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M00RE55
M00RE55 Member Posts: 2
in Chat to our Helpline Team

OA hi my name is Marie and I’ve just had some X-ray results back from knee pain and hand pains they say the knee pain is wear and tear that was my left knee but over the last couple of days it’s shifted into my right knee to the point where it’s really painful when I’m walking causing me to limp . The doctor has phoned me this morning to speak to me about my hand pain which he said is showing weakness in the bones and I need to have a full body scan to check my spine and my hips I’m not entirely sure what he meant but he said the bones could be weaker in those parts of my body and they need to check but if this is so it’s not the end of the world and I can be put on some calcium medication. But my real problem at the minute is pain in my hands and right knee it’s affecting me at work I’m a delivery driver for the pharmacy and was an hour over my shift as I had to limp round and I’ve taught myself to use 4 fingers on my right hand and use my left hand as well the pain is unbearable at times and I lose sleep because of it and then find myself in bed till mid day and have then missed meals and insulin doses my hbacc1 is 106 at the minute so very high I’m type 1 Diabetic. I just need the pain to stop I’ve used creams and I’m on naproxen for now this is temporary as I’m a diabetic I can’t stay on it to be honest it’s not working I’m in agony all day and night it’s really depressing me . I had to get my friend to pull my bottoms up the other day as I couldn’t grip them (embarrassing)😔 I also took some of my sisters tramodol which helped ease the pain at night as I fell asleep . But I’m sleeping to long as I’m awake till the early hours I’m a bit confused and thought coming in here I might get some answers .

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  • Anna
    Anna Moderator Posts: 968
    edited 14. Nov 2020, 17:32
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    Hello @M00RE55

    while you wait for the Helpline Team to get back to you, I just wanted to write to send you some support from the online community.

    You’re struggling to deal with the pain in your right knee and hands which is preventing you from sleeping properly and affecting your work as a delivery driver. it sounds like the pain is increasing and your original diagnosis of ‘wear and tear’ may have to be revisited. It’s a long time till Monday when you are in such pain, but I would suggest that you contact your GP as soon as they are open to discuss your increasing pain.

    Meanwhile, is there a local out of hours pharmacist you could call? ( if you type ‘ out of hours pharmacy and your town’ into your search engine, it should bring up a list of available pharmacies local to you). They will be able to suggest medication that you can take that is compatible with your diabetes. It’s not wise to take someone else’s prescribed medication because you don’t know what harm you can do to yourself, but the pharmacist should be able to recommend something suitable.

    I do hope you find relief from your pain. It sounds like you need to speak to a medical professional for a long term solution. Meanwhile, the Versus Arthritis website has a page on managing pain which includes self help suggestions that you might find helpful:

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

    I hope you soon find some relief. Please do let us know how you’re getting on.

    Anna : )

    Need more help? - call our Helpline on 0800 5200 520 Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm


  • Lisa68
    Lisa68 Member Posts: 3
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    Hi

    if you ever need someone to just talk to who has arthritis I’m here to listen, I was diagnosed @ 10yrs of age so have lived with it for 42 yrs, it’s not easy but you do learn to live with it, hopefully your doctors will find you the right drugs for you, I’m here day & night.

    stay safe & take care

    Lisa x

  • Mike1
    Mike1 Member Posts: 1,992
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    It sounds like your GP is investigating you having Osteoporosis as he mentioned being treated with calcium but, of course, I could be wrong, for your peace of mind it would be worth asking him. I would also ask whether you could be signed off work as the dangers of driving when tired due to a lack of sleep are very real. Having suffered with widespread OA for well over 10 years I have tried every med available and regret to report that none of them get rid of the pain totally, even the strongest (I am on Morphine) only take the edge off. It is more a case of finding ways to distract yourself from the pain and adjusting and adapting the way that you do things. It does sound like you have a good GP though which is a bonus and I hope things turn out to be better than expected.

  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,490
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    Hi Marie M00RE55

    Thank you for posting on the forum. 

    I’m sorry you are experiencing pain in your hands and knees that is impacting on your work and quality of life. I hope the information from Anna, Lisa and Mike was helpful and that you managed to get some relief from the pain, and some sleep, over the weekend. Thanks to them for their support.

    This is a difficult stage to be at Marie, and it’s understandable you are finding things confusing. You are very welcome to call us on our freephone helpline: 0800 5200 520 so you can talk things through with one of our helpline team. We’re here to help and you have a lot going on - especially as you are trying to manage joint pain alongside your diabetes and work.

    It’s good to know that your GP is investigating your symptoms. It’s important that they identify the underlying cause of any pain, swelling and stiffness in your joints, so it can be managed correctly.

    You can find out more about the possible causes of hand and knee pain on the links below. As Mike says one of the things they seem to be investigating is osteoporosis.  This is not usually associated with pain, but we have information that may also help you to understand what the GP meant by this.

    You may wish to ask your GP if they are also considering inflammatory arthritis (IA), like rheumatoid arthritis for example. This is where the autoimmune system starts to attack your body’s healthy tissues. There are drugs that can treat the underlying cause IA  and help prevent damage to your joints. Your GP can run blood tests to look for inflammation, especially if you are experiencing stiffness in the mornings that lasts for longer than half an hour and tends not to ease with movement. The earlier treatment is started, the more effective it’s likely to be.

    Please do consider giving us a call Marie. There is a lot we can do to support you through this. There is, for example, a very effective drug-free cream for OA of the knee that we can tell you more about. It’s called capsaicin cream and is available on prescription from your GP for OA of the knee. It may help you with your work / sleep situation.

    I hope this is helpful.

    Best wishes

    Mags

    Helpline Team

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/hand-and-wrist-pain/
    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/knee-pain/
    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoporosis/
    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/living-with-arthritis/work/


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