Can anyone contact me who have the same problems please? Fatigue seems to connect with inflammatory arthritis but I have not been diagnosed with it, only(!!!) osteo but, fatigue has a great part in my life and I would like to know if if anyone has the same symptoms
How did you get oesteoarthritis, via ulcerated colitis or injury or ware and tear? I'm always tired, I can't do a lot as the pain drains me. Are you in a lot of pain? Are you on a lot of pain killers?
Hi I agree with the comments made by Lindsay being in a lot of pain is very wearing and can make you very tired. It is true that Fatigue is usually connected to R A but I have O A and get very tired too as the pain gets me down as I can't do as much as I would like. You don't mention your age but have you had any blood tests recently to check for anaemia or thyroid problems etc as they can make you very tired. Hope you feel better soon. All the best to you.
I have also had fatigue since having recently been diagnosed with osteo. I can only guess it is because I have not been able to be as active as I usually am and not being able to walk as often, very frustrating though, the less I do the worse I feel! Hope you feel better soon.
Oh yes fatigue seems to go hand in hand with osteo.
as with any inflammatory disease... Rest, exercise and knowing UR limitation helps & daily coping techniques...
Hi Jane am 43 and have oa it does make me tired, i think some of it is the medication with me thou and not being able to do much around the house and walking is terrible, go back to the doc and have tests . Hope you get some relief x
I have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis with an inflamatory element plus fibromyalgae. Four years ago I was taking large doses of Naproxen and paracetamol I felt tired and demotivated. However, by chance I met an enlightened physiotherapist who has changed my life, not I might add on the NHS. Now I only take the occasional paracetamol tablet. My mobility and balance have improved and I no longer feel constantly tired. Don't despair there is help out there you just have to find it.
Hi, what is her name and where is she based? I'm sure we'd all like to know. All I've done is cry today from pain, I still have to work, I don't get sick pay, and everything takes so long waiting around for blood tests. Why is it the pain is a hundred times worse during your menstrual cycle!
Hello jane71998....I have Osteoarthritis....it is so so painful, it is in my back, hips, knees, shoulders....oh ear, I sound like a hypacondiac!! ( if you spell it like that?!) I am tired ALL THE TIME too....I don't know if it's part of it, I guess it could be, pain wears you out and makes you very irritable into the bargain!!
Joking aside, the pain is almost unbearable, I just keep going! I have had it now for 35 years, it started when I was pregnant with my son, who is now 34!! Apparently, he was pressing on my Sciatic nerve all the way through, the pain was so bad that I was sent to the top orthopaedic surgeon at the time, who advised me not to have any more babies because of it... over the years, I have gained weight and now I have osteoarthritis...and painful it is too! I don't take any medication, can't cope with side effects, my GP said he didn't blame me either! But, I honestly don't know how much longer I can cope !! I am in CONSTANT pain...it effects every area of my life, and all I say every time I move is " Ooh me back ! I must get on everyone's nerves? I get on my own nerves....!!!
Don't mean to go on, just thought I would add my moan about oseoarthritis!!
One day we may be able to help each other?!!
For now,
Best wises to you.
Hi Jane, just picked up on your post whilst trying to find help for my osteo arthritis issues. I have arthritis in a couple of areas, one location due to a major accident that destroyed all the cartilege in the joint. I've been told on follow up surgical visits that I have arthritis both in that joint and now elsewhere. Chronic fatigue is definitely a symptom of arthritis in all its forms. I couldn't understand why I was waking up tired, being tired all day and falling into bed at night utterly exhausted, even on days when I hadn't over exerted myself. My GP advised me that it's connected to the arthritis but didnt say whether it was specifically related to any given form, just that arthritis by its very nature is an auto immune issue and thus causes fatigue. He recommended non impact exercise (eg swimming) as this increases cardio vascular fitness and increases the benefits to the body's immune system. I only manage to get to the local pool two to three times a week but although it's very tiring just after swimming, the following day I am much more alert and awake and a lot less tired. He also said to make sure my diet included foods providing plenty of B vitamins, as they increase stamina but he very specifically said this should come from food and not to take supplements. He advised me to reduce my caffeine intake too as this gives a short lived boost but then followed by a significant 'slump' in energy which can make you feel worse. Unfortunately for those of us suffering from arthritis, fatigue will be a continual problem but I've followed my GP's advice and I really do feel a lot better if I stick to it. The pain from arthritis is also a very large contributing factor, when mine flares up it's really exhausting coping with continual pain but the above advice helps with that too. Hope this helps
Hi catsmother. I've just posted elsewhere on these forums to try to get help in coping with arthritis without continually taking anti inflammatories which cause me terrible side effects, including but not only, stomach upsets and chronic headaches. I'm sick to death of taking handfulls of pills just to be able to get out of bed or do the most basic of things. A very helpful lady who has arthritis and an auto immune disease posted a reply giving advice about various foods known to have anti inflamm properties, so I'm going to research dietary methods. Reducing weight does have an extraordinary effect on pain levels too as obviously it relieves the pressure on the joints but also reduces fat levels around internal organs which will help the body naturally fight pain. As I've posted in replay to Jane, my GP told me to try swimming as its low impact and the water supports the body weight so no added pressure to joints. Even if you're a non swimmer, just bobbing around in the shallow end getting exercise which we otherwise probably couldnt manage has given me fantastic help. I go along at lunch time in between the schools sessions and meet a whole bunch of people with physical issues (ie elderly, disabled, overweight, etc) who all say the benefits are huge. We all have a natter and a giggle too, I keep saying I probably exercise my jaw muscles more than the rest of my body 
Worth a try.
Hello Loxie,
Many thanks for your reply, this Osteoarthritis does seem to bug many of us doesn't it? I am happy really that I now know it is the reason I am so tired all the time!
It is a relief I must say.
Happy to know someone with so much knowledge. 
Unfortunately I cannot swim niether can I learn now because of my foot problems! Long story! 
But I will get on looking on the dietry side,
I did love your comment about you probably exercise your jaw muscles more that the rest of your body!! 
It is a good job we're blessed with a sence of humour!
Again thanks for your help.
Take care and best wishes to you. x
Hi
I have OA in my ankle {accident...5 yrs ago} but before that I had and still do....have OA in both hips, lower spine, and neck {wear and tear as GP's call it} I've had 2 hip replacements and the last one in Jan....4 weeks later I fractured a bone {greater trochanter} which they can donothing about, they say it will heal itself. 7 and a half months later I'm still on 2 crutches
Thats beside the point. I've always been tired and had to push myself to do things but recently my legs have been very heavy and I'm finding it hard to put one foot passed the other.....a lot other joints as well.
Anyway...I had to see the orthopaedic consultant onMonday to do with the fracture and I mentioned the heavieness and he looked back at previous notes from GP's and after askinbg a few questions he said thats not just tiredness thats fatigue and its your bloods that are respeonsible.....like i say he was look ing back at GP's notes on the computer and he said your Vit D level is very low {I've been put on tablets since they discovered that} your iron levels are low {I'd just been prescribed iron} When he dictated a letter to the GP one of the thigs he said was he wanted my bloods monitored regularly that it was very improtant.
So thats my input about fatigue
Love
Eileen
Hi Eileen It's Carol here in Greater London. If I remember from when we were last chatting, you now have osteporosis. Whether that's to do with low vitamin D I don't know. If you remember I too take VITD3 and have osteopenia. They were orginally presecribed by gp. The consultant last year if I was not on VD then should be. Only thing now is my surgery won't prescribe any supplements Vitamins, iron etc. so I
have to now buy them myself. my gp says she would like to because of the osteopenia and what the consultant said, but the partners wont allow it. She had tried putting back on repeat but it is taken off before the prescription is issued. Cost cutting eh. Hope you feel better soon. Keep in touch Carolx
Quick question Eileen - if your GP notes contained information that your Vit D and Iron levels were low, was nothing said to you or done about it at the time? Why did it have to wait until someone else, ie the ortho, spotted it and acted upon it? These kinds of situations are really unacceptable to us the patients arent they.
Hi Carol
I remember 
I didnt take Vit D3 when I had osteopinia....well just shortly before I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and that was only because I asked for a Vit d test
Its all cost isnt it?
What about going back to the consultant again and saying that she wont do what he is asking her to do?
My iron is very low {anaemic} so she has just put me on iron tablets. I saw the consultant at the beginning of the week and he said the fatigue was due to my bloods.....Vit D being low, Iron being low and a few other things....when he dictated the letter to her he said he would like all these monitored regularly....not sure what regularaly is?
I get copy letters so when I get that letter the next time I see her I'll ask her how often its going to be done. I know he did ask her to prescribe water tablets {because I got a copy letter} she didnt and I asked her why and she said she didnt believ in them
In London you shouldn't have to buy them your self. Like I say try ringing the consultants secretrary {I find they are helpful} and tell her and ask her if she can pass it on to the consultant and what should you do
I cant get in touch with my consultant directly but if I ring the secretary and ask about something she emails him then rings me back with the answer
Love
Eileen
Hi Loxie
The order it happend in was......I heard on another forum about low Vit D and how we {people with arthritis} should be tested but it wasnt a normal thing. So I went to the GP asked her for a Vit D test please....she looked amazed and said Why? I want to know if the level is OK or if it is low. After a bit of "I dont know why" she did it, the tests came back low.
She did but me on a tablet and a once a week tablet as well.
Then I saw the consultant.....when I explained about the heavieness in my legs and body sometimes he said thats fatigue....then he looked at the bloods etc and said they are very low and asked me what I was on for them {not much} so thats when he asked {in a letter} that the GP monitor them regularly. To be fair I probably didnt mention the havieness to her...just pain. She is one of these GP's that says what thing {emphasis on singular} do you want to discuss today. I suppose that wasnt the most important thing.....the actual pain is. The at about 8mins into your appointment she is over at the door with her hand on the knob .......more or less.....goodbye...your time is up She doesnt actually say that aloud.
If I could see one of the other doctors in the practice I would but when you have multiple problems they like the one doc to see you all the time. I just happened to get stuck with her
Love
Eileen
We must have the same GP practice........!!! I actually got told by the practice that I must only discuss one ailment on each appointment. However, some things are directly related to others, particularly in the case of problems due to side effects, but not exclusively, so I fail to see the logic in not taking wholistic approach to one's overall health. The last time I visited the GP, this is the honest truth, they had started filling in the prescription form on screen before I even had my bum on the chair and I was in and out of the consulting room in four minutes flat. That pressure on me makes me anxious and I know I don't relate my symptoms logically etc., I always leave feeling tearful and in low spirits that the appointment didnt achieve what I needed it to. I go to a group practice and don't always get the opportunity to book the same doctor each time unless I want to wait over a month for an appointment and theyre all the same - under such time and cost pressure that's its a production line. Oh to have say half an hour with just one doctor to sit and calmly explain everything in logical detail
Hello, Yes I know what you mean each appointment is for 10 minutes only
and you cannot always explain your symptoms when everything seem related to something else, also side effects as you mention. I am lucky in that the gp I see is very patient I nearly always go over the time and feel a bit guilty about others waiting. You could try what I did I wrote down everything that was concerning me asked her to read it and she booked me a double appointment. It did help a bit but I still have a lot of unresolved questions. I always see her even if I have to book in advance.
Can you book on line either on the day or in advance, that's what I do. No point in phoning at 8am as they say, if you can through there will be none left. Hope you can get to speak to your gp and get a bit more time.
Take Care
Carol
Hi Loxie
They sound the same dont they?
The only thing is unless its an emergency I'm supposed to book an appointment with the one doctor {My doctor} so you just have to wait.
I could understand it a bit better if we were asking questions about completely different things. I have epilepsy {I never mention that becuase its well controlled with meds} but If I wanted to talk about epilepsy, then about arthritis, completely different thing that would be different......but anytime I go its all related, eg....pain/side effects etc
The other thing is she is against so many things.....The consultant at the hospital said he wanted me referred to a pain clinic and he would write and ask her to do it....he couldnt {something about funding etc} So I expected to hear from her about an appointment.......I got my copy letter where he had asked her to refer me to a pain clinic, I then got a telephone call. Make an appointment and come and see me!!!! I did and when I got there she said he wants you referred to a pain clinic....well its not worth it
They cant do what they think they can do through lack of funds etc etc so that was it she wasnt going to refer me.....I said I would like to go please....but I've just told you they are not much good...I would like to go.....if it doesnt work it doesnt work....so what.....but it might work.
By this time she is at the door ready to open it.....I just sat there didnt move an inch and she realised I wasnt going to so gave me a referral....choice of 3 hospitals on the form. I live in Northumberland, GP is in Northumberland, Hospital is in Northumberland and thats the one that wanted me referred....the 3 hospitals on the form were miles away, not in our helath authority, when I mentioned Northumberland she said no those are the only 3 we are allowed to refer you to. So I chose the closest.....got there and he looked at my notes and said Oh you're from Northumberland, out of our area you cant access all of our services unless your authority pay for them!!!!!!
I got home hopping mad.....rang Northumberland hospital and discovered they have a pain clinic there and she said why on earth wern't you referred here....ring her tell her to refer you or she can ring me and I'll tell her. I went to see the GP.....told her about Northumberland and she said {she is one of the highest docs in the group} I didnt know we could refer you there, I'll tell the other partners and secretarys......then she was over at the door again....I sat there....she said was there something else....yes please.....a referral to Northumberland.....You still want to go after all I've told you about pain clinics...YES so eventually I got there and they were a big help. It worries me that older people {I'm 68 
} or quieter people would just accept what they were told.
Something she asked at one appointment {I forget} and did I agree....I said yes thats fine....laughed and said I would argue with you if I didnt.
She smiled and said I know I remember the pain clinic.....well you got to go to two!!!!!!!!
The first one I spent a fortune on taxis cancelled an appointment for that day and had a wasted day and she has the cheek to say you went to two!
Sorry for the ramble
Love
Eileen