Roosterized | Arthritis Information

How about some good news for a change?

I was feeling really, really, bad for some time. Vitamin D had tanked [being resolved], OA really acting up badly in my knees, my DDD killing my back and hip, and autoimmune arthritis flare in my wrist, a few fingers, ankle..... You know the drill. Oh yes, my TSH flip-flopped.

This is "doctor week." In one week's time I will have seen my RD, my Endo-doc, my Orth-Surg-Back, Orth-Surg-Knees, and Orth-Surg-Arms/Shoulders/Hands. Lots of MD appointments.

My labs show my Vitamin D is resolving. My ESR is normal - as always. My TSH is actually in the normal zone for the first time in 2 years in spite of lots of effort to get it there by adjusting drugs.

I’m walking on cloud nine today. Started the new series of Synvisc yesterday and already such a dramatic improvement. I’m not walking up the stairs hanging onto the railing for dear life and I can actually get out of my chair without boosting myself using the arms of the chairs. In short, I don't feel like I'm 90 years old. Such a huge difference. You never know how badly you felt until you start feeling good again. Today I go get the cortisone in my wrist, and that will solve that problem. So life is good. Still have to deal with the back problem but it does not hurt as much now. As suspected, once you handle other aches and pains, it makes the ones remaining [e.g., the back] tolerable.

So for all the complaining I've done recently, things are definitely improving.

For those that are wondering: my orth surgeon front-loads the Synvisc with a little LIdocaine for anesthesia. In my case he gave me separate 40mg Kenalog shots to reduce some swelling.

Life is good.

[And for those who are curious about the title of this thread, "Roosterized"; Synvisc is made from the combs of roosters. And no, they don't kill the roosters for this.]

Sam12342010-03-17 11:23:27Hi Sam, so glad your feeling better....it does make all the difference in the world. I was roosterized last week with Synvisc, had to cancel this weeks injection because of the URI but rescheduled for next week. It does help to front-load with Lidocaine. I've had it both ways and fortunately this ortho uses Lidocaine. Much more comfortable injection. I too find a big difference after one injection; I can wear my 3 inch heels again!! Here's to feeling good. LindyWell Sam, cockadoodle doooooooo! Good for you! Seriously, that is great news and I am happy for you. This stuff is really from a rooster? What next? Got mine in January... Was feeling so great that I decided to walk the dog on the hilly route that I usually avoid... Going down a hill, lovin life, WHAM tripped over my dog and landed on my left knee. Of course it swelled and turned green. It remains somewhat swollen and is still quite tender. I've decided to see my ortho about it next week....

So how's that for adding bad news to a good news post? You're welcome.... :-)[QUOTE=GG]Well Sam, cockadoodle doooooooo! Good for you! Seriously, that is great news and I am happy for you. This stuff is really from a rooster? What next? [/QUOTE]

Cockadoodle-doo right back at you, GG!

Yes, hyaluronic acid is from the comb of the rooster. They do not kill them for this, though. Rather the pharmaceutical has deals with the farms or chgicken processing plants that behead the chickens for eating purposes. Normally the heads are trashed, but now they sell them for the hyaluronic acid.

I'm a big animal lover and wouldn't have this treatment if I knew the animals were killed just for my knees.

However, kinda' funny, kinda' sad, in my research I found that one chicken farm was trying to breed for big, thick rooster combs. The combs were so big and heavy that the roosters were falling over. [Imagine Carmen Miranda with 5 of those fruitbowl headpieces on her head.]

FYI, there is a synthetic form of hyaluronic acid, though I'm not sure how well it works.

No one should ever hesitate to have this treatment. My plan is to keep getting it until I reach a point where it doesn't work any more ........ and it's possible it will always work and therefore eliminate the need for total knee replacement.

Cockadoodle Doooooo!

Oh, Lindy - 3 inch heels? I have boxes and boxes of lovely shoes hardly worn [and most probably out of style] because of the high heel. I just don't trust my balance. I just am not as brave as you.

Leila - poor Leila - so glad you're having that looked at. By the way, your dog wasn't hurt, was she? I hope not.

Well Sam and Snow.. You know I don't like to point fingers... but it was all my dog's fault. He's a young dog and he suffers from some form of canine ADHD. He saw a woman walking her dog across the street and got so excited about it that he lept in front of me. And I, being as agile as a gazelle, promptly fell to the pavement. The impact took my breath away and I would have liked to lay on the sidewalk and cry, but unfortunately the other dog walker was not about to leave until I got up. Even more unfortunate was that she was heading in the direction of my home. So to avoid limping behind her the whole way home, which would confirm her suspicion that I was "not ok" and give my spastic dog more opportunites to trip me, I had to take the longer route. Ah, what a glorious afternoon that was!

Thank you for your concern Sam, but Jack is a lean 50 lbs and was completely unharmed by my flailing.
Snow, no, Jack did nothing to help. He apparently had forgotten all his first aid training. Why did I even bother with those so-called "obedience" classes? He's never once brought me alcohol, no matter how many times I've told him to.
Snow, you crack me up! Leila, waddie2010-03-18 13:50:36Oh, Waddie,

I feel so badly that your mom won't get roosterized. For so long I felt so crappy - beyond crappy. And almost immediately after the Synvisc I felt great. Before the shot I would sit in a chair and think for 10 minutes, "Do I REALLY need to get up our of the chair?" Getting up out of chairs or climbing stairs were excruciating for me. Now I don't even think about it. Just get up or do the stairs. If only your mom coupld appreciate how life-changing those injections are.

Maybe she needs to reframe her vision of needles. Instead of the dreaded pain they represent to her, if only she could look at the contents in the barrel of the syringe and imagine the drug giving her mobility and freedom from pain. Maybe cite a mantra like, "pain-free, pain-free, pain-free...."

Your mom's been through childbirth. The pain from the Synvisc injection is maybe 1% of that of childbirth and lasts only ten seconds. The addition of Lidocaine makes it a pretty easy shot to take. Ladies, those of you who have gone through childbirth and Synvisc injections - how do you rate the pain. If childbirth is 100, where is Synvisc injection on that scale?

Maybe if you explained it to your mom in those terms, Waddie, she might be more amenable?

I just hate seeing someone in pain when it is so unnecessary.

Great news Sam. Reading about how you can get up without boosting yourself etc- I think we can all understand how sweet that must be for you right now.

Also want to say that you're very helpful to those that have inquiries here Sam- thanks for the help you provide at this forum.
And why haven't you shared this information with us before, Sam?!? You're hoarding all the good stuff!! I'm gonna have to google this rooster goo and ask my RD if it will work for me.

Leila, you had me cracking up over here! I know you're hurt and I'm sorry for that, but your slacker dog account has me choking!

Sparky,

Believe me, I'm enjoying the heck out of this good feeling and mobility. I'm also smart enough to know it's not a forever thing, so best to enjoy it while you can. And thanks for the nice words about some of my contributions. I try to be helpful.

Mel,

Synvisc is for Osteoarthritis. It works well for a large number of people and some people derive no benefit at all. For some people the series of shots into the joints will last a year, maybe more, and in the rare case, maybe forever. In a lot of cases [like mine] the series of shots last between 6-12 months. I swear by the stuff. In fact, when I go for the next shot I'm going to ask if they've used it in the lower back. [I have DDD, too.] I'm always surprised at modern medicine and continue to be grateful for the relief it provides. Sometimes it seems like it's a long time coming though. Too long. And I feel they have a LONG way to go. Too many people, in spite of all the meds they take, still get little or no relief and that's just too sad.

You've inspired me, Mel, to post some information on "rooster goo." [Hey, that's as good a topic title as any.]

I've had the "rooster goo" injected for the last 3 years and it's kept me from having a knee replacement and that's a good thing. Mine lasts about 6 o 8 months.

There are several other products on the market besides Synvisc and there's also a one shot product but my insurance wouldn't authorize because they said it was still experiemental.

I swear by it...it's one of the best medical products out there. Gives almost instant relief. Not everyone has such good results but ambulation should be much better than before the injections if they're done correctly.

Like Sam said it's for OA only. I believe they're using it in shoulders but that may also be on an experimental basis. Lindy