Hi everyone I am new here and need to speak to people living with arthritis

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Cami25
Cami25 Member Posts: 2
edited 16. Jul 2025, 22:30 in Living with arthritis

Hi All, I’m a newbie

Sorry if I babble on but I am finding life/ pain unbearable. I am in my late 40s and have always been physically fit and I of a slim build. I have bilateral osteoarthritis in hips, knees, hands and wrists.

My hips were diagnosed in 2022 and the rest of the other joints were diagnosed this year but I have been suffering with severe pain in all of these joints since 2022. I have tried physio and different pain killers but they haven’t helped and I don’t know what else I can do. The GP is unable to provide stronger meds and I feel they are fed up with my moaning.

I have to use a stick/ crutch to mobilise for standing and walking but my wrists hurt too much to support me. It will be comforting to speak with other people who are living with arthritis and how they manage their pain.

Regards Cami

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  • Trish9556
    Trish9556 Member Posts: 900

    hI @Cami25

    Welcome to the hippy club although I am sure you would rather not be here.

    My right hip went in November 2022 and I had a replacement hip in May 2024. I think you need to have an honest conversation with your GP about referral to your Orthopaedic team or get your physio to do it. I don't think GP's understand Osteoarthritis and just think it's a natural part of getting older, although not in your case.

    Have you had any xrays recently? If not, I would ask for up to date ones when hopefully this will give you some evidence to onward referral.

    The process of referrals for treatment is long and hard with lots of hoops to jump through depending on where you live. My personal route was GP>xrays> MSK physio>MRI & steroid injections>referral to hospital.

    I had a lovely physio at the local MSK team who eventually referred me to our local private hospital via NHS choices, which was the closest hospital with the shortest waiting list. You can wait years to have surgery in a NHS hospital. My surgery was 9 months later, can be quicker, depending on what your surgeon says.

    I would imagine the process would be the same for your other joints although the NHS will insist that all are treated and referred separately. More tick boxes

    You can keep getting stronger painkillers which in the end just don't do anything - in the months before my surgery I could not do anything, the pain was excruiating.

    Good luck

    Trish

  • noddingtonpete
    noddingtonpete Moderator Posts: 1,441

    Hello @Cami25 and welcome to the Online Community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I you will find that as well.

    I echo what @Trish9556 has said and suggest you get you doctors to refer you to a specialist and also the Pain Clinic - you need to get something that helps.

    Also have a look through the following, hopefully it will help.

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

    Please keep us updated as to how you are getting on,

    Best wishes

    Peter

    Need more help? - call our Helpline on0800 5200 520Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm

  • Cami25
    Cami25 Member Posts: 2

    Hi Trish,

    Thank you for your warm welcome.

    I am glad you have had your hip replacement. I hope you don’t mind if I ask how long did it took to recover and have you had any issues with pain since recovery?

    I have had no referrals to the orthopaedic team just Physio, and there has been no discussion as yet with steroid injections or hip replacements. I guess because my X-rays for hips shows mild OA and my knees also show mild OA. My hands and wrists have minor narrowing in first cmc joint and minor narrowing in the STT complex and radio carpal joint space and the left and right joints show symmetrical OA.

    I only had the hands and wrists X-ray in April this year and think I had my last hip X-ray 2023 and also had an MRI in 2024 on hips too which still shows mild OA, but then I found out I have spondylotic changes which I believe is in the lumbar region.

    I understand that pain killers can be become ineffective but I am desperate to get some pain relief.

    I doubt my GP will refer me to get a hip replacement due to my age and what the X-ray shows and I may have to wait awhile to get another X-ray. I thought about asking for an MRI for my hands and wrists as I think I may have RA too. The blood test for inflammatory markers came back negative but I have read on different websites that you could still have RA even if the blood test is negative. What do you think?

    Regards,

    Cami

  • Trish9556
    Trish9556 Member Posts: 900

    hi @Cami25

    I had my hip surgery in May 2024 and was signed off by the surgeon at the beginning of July 2024. As it was a private hospital, paid for by the NHS, I did have 2 outpatient physio sessions included but I actually paid for one more for my own peace of mind. I have been walking around unaided ever since.

    I do still get the odd bit of discomfort every now and then if I sit too much - in the current heatwave I'm finding movement difficult anyway due to my asthma and left hip complaining and I do still use a stick when that happens and when my asthma is so bad but not as a rule.. I will make up for that when I can.

    Your age shouldn't restrict you from being referred - it's not your GP's decision whether you have surgery or not, it's the surgeons decision, and yours. If your hip is bad enough it's not going to magically get better over night and to spend the next 15-20 years on painkillers should never been the option, not in this day and age. You need to have a frank discussion with at least your physio and ask them what the agenda is for your OA. To ask you to live in constant pain for the forseeable is, in my opinion something that should not even be thought about and it's not best for you.

    I'm afraid you have to be assertive and if it takes speaking to another GP in your practice then do it. :)

    good luck

    Trish

  • Bryony
    Bryony Member Posts: 95

    I'm wondering if your high levels of pain are caused by inflammation, given that your x-rays show mild OA. Perhaps look into your diet, maybe try the FodMap diet and see whether you find improvement by the elimination of certain foods. Milk products can be highly inflammatory in some people, and by eliminating them can reduce OA pain. I've certainly seen a reduction in pain once I started the FodMap diet. For many years I've had intolerance to milk products and grains, but it seems that other foods may also be involved. I'm still figuring out what, as reintroducing foods takes time, but clearly some of the high FodMap foods are problematic for me.

    If you are someone that does have a temperamental gut, (wind, bloating, ibs) then this would be an obvious place to start. Even if your gut seems normal it is probably still worth a try. Maybe your GP can give a bit of help on this, though there are good apps online, which is what they'd probably refer you to check out.

    Inflammation seems to be one of the main drivers of disease and ill-health generally, including OA. Diet seems to be very closely linked to inflammation, and some of the foods that are generally considered healthy and are widely promoted, do not suit some people, like me, and need to be avoided.

  • cocoa
    cocoa Member Posts: 44

    what’s the fodmap diet? I try to eat healthy and lactose free milk etc but most tabs etc git lactose in. It’s very difficult to cut out certain foods also especially when bombarded with fast food outlet chains etc wish I’d known years ago same with other vices . I also suffer from diverticulitis disease and that’s more or less treat yourself as arthritis ?! I was lucky like Trish nhs hosp referred me to private one nhs 1 year later and had op last week. Went thru gp surgery and msk nurse direct to hisp

    Hope you soon get referral

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