which has clouded your previous recoveries from surgery. It's certainly a difficult time as my husband, 3-4 weeks into THR recovery, is finding. He's used to being very active and very well and finds the enforced leisurely lifestyle, coupled with residual pain, very disconcerting and worrying.

    I certainly wouldn't advocate a DIY attempt at dealing with the inflammation, though. Work with your GP. You probably can't go far wrong with diet but OTC supplements and medications risk interactions with prescribed ones.

    If you can manage either, cycling and swimming are supposed to help knees. We had one chap last year, who took up cycling for his knee arthritis, came back a few times to tell us how well it was going and how much it was helping and then cycled off into the distance :lol:
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright