Osteoarthritis and pain

I am new to this site and have Osteoarthritis amongst other ailments,  I was diagnosed with arthritis in my hands at age 17 (am almost 89) before that it was put down to "Growing Pains"! Having been on various medications since, then I started suffering with Ulcerative Colitis in my 50's which was later put down to all the anti-inflammatories taken over the years.  I now keep the colitis under control with Asacol but only have rub-on gels for my arthritis.  The pain in my legs, lower back and wrists and hands is worse in bed and keeps me awake at night.  I also have hiatus hernia, glaucoma, under active thyroid to add to my problems!  My 89th birthday is coming up in July so I have a lot to be thankful for.  A wonderful family (10 Great Grandchildren) and a year ago I moved to a lovely Granny Annex to my youngest daughter's house. My son-in-law is very attentive and takes me wherever I need to go in his car. Unfortunately my daughter needs a liver transplant and has PSC but she is always there for anyone in need, I am so proud of her but do worry that she does so much for others and does not take enough care of herself.

Hello to all,,,fellow sufferers of OA..  There are so many combinations of treatment,,and the do's and don'ts with so many different drugs.  I have previously used ibuprofen,,and tramadol,,,the ibuprofen gave me stomach trouble , so I am banned from taking it,,,and the tramadol made me feel not with it,,,,so I have gone back to co-codamol 30/500 mg,,,which is working well for me,,,some days just 2 going to bed...

The flexiseq gel does work for me, and it is good to apply,,,,and yes it does cost a lot to buy,,,I am saving up for a new tube!!!!.On the horizon I am due to get a new right knee,,then a left one someday,,,,but my T2 Diabetes medications are having tough side effects on me and dropping the pounds is proving difficult,,,,,,just changed onto a new tablet and slowly stopping another,,,,having slow digestive tract actions does not get helped by the victoza jab each day,,,,,,and having an underactive thyroid gland,,,,one side effect is weight problems,,,,,what joy it is to live my life,,,,, and all the problems that go with it,,,,,

I hope to catch up with you all again very soon,,,,,ttfn from Karen.

My wife started feeling pain in her thumb joints approximately 4 years ago. After seeing many doctors and specialists, she was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. It spread aggressively to all of her fingers, ankles, toes, knees and lower back. She wore a fentanyl patch daily and supplemented that with narcotic pills and Aleve almost daily. Rainy, low pressure days became unbearable. I truly did not know what we were going to do as nothing worked and the situation was getting worse. Weekends were spent with her recuperating from her Mon - Fri work. She insisted on trying to keep a normal life - we could afford for her not to work. It was painful to watch her. Then, I started reading about stem cell therapy. Her doctors did not believe in it. An acquaintance described how stem cells worked well on his knee after years of pain. We made an appointment and selected the procedure. She had over 30 injections in various joints. Within two days the pain was gone - no patch and no pills. It is expensive, but we are convinced it works. At a minimum please look into the procedure. There are many clinics and doctors who are beginning to perform this "wonder" procedure. Good luck to all!!!!! We know what you are experiencing.

Could you please give more information on this? I've never heard of this. Is it a private procedure?  Expensive. Thank you kindly. 

The procedure took about 4 hours. The first hour was injecting a soltion under the skin of her stomach which helped to "loosen" the fat from the skin. Then the fat/solution was extracted - in her case 480 ml. I am told this is very similar to liposuction. They took two hours centrifuging it down to 5 viles of just stem cells . The 4th hour was injecting the stem cells directly into her joints. Since she had OS in many areas there was over 30 injections. 

I recommend googling "Stem Cell therapy for OS". There are many clinics and more are opening. Avoid the ones that start you on laser therapy and follow up with stem cells if needed. We tried that and found it to be a waste of money for OS. Go right to stem cell treatments. 

As far as cost I have only a few data points. The cost is related to the number of injections. I feel at a minimum it will cost $3000 - $5000. If you have OS in many areas then it can be two to three times more. 

The good news is that OS is reported to be the most successful disease that stem cells are used to treat. My wife went from ten level pain to essentially zero in less than a week. We keep looking at each other in disbelief at how successful it was. Four years of hell to pain free.

One additional thought - in those 4 years she tried multiple anti-inflammatory meds, food and herbs. Nothing worked and the pain medication kept needing to be increased. Pain management was next on the agenda. She is a nurse and knew that when you go there that it is a last resort and you most likely will remain there for the rest of your life. 

Hi

I'm a new member and also suffer from osteoarthritis. I have had it since I was in my 20s and am now 56, it's in my spine, knees and hands. I also have mortons neuroma (benign tumours) in my feet and plantar and palmer fibramatosis. I take Tramadol  and imipramine everything night plus naproxen and omeprazole daily. I top up with paracetamol during the day. I work full time, which is challenging some days. I too have been on anti depressants occasionally but try to stay off them. I take glucosamine and chondroitin and omega oils daily; which I find helps. I also go to a specialist plates class every week which is really helpful and has helped my back enormously. I do get annoyed that I can't do everything I want to do.. I would appreciate any advice to help with the pain.

X

Hi KarenMarie

Looks like you are already doing every thing to try ad control the pain.

It doesn't look like you have given Turmeric and Black pepper (Golden Paste) a try. There is a lot about this wonderful paste on the Website of Turmeric For Health. Read all about it first to see if you are suitable for the same. If you have any medical condition, or are on blood thinners like Warfarin or Xeralto (Rivroxaban) you need to first check with your GP to know if it would interfere with your condition/other medications eg. Diabetes. It wont hurt to read all about it first and arm your self with questions to check with your GP before you decide if Turmeric is the right choice for you to give it a try.

If you are able to go to your local swimming pool, gentle exercises in water works wonder for your joints. A soothing massage is also helpful. One more suggestion, put 2 cups of Epsom salt in your hot bath and soak in it for the duration of at least half an hour. The Magnesium salts in the bath gets absorbed through your skin and works wonders for Arthritic pain, as it strengthens the bones. Once again it is not advisable to try without checking it with your GP. Do some research on it. Google Benefits of Epsom salt. You will get all the information on it.

Well, you have enough material here to think and talk to your GP. I will be very interested to know if you tried any of the above suggestions and if it helped.

Best of luck to you  and pry that you find some relief of pain to make your life a bit less miserable, as there is nothing worse than living in constant pain.

nineteen_gale

Hello everyone I'm a new member and have been reading comments and suggestions and hope it helps anyone who suffers with lower back pain caused by Osteoarthritis and/or Sciatica and I take regular painkillers like Tramadol,paracetamol,Ibuprofen,omeprazole and Amitriptyline but in addition to that I also use a hot water bottle to ease lower back pain and frozen veggies wrapped in a towel when Sciatic pain is in my thigh these also help and using arthritis gloves help with hand pain too, so I hope someone will be helped by these suggestions.

Hi I keep reading posts and being a technophobe cant work out how to reply to an individual - help please