Arthritis - Page 3

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

I have arthritis in both knees. The left looks worse on X-ray, but doesn't hurt much at all.

The pain in my tight knee has become unbearable. I am done with injections. They don't work. I have decided to get a replacement sometime soon. I keep putting it off.

I do not like to take meds, so I mostly do without. I occasionally will take Advil if I really have to. it does take the edge off, but this drug is not safe to take constantly as are most painkillers/anti inflammatory drugs...RX or not.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@ID2 wrote:
I witnessed my mother with severe arthritis and I swore I would do my best to avoid what could very well be my future. I will be 69 in Feb and don't have one pain whatsoever in any part of my body. Reason? I keep active. I am an avid walker, 5 miles a day. Don't say oh no I can't do that. Yes you can! The more you're active the more you will remove the pain. Ask any of your doctors, they will all say to stay active. Put those shoes on and WALK!

You wouldn't walk very far or for very long if your knees were bone on bone.....no cartlidge left. My knees crunch while walking. They buckle and I lose balance. I have no other pain or health issues.

You have no arthritis pain because you are lucky, not because you walk. I don't have RA, I have osteo, but my mother and siblings all do/did. It is an autoimmune disease.

It is true that you need to keep moving even with arthritis, but won't prevent pain. My husband walks a few miles a day, almost everyday, plus he is super active. He has arthritis in his neck only, due to an injury... walking doesn't help his pain.

Shelbelle · ‎03-09-2010

Meloxicam (Mobic) and Celebrex and Voltaren are the 3 most prescribed RX meds, they do help, but they do come with side effects like a possible rise in your BP.

I have osteoarthritis, in my knee but I keep it under control with watching my weight, ride my exercise bike, and I do take supplements including tumeric, glucosomine, ginger and boswellia. I also received a Synvisc gel injection in my knee a few months ago. I cant swear what is giving me the most relief but I do feel a lot better now. I dont take any OTC meds or use topicals, none seem to help.

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

Huh ... I do a lot of the things mentioned here, but swear by TOPICAL products, which then means I need less pain relievers, aspirin, tylenol, aleve, etc.

I recomment Aspercreme or Salon Pas .... patches, cream, roll on, or spray ... topical lidocaine can make a HUGE difference. I find using a little Aspercreme or Blue Emu as a hand cream can really help with pain in my knuckles.

I have both RA and osteoarthritis .... and it's a trial and error process. At one point I even went for spinal epidurals every 6 months, but haven't needed that in 3 years now. I think several epidurals somehow had a cumulative effect on reducing pain. Fingers crossed.

shoesnbags · ‎03-10-2010

@Carmie wrote:
@ID2 wrote:
I witnessed my mother with severe arthritis and I swore I would do my best to avoid what could very well be my future. I will be 69 in Feb and don't have one pain whatsoever in any part of my body. Reason? I keep active. I am an avid walker, 5 miles a day. Don't say oh no I can't do that. Yes you can! The more you're active the more you will remove the pain. Ask any of your doctors, they will all say to stay active. Put those shoes on and WALK!
You wouldn't walk very far or for very long if your knees were bone on bone.....no cartlidge left. My knees crunch while walking. They buckle and I lose balance. I have no other pain or health issues.

You have no arthritis pain because you are lucky, not because you walk. I don't have RA, I have osteo, but my mother and siblings all do/did. It is an autoimmune disease.

It is true that you need to keep moving even with arthritis, but won't prevent pain. My husband walks a few miles a day, almost everyday, plus he is super active. He has arthritis in his neck only, due to an injury... walking doesn't help his pain.

@Carmie, I agree with everything you said. Lots of osteo in my relatives, but only my grandfather had RA. I have osteo - oh boy, do I have it. And I've been a walker for years. It didn't stop the arthritis from getting worse, and finally I was bone on bone in one knee. A knee replacement fixed that, but my hands are getting worse every day.

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett

SchippyLuv · ‎10-30-2011

I've was diagnosed with systemic osteo-arthritis in my 40's. I'm 77 and was advised recently by a surgeon to have a knee replacement on my left knee ASAP, but I'm afraid of anesthesia side effects. So I'm doing everything I can to put it off, perhaps indefinitely.

I take 2000 mg of MSM ( methylsulfonylmethane) morning and evening. I used to take tylenol morning and evening too - until I discovered red light therapy (RLT) in August.

Now I no longer take Tylenol, unless I have a headache. Instead, I use an RLT wrap for 20 minutes once or twice a day. My knee pain has been reduced by at least 80% and I'm a very happy camper.

I also use RLT on my spine, my neck, my hands and my feet. It's very relaxing and comforting. I used it on my dog for the first time this morning and he loved it!

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@shoesnbags wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
@ID2 wrote:
I witnessed my mother with severe arthritis and I swore I would do my best to avoid what could very well be my future. I will be 69 in Feb and don't have one pain whatsoever in any part of my body. Reason? I keep active. I am an avid walker, 5 miles a day. Don't say oh no I can't do that. Yes you can! The more you're active the more you will remove the pain. Ask any of your doctors, they will all say to stay active. Put those shoes on and WALK!
You wouldn't walk very far or for very long if your knees were bone on bone.....no cartlidge left. My knees crunch while walking. They buckle and I lose balance. I have no other pain or health issues.

You have no arthritis pain because you are lucky, not because you walk. I don't have RA, I have osteo, but my mother and siblings all do/did. It is an autoimmune disease.

It is true that you need to keep moving even with arthritis, but won't prevent pain. My husband walks a few miles a day, almost everyday, plus he is super active. He has arthritis in his neck only, due to an injury... walking doesn't help his pain.

@Carmie, I agree with everything you said. Lots of osteo in my relatives, but only my grandfather had RA. I have osteo - oh boy, do I have it. And I've been a walker for years. It didn't stop the arthritis from getting worse, and finally I was bone on bone in one knee. A knee replacement fixed that, but my hands are getting worse every day.

@shoesnbags

If you haven't already done so, try using Aspercreme or another unscented product as a hand cream. It makes a huge difference for me, so I'm recommending it to anyone with arthritis in their hands. If it's not practical during the day, use it at bedtime.

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

Becareful with the Motrin. I took it several times a week for pain for years and it's likely that it triggered the Afib that I now have. Multiple studies over many years have indicated that NSAIDS are linked to Afib but my doctors never told me that.

shoesnbags · ‎03-10-2010

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
@shoesnbags wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
@ID2 wrote:
I witnessed my mother with severe arthritis and I swore I would do my best to avoid what could very well be my future. I will be 69 in Feb and don't have one pain whatsoever in any part of my body. Reason? I keep active. I am an avid walker, 5 miles a day. Don't say oh no I can't do that. Yes you can! The more you're active the more you will remove the pain. Ask any of your doctors, they will all say to stay active. Put those shoes on and WALK!
You wouldn't walk very far or for very long if your knees were bone on bone.....no cartlidge left. My knees crunch while walking. They buckle and I lose balance. I have no other pain or health issues.

You have no arthritis pain because you are lucky, not because you walk. I don't have RA, I have osteo, but my mother and siblings all do/did. It is an autoimmune disease.

It is true that you need to keep moving even with arthritis, but won't prevent pain. My husband walks a few miles a day, almost everyday, plus he is super active. He has arthritis in his neck only, due to an injury... walking doesn't help his pain.

@Carmie, I agree with everything you said. Lots of osteo in my relatives, but only my grandfather had RA. I have osteo - oh boy, do I have it. And I've been a walker for years. It didn't stop the arthritis from getting worse, and finally I was bone on bone in one knee. A knee replacement fixed that, but my hands are getting worse every day.

@shoesnbags

If you haven't already done so, try using Aspercreme or another unscented product as a hand cream. It makes a huge difference for me, so I'm recommending it to anyone with arthritis in their hands. If it's not practical during the day, use it at bedtime.

@Tinkrbl44

I'm with you on this! Aspercreme works well for me and it's perfect for hands because it's moisturizing, too. (As opposed to Diflonac, which I find drying.) I mainly use it at night so I can smear a lot on my hands and let it soak in. I prefer original Aspercreme, which I've been using for years. I guess "great minds" do think alike, huh.

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett

shoesnbags · ‎03-10-2010

@SchippyLuv wrote:
I've was diagnosed with systemic osteo-arthritis in my 40's. I'm 77 and was advised recently by a surgeon to have a knee replacement on my left knee ASAP, but I'm afraid of anesthesia side effects. So I'm doing everything I can to put it off, perhaps indefinitely.

I take 2000 mg of MSM ( methylsulfonylmethane) morning and evening. I used to take tylenol morning and evening too - until I discovered red light therapy (RLT) in August.

Now I no longer take Tylenol, unless I have a headache. Instead, I use an RLT wrap for 20 minutes once or twice a day. My knee pain has been reduced by at least 80% and I'm a very happy camper.

I also use RLT on my spine, my neck, my hands and my feet. It's very relaxing and comforting. I used it on my dog for the first time this morning and he loved it!

@SchippyLuv

I see that there's quite a range in price for Red Light Therapy devices, including a reasonably priced one at Walgreens ($66.99). The reviews on that one are pretty good. What kind do you have?

"Breathe in, breathe out, move on." Jimmy Buffett