Hi, all. I'm 36 y/o and new to these boards but was dx'd with OA maybe 10 years ago. I know I have it really bad in one knee, secondary to an ACL/MCL/meniscus injury when I was 21. My dad had a hip replacement when he was 57 or 58, and one of my brothers has OA-type problems (but he's too cool to go to the doc).
Over the past few years, however, this knee is the least of my concerns. I have had severe pain in my cervical and lumbar spine, as well as in my SI joints, for several years. Standing in one place for any length of time puts me in so much pain that I have problems walking. Both knees get really stiff, and (of course) there's all of the typical snap-crackle-and-popping, too. Of late, I've "found" some new pain in my wrists and at the bases of my thumbs.
I also am dealing with a fairly new (6-12 months) sciatic nerve-type pain that causes weakness and pain in my left groin area. [I get it on the right occasionally, but it's not nearly as bad.] The left SI area tends to be more painful than the right.
To top everything off, I get headaches daily and am VERY tired all of the time. I have a difficult time working my full-time schedule and probably haven't worked more than 3 days/week in the past 2 months.
Just had a bunch of labs drawn at my PCP last week (basic stuff, thyroid, and ESR...but don't have results yet), and he said he'd send me to a rheumy. What can a rheumy do for me besides give me more pain meds? I already take diclofenac, aspirin, the occasional Vicodin, and Cymbalta for pain...and I'm still a mess!
Any suggestions? Thanks!
Noa
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hi i was dx 2 weeks with OA on my knees same problem like u do u take any omega 3 or MSM or chondoitrin and glucosamine after 10 years did u get some improvements or just worse? im so afraid and just ask u if like to chat online my msn is qveronica59@hotmail.com kind regards Veronica |
Veronica,
Thanks for writing.
I tried glucosamine and chondroitin back when it was just my knee. No improvements.
Besides prednisone, the med that has worked best for pain has been my newest--diclofenac. It's a pretty harsh one, though, from what I understand...
Noa24~Did your doctors rule out RA? Sounds like you might have RA as well as OA and if that is indeed the case there is a great deal a Rheumy can do for you. There are lots of meds out there that are not just for pain....but for disease progression that will stop or slow your pain as well.
I've had RA for about 12 years....but recently was dx'ed with OA in my spine as well. It is very painful....I know your pain. I hope the new doctor can help you.
Welcome to AI. Hope yo see more of your here.
No, no dx (or rule out) of RA. It hasn't really been addressed by my primary doc (ESR only slightly elevated), although I'll be going through the requisite x-rays, etc, in the next few weeks to see if anything shows up.
Lovie, is your OA the result of the RA, or is it completely separate?
Thanks for replying!