It's seems like no one cares

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Nikkib
Nikkib Member Posts: 2
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:08 in Living with arthritis

I was diagnosed in 2019 with osteoarthritis in my right knee but I've not been given any advice about anything all I get when I phone (when in pain or feeling down ) all I get of my Dr is there's nothing that can be done and anyone can have it and it gets depressing I just want some advice as I now think I've got it in my other knee as I'm getting a lot of pain and I can hear it grinding too because of what they said I worry they don't care 😭 or want to help

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  • YvonneH
    YvonneH Member Posts: 1,076
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    Good afternoon @Nikkib it's great to meet you.

    I see you have osteoarthritis (OA) in your right knee which may be starting in your left knee as well. You feel abandoned by the Health experts too.

    Well we can help you there, it is quite reasonable that you will be feeling down with no advice so do be nice to yourself - I try and imagine what I would say to my friend if they talked about their symptoms - somehow that is very different from the 'get on with it' I tend to use on myself. Of course the trick then is to follow that advice!

    You could get back in touch with your GP, there are topical meds like capsaicin cream, tablets to help with pain, mood and sleep and they can refer you to a pain clinic in your area and to a physio. You may be able to self refer to a physio in your area too.

    Here is our information on knee OA

    https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee/

    It has a great section on managing knee arthritis which I hope will be really helpful to you.

    At Versus Arthritis we have been doing a lot on moving - our first section was on Let's move with Leon. These are sets of video exercises, around 30 mins each and designed for people with arthritis. Have a look here in the online community. Moving keeps your joints as mobile as possible and strengthens your muscles so they support your joints better

    Do post to say how you are doing, and use the link above to check out exercise.

    Take care

    Yvonne

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,742
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    You’re not alone, arthritis is horrible. There are things you can do, a lot of which are in the links Yvonne has provided. Eventually your GP may refer you for steroid injections, arthroscopy or ultimately for knee replacement, but it’s worth seeing a physio to assess what you can do and work out an exercise regime suited specifically to you to build your muscles to better support your knee. (The NHS waiting lists for physios are awful, so try finding a good qualified sports physio near you, they’re not as expensive as you might think). Meanwhile, you need to work out pain meds with your GP, or ask for a referral to a pain clinic and musculoskeletal consultant. GPs are awful for saying “there’s nothing can be done about osteoarthritis, it’s not really true, and it’s guaranteed to make us feel depressed, which will make the pain feel worse and stop us from wanting to help ourselves with exercise and other pain management tips (eg yoga, meditation, or losing ourselves in something we enjoy to take our focus away from the pain).

    Keep posting on here, we all know how rubbish this can get, and there’s lots of lovely people with experience of knee problems to give you tips or a sympathetic ear.

  • TUL50
    TUL50 Member Posts: 19
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    Hi Nikkib,

    Sorry to hear you are feeling so down about your condition. I was newly diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis last month and I have been really down about it too. How can you exercise when it hurts to walk??!!! Anyway, my Mum has OA and she was referred for hydrotherapy through her GP. She was signed up for an initial 12 week course, but now she goes every single week and it's made a big difference to her life. She has lost some weight and found she is more capable of moving around. Her knees were her main problem too, however at 78, the GP admitted there was little they could do, hence the referral. I know swim-based activities are not everyone's idea of fun, but think about it. As for your low mood, you need to speak to your GP about it - being diagnosed with a long term health condition is pants and it will make you feel low. I've lifted myself by increasing my exercise - I'm walking my dog every day again (he's not been well either, so he's depressed too) and I'm signing myself up for swim only membership of my local gym. Take care Nikkib and hope some of my waffle helps.

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