I have osteoarthritis in both knnes and right hip confirmed by xray. I think I have OA in my left hand and possibly my neck but haven't bothered to mention these to my GP. I had knee xrays about 8 months ago and again last week. I went to my doctors this morning to discuss the results. Unfortunately my GP died in November last year and since then I've seen four different doctors.. I also have polymyalgia and fibromyalgia. Today my doctor confirmed that both knees have deteriorated since my xrays last year. I am only 56 but am in such horrible pain and can only walk a very short distance that I asked to be referred to a specialist. She refused and said there was no point due to my age. I pointed out that I can't manage like this for another 10 or 20 years. Her response is that she will refer me for physio. I can't see how physio can stop bone on bone pain. Am I wrong? Is there any point in paying to see a specialist privately? I know that they don't want to replace knees too early as they don't last for ever but surely I should be helped to live a normal life for my age!!! I don't find painkillers any use except to help me sleep. The only thing that took all the pain away was the steroids for my polymyalgia but they cause more problems. Advice anyone please. Deb
Deborah, whether or not you ultimately get knee replacement surgery is NOT her call. It is a discussion you need to have with an orthopeadic surgeon. For her to deny your access to a specialist because of your age is a gross over reach on her part. I presume you need a referral for insurance reasons, correct? If so, I think you may need to hunt for a new GP again. If you see a specialist on your own, insurance may not cover your subsequent appts and surgeries. You'll need to get clarification from the insurance company. You are correct; a Physio cannot reverse or lessen the pain you feel resulting from bone-on-bone contact. Do you have an attorney friend from whom you can gain some free legal insight? The GP may change her mind if she recieves an "advisary" letter from your attorney.
Hi Deborah. Sorry to hear your suffering so much. Are you in the UK? Sounds like it! If so you can ask for a private referral to get some advice if you can afford the fee or have a policy which covers this as an extra to the NHS. I once asked for an orthopeadic referral and didn't even get to see a surgeon on NHS. I saw a physio therapist who said my problem was not severe enough for surgery yet and the surgeon did not see people unless it was! I was not given another appointment but later went back to GP who did refer me for physio. It did help to some extent, does not cure the osteo arthritis but strengthens the muscles and helped me walk better. I went to hydro therapy for several years until the local hydro pool was closed and this helped too. Things are very different here in the UK to USA health service so I don't think a lawyer, (attorney in US) will be of much use here in England. Physio seems to be the way they go now! Unfortunately, OA does tend to worsen with age, I have it in spine and most other joints now at 72. We have to find what suits us best as we're all different. Best wishes. Pollyanna.
Hello Deborah, Are you in the UK.? I have experience with Osteoarthritis and consultants, physiotherapists etc. Firstly i am 59 and i have had my left knee replaced twice, thou due to septic arthritis as a child it became necessary at the age of 39 then again at 52 whilst also having broken my leg. My other knee became a problem a couple of years ago and i was sent for pysio to have treatment which i cannot remember what it was called now, however that didn't work. My phsio wrote a letter stating that i needed to see a consultant and my GP said it wasn't up to the physio. I had already mentioned it on my last visit to see the consultant with my left knee about my right knee, he said get a referal and i will see you. Again my GP said i shouldn't have mentioned it directly to the consultant!! Anyway the GP said i needed to answer 20 questions of which i did and i scored the amount i needed to see a consultant.
Go back to see a different GP and insist that you want a referal to a consultant. A consultant is the one who decides what needs doing. It's getting past the GP that's the problem. GP's are now being asked to cut down on sending referals. In my opinion physio is not gong to help if you have bone rubbing on bone. You could ask about steriod injections if you cannot get past the GP. I did however get to see my consultant who wanted to do a partial knee replacement on the right knee, i have declined at the moment due to living alone, and having nerve pain in my left knee so feel i want to wait. However i have been offered steriod injections and i am going on Tues to try them. I have heard good results and also personally know of a couple of people that have had them. Mine are being done at the hospital because i am under the consultant. Most GP practices offer them. The only way is to get someone to listen so try a different GP. Age is inmaterial when you are in pain suffering. I also can only walk a few yards because of severe pain, my mobility is poor. Pain is debilitating. What medications do you take, you could ask for a reveiw of these. I remember years ago a GP refused me a consultant when i lost the ligaments in my groin, my tibia and fibia were misplaced. my leg was bowed and my knee was totally deformed, just before my first knee replacement. However years later i complained about this same GP for another reason, he was nasty and always mde me cry. and had the chance in a letter to ask him why he refused me a consultant years ago, he replied it was because of my age. I saw a different GP who without even examining me sent me to a consultant, this resulted in my first knee replacement aged 39. I would of been i a wheelchair otherwise.
Let me know how you get on.
Wishing you the best.
Elizabeth.
Hi, I agree sounds like you are in UK...
My experience with GP has also been hopeless unless you have private cover, when they are happy to refer you straight away (not on their budget). However, this is what i have done - dont know if it helps you or not but here goes:
1. Hands- went to see a hand surgeon - Chris Khoo in Maidenhead. He was fantastic. Immobilised for 3 months. Now entierly manageable. Just wear splint occasionally when typing or if doing something that is heavy. Dont need meds any more or anything. Really he was realistic but explained immolbilisation casued slow growing scar tissue to form to cushion the join and at least for me, has done trick. It cost me £250 for the appointment. Worth every penny.
2. Feet: went to very good podiatrist (£150) who made custom insoles (£400) to spread weight. 95% pain free a year later. Sometimes wear them, sometimes dont but the thing which helped me more were buying a pair of Sketchers Go Walk shoes. Anyway, 95% pain went and can cope easily.
3. Shoulders!! Seeing someone this week!
4. Knees and Hips: changed to softer mattress; changed diet, went to physio and started lots of stretching. Had tons of crepitus before and i kind of thought this cant go as its wear & tear and once its there, its there. But i appear to be wrong. 80% of crepitus gone, quite quickly after i started religiously doing exercises and stretches. Also took up one mutivit per day, one omega 3 per day, Gopo and radically changed diet. Dont know if any of this helped me or not - not sure what helped of any of this but basically i have a LOT LESS crepitus than i did have. Also took nurofen plus for 2 weeks to try and lower inflammation althought the packet says only take for 3 days so i cant recommend this but i thought if i could get rid of inflammation, then it would work...
5. Myalgic pain - had stupid itch - still have it a bit - on one spot under shoulder blade in lower back. Realised that if i didnt use laptop for a week and bent head to one side it went almost immediately so realised it was neck related. SO have just booked to see physio for neck!!
I basically gave up on NHS for OA and myalgia as no-one really knew what to do other than surgery. I kind of decided to take my fate into my own hands until such time i could not stand the pain. To my utter surprise MOST but not all of the pain has gone through exercise / diet / temprorary immobilisation. It might not work if you are too damaged but for example i thought crepitus could never go - but it largely has. I thought i was fit but discovered how unfit i was expecially in my core muscles (didnt even know they were there!). The core seems to hold all the bones inthe right places. I think my body was bio-mechanically wrecked and doing all the physio really helped me - i thought the physio was 5 star and happily pay her to help me. So the only 2 people who helped me were the hand surgeon (who treated me without surgery) and the physio and my own mind was determined to try everything before resporting to surgery. Incidentally a knee replacement is about £14k! I;d give it your best shot and give it 6 months to see if you can improve by yourself and physio and diet and core etc etc. I'm amazed it works for me - if i relapse all the pain seems to come back - but frankly, it des seem to work.
Hi Deborah. Couple of issues here - I agree with other comments that it's not for your GP to 'call' on whether you need urgent surgery, it's for an ortho surgeon to assess so you definitely need a referral - dont pay privately, you are entitled to such under the NHS. Secondly, whilst it was always the case that they would delay the 'first' joint replacement as long as poss., as the artificial joints had a limited lifespan and there was also a limit on how many times they could be renewed. Modern joint replacement techniques are vastly improved and the 'shelf life' of new joints is now much much longer. In any case, your mobility and pain issues now at age 56 are far more critical than say when and if you get to about age 80 and have run out of options. Next - physio does often help a great deal. I had to literally BEG for physio after a major accident destroyed cartilage in my ankle joint and caused OA. I waited over a year for it but when I finally did get physiotherapy it helped enormously to strengthen the joint and both ease the pain and get me walking properly again. Ankle joint replacement isn't as advanced as knee/hip etc., so I don't have the same options unfortunately.
Lastly, I really really sympathise regarding the pain, particularly the Poly and fibro pain - I too have developed fibro and now my neck also has OA and the pain is quite sickening at times. I agree re steroids, they provided me with temporary relief but caused other nasty issues so I ditched them. Have a look at natural anti inflammatory foods/supplements - ginger is wonderful for inflammatory pain, as is curcumin (found in small amounts in turmeric - but buy the concentrated version in capsule form instead). I drink ginger tea and also rub ginger on the joint and it really really helps.
Upshot is - DEMAND an appointment with an ortho, it's your right. The surgeon will explain the available options to you by assessing your current needs not some unknown 30 years down the line vague possibility of being disabled.
Good luck hon and a big gentle hug. xx
I don't believe what I am reading, although perhaps I do know because my doctors were a bit like that, you are too old, and give you painkillers. Absolutely diisgusting - you can complain as Deborah is saying but if you do (would it be thr PCT - I would put on the bottom cc: a newspaper or whoever you think would llike the information) I paid £100 both in England and 100€ in Spain to see a surgeon I don't have private insurance, plus anyone of my age 73 wouldn't have private insurance anyway. Its not so expensive but we shouldn't have to do it. I am absolutely disgusted and I would complain to your PCT (if you are english) I guess that Deborah is in America but I think one of these insurance companies that put in claims would be the right people, a solicitor in England wouldn't do such a complaint.
I have in the 6 years I have been here, found out that if you demand, you may get somewhere. The Spanish don't muck about - if they want an appointment at the hospital they tell the doctor to give them a referral not chit chat - perhaps you are like me, I remember the last time I went to an English doctor and she sat down and told me all about her son who had reading difficulties. I mean I went in there with 3 prolapsed discs. Do I really want to hear her problems.
It does need thinking about. I went to change doctors and the doctor asked why I wanted to change doctors and I told them and they chat to each other and I had to go back to the same doctor because the doctor I was hoping would take over my medical records chatted to her over the phone.
Deborah is also right about bones, you could ask about having a bone scan though. Its quick and tells you about your bone density. Although I had one in England before I came here and they said I was OK, in Spain I wasn't so I take vitamin D every day (twice a day at first) I'm a lot older than you and I think the same, what am I going to do in future. I went shopping today and by the time I found what I wanted I couldn't try the clothes on because of such pain.
I am sure that the doctors are over worked but I don't think its right that they should say that to you. I certainly wouldn't go to another doctor in that practice I would pay to go to a private doctor.
There are exercises you can do but doubt that they would make a lot of difference but the vitamin D sounds the first port of call as you do have X Rays be interesting what a private doctor would say.
Just another point, what medication are you taking. Mine does tone the pain down but I don't want to go onto morphine etc. so have to stick at it. i go for a long walk to tire myself out but you can't do that either. I think its something for a doctor!!! Hope you get some satisfafcion, let us know how you grt on.
I didn't know you could ask for a private referral. Thats good information.
Honestly I only thought it was me who had treatment like you two. I understand that knees do need to be absolutely bad to have them operated on but did they say, come back in such and such a time, then you would know that there WAS something they could do I agree, about the difference between the UK and USA but then the USA have private insurance, but when as young ens paid into the State Health system we thought that we were going to receive adequate treatment. I have it in the spine also, and its no joke - i have now got 3 prolapsed discs and fingers and one or two toes, its not nice getting older especially when you have a crap doctor. I'm 73 - well nearly - I walk when I can but since last yr have to space walking - 3 days to get over it lol. I agree, we have to do whats best, but I am damned if I will go into a wheelchair yet as I was told by 1 surgeon 10 years ago. We never know about other peoples' health do we? I do yoga which is brilliant and its very slow and precise and if you can't do anything you just rest. Best of luck everyone
Hello Deborah I have had osteoarthritis in my lower back for 23 years, just this week have been diagnosed with it in my hands wrists left shoulder and left arm, I have pain most places, I had some physio but was discharged because no more could be done for me. I do swim when I can, sometimes I take naproxen tramadol and codeine plus hot water bottle. Doctors here in the uk don't want to refer people with arthritis. I am not sure what they can do anyway. I do get a lot of inflammation in my knuckles but I try to keep them moving and rub cream into them. I would love to have one day without pain that is what I wish for, hope you get some relief soon x
Thank you all for your replies. I am in the UK as some of you gathered. I don't have private health insurance but have a tiny bit of help from a policy I pay £14 a month for which would pay up to £100 towards seeing a consultant privately. I have spoken to my sister who works on out patients at our local hospital who told me that if the physio feels that she cannot help after trying a varietyof tratments she (the physio) can refer me to an ortho consultant. I take dihydracodein before bed (I can't use it during the day as it makes me drowsy) and codeine and paracetamol during the day. I can't take anti inflammatory meds as I've previously had two stomach ulcers. It's so humiliating when I stand up after sitting and stagger and limp..I look like flipping quasimodo! My mother was like this but she was76 and she says she wasn't in as much pain as I am. The doctor also mentioned that as I am diabetic and taking steroids that would go against surgery too. The reason I'm diabetic is because of the steroids!!!!! 0
Hi Deborah,
I had to go down the physio route for my hip, but I went along with it and my physio was a great help in getting me a referral. I am older than you but age shouldn't come into it if it's bone on bone, They're not going to get any better but you may find a physio is more sympathetic than your GP.
Cels x
You could ask for a meds review. I cannot take anti inflammatories either. There are more specific drugs for arthritis now. I take Naproxen and Amitriptyline to help me sleep. I was on codeine untill recently. Also take Cocodamol.If you have been on the same combination of drugs for a while they can start to have less effects on the pain. You could also ask to be referred to a pain clinic who would sort your meds for you.
Hello Deborah
My doctor told me I was getting old hows, that for professional opinion ? Of course I found a new doctor, she took me seriously, I had an MRI that showed I had spinal stenosis. Also, I have OA in my right knee and left hand. For the last four weeks I have been having injections at a pain clinic. They are low dose but I am having less pain and can now go up & down stairs in a normal fashoin. The injections are known as 0.25% naropin here in Canada. I have the injections either side of my spine and cautizone injections for my knee every three months. The pain clinic say I may not need surgery down the road. I go to aquafit five days a week and also use an exercise bike. My exercise is helping to overcome shortness of breath, last year I was told I need to exercise more so that's what I'm doing. I've cut down on those nasty pain killers that destroy your liver according to my physio, I'm sure he is right.
Alpine
GP's are now being asked to cut down on sending referals.- is it worth it coming back to the UK !!!
It makes me really cross to read these messages. Yes we do have a right to be referred and we shouldn't have to pay to see another dr or surgeon but if you are in pain what else can you do. We all seem to be of similar health issues, I had the good luck to know spanish people and through them I got my first appointment but the lady took me to the GP and very very firmly said that I needed to see a surgeon. Mind its not done any good as the surgeon said because of scar tissue he wouldn't operate.
But there is good advice on here and some I have made a note of. I put the referral back from the surgeon to the pain clinic and got an appointment next week so thats fairly quick. The dr at the pain clinic speaks excellent English too. I am not sure what one dr put into my thigh but it was the best I had, 4 injections in one side and 3 in the other - brilliant it lasted at least a year. I don't know how much these philes take so will just have to see how i go. Physio in England, I went 3 separate times and I think they thought that I was putting it all on, it wasn't offered after that.
Some of these medications by the way - you need to drink plenty of liquid, I've had to go to hospital twice since I was here in Spain and in both cases I wasn't drinking enough but i think the water dilutes the medications in the stomach. I used to drink tea with ginger but somehow got out of the habit but there is some in the fridge so will give it a go again.
It just proves one thing thought, drs are the same whichever country you live in but I have to say that Spain has been the best and there are a lot of British people here who won't go back to England because of the excellent treatment. The last government made us pay a contribution towards our medication and they have been chucked out so we don't pay anything. However, my dr would only give me 1 pazital 3 times a day - not enough so I have to buy the extra, 3.50€ so its not much. But.. The British Government pays Spain £2,000 a year for us pensioners towards our medical care. There is an underlying fear now that people might vote for us coming out of the EEC which would mean that it would be very difficult for us to live in Spain, i.e. pensions, we would be immigrants etc. etc. So watch this psace
Thank you and Deborah for everyone who has contributed towards the conversations and help.Brilliant
Hi, where did you get your advise regarding diet. I have awful osteoarthritis in my right hip. I am only 39, I do regular hydro, have started cycling and am trying to build up my core. I have been told a hip replacement is my only option. I've had steroid injections a few weeks ago and I have found a positive difference. It's stopped me taking so many pain killers.
Any information regarding diet would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks a million.
Triona
Hi Trixybelle. I got do fed up that i spent about a month full time on Google Scholar surfing reports from all over the world and read at least 500 articles all over the internet. I made a list of anything and everything anyone said they reacted to. Then i made a grid of all fruit veg nuts and seeds and what was in them to ensure i got everything the body needs reguarly. Then i decided this is what i;d wast for 12 weeks to see if it made a difference to me: Fish, Fruit, Veg exc nightshades, seeds, nuts. Then went to the bookshop and bought a load of books on different ways to do veg so i didnt get bored and a couple of vegan ones. Basically, i cut out dairy, gluten, meat sugar i.e. pretty much everything for 12 weeks and radically increased the amount of fruit and veg i ate. so for example, for breakfast i;d have oats / gluten free muesli with at least 4 different fruits chopped up on top of it, with almond milk. I alternated so one day i;d have muesli or porridge with e.g. a berry day : strawbs, raspberries, blueberries, grpes and then then next day i;d have same but with pineapple, mango, kiwi and banana. etc. Then for lunch i'd have salad and for dinner i;d have fish (done a million different ways) with veggies and i learnt to cook veggies a lot of different way. Was never hungry and after week 1 found it easy actually. Lost 8 kilos in a month, felt years younger and i also took up swimming as i could not walk very well without pain to start with. I did exclude nightshades as a lot of people have issues with them as they all have a certain chemical in that some people seem to react to (the nightshades are tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines and pappers.). I would say on a normal day i had about 10 different fruit and veggies as i tried to ensure that my body wasnt defficient in anything at all!! Gradually, with the swimming and diet i kind of got better - i really never thought the crepitus would go - i creaked all over - but it did. I dont know if it was the diet or not but it kind of worked. After 12 weeks i started to add things back in to see if tha pain came back. I dont actually think i am allergic ot anything particularly but i do notice a difference on dairy & tomatoes. I still dont eat much of this (which i loved before). I do eat chicken and fish now and very occasionally (maybe once a month, red meat). I personally have not found that meat was an issue for me (others have). THe things which seem to set me back are gluten, tomatoes, dairy, too much sugar. I am not actually sure if i got a lot better because i suddenly made sure my body got all the vits and minerals it needed to operate properly or if something caused inflammation. Basically, the bottom line is that inflammation is incredibly bad and sets off lots of complex chamical reactions within the joints. WHilst all doctors say its wear and tear, it isnt really... the cartilege starts to break down due to a chemical reaction and at some stage it got inflammation. The 3 main 'cures' the medics are working on for arthritis are a) stem cells to replace the cartilege b) chemical drugs which turn off the infalammatory response so the cartilege doesnt degrade c) an implant in the neck which enables a magnet to turn off the vagus nerve to turn off inflammation. Thus i kind of thought if i can control the inflammation by taking some anti-inflammatories short term whilst giving my body all the vits and mins and ensuring that the anti-oxidants work, then i might have a chance. I discovered for example that brazil nuts have a substance that enables anti-oxidants to work, more so tan any other nut - and you only need 3 a day so i eat 3 brazil nuts a day - which might seem a bit nutty but i thought why not give it a go, you have nothing to lose. Only eat 3 as thats all you need and they have 33 cals in each!! Discovered pineapple and cherries are also really briliant for you, which i didnt know before and all sorts of other interesting things like e.g. apples and pears are best eaten together as pears have a substance that allows the good stuff in apples to work better; garlic is better chopped and allowed to rest for 10 mins before using as the enzymes start to work etc. I basically now go to Lidl (or Waitrose as thats all i have round here) and buy some of every veggie and fruit for the next fortnight and mix them all up. I really eat tons more fish now.
The interesting thing is that it did actually change my good cholesterol significantly; it also got rid of most of my cellulite (but that took 9 months to work). I just feel a lot younger and my hips knees and feet just gradually got a lot better. The swimming has knackered my shoulders a bit so i am seeing a physio for that - its a known issue if you swim too much without strong core as you dont roll enough doing front crawl. Anyway i am hopefull of getting a good result. I think my posture was all wrong as well. I am not weird or anything - i just thought i can give up or determine to try everything possible to see if i can alter this. Then i went to see the 3 doctors working on cures rather than pain killers. I've now set up a resarch programme to see if we can track the triggers that set it off. Thing is every GP asks a different set of questions so really hopeless for researchers so we are piloting a questionnaire for everyone in a few surgeries, so that we have a common set of answers to see if we can peice anything together.
Good luck.... dont give up, cos you are too young. I think i was also lucky as i dont think i have OA genes in my family. Some people have bad genes which you cant really do anything much about - but normally in hands. I honestly think if you catch it early enough you can get better or at least make it manageable. I also find if i dont exercise literally every day, then the pain comes back again... if i sit around too much then the pain comes back... i may be wrong but i kind of think the joints need the right vits and mins and need exercise to lubricate them. If too much cartilege has gone, then none of this may help. But i;d give it a go. The other thing is that the stem cell cures wont be too far away for hips so i'd try everything before hip replacement at 39 as within 5 years stem cells will be able to re-grow the cartilege... already on test in phase 3 real clinical trials in UK on knees but getting better all the time so i'd try everything at your age as you wont be too old before stem cells or other cure coudl take over from hip replacements. Not tomorrow but cant imagine it will be more than 5 years... massive advances being made all the time in this area now. Anyway, give it a go and see if it helps...
I've heard of the brazil nuts (dash we don't grow them in spain) and I have heard tomatoes are bad for you. I can try the fruit though, we have such a wide range Its a pity someone at Uni couldn't actually do a statistic/paper on this, what about trying them out. Its not the time of year now but come the new year, September/October we should try. I have the genes unfortunately. I haven't told anyone this but when I was about 11 you know when the nurse used to come round and inspect us, fleas, nits etc. I somehow got an appointment to go and see this specialist in the Health Department and I bunked off. Now I think they must have spotted something anyway its my fault. As I have said, my daughter and mother were the same but I think that you forgot one thing Vitamin D. Not sure where you get it from but when I came to spain thats the first thing I was put on even though i'd had tests in Englanf, it wasn't enough. However, I read that you can have too much D so have left it off until I see the pain clinic.Don't each much of the nightshades actually because of my weight problem with medication. But it was interesting what you did, however, what do you do when there are other people that eat with you.....
thats what I am asking for when i go to pain clinic. It made a hell of a difference to me too. Only the UK don't believe in giving big injections, I am not sure how many injections you are allowed in the UK but in Spain I had 4 in one thigh and 3 in the other, thats probably why I put on such a lot of weight but gradually now the weather is good we are out walking nearly every day untik the hot weather comes and that will probably undoe everything I have worked for. Can't cycle and nor can I swim so that out lol. Walking is best for me because we see such a lot of things in the countryside........
Hi, I would not worry about vitamin D is you live in spain - 20minutes in the sun is all you need to create enough for the day. Otherwise oily fish is a good source so i would think in Spain you would not be short of Vit D.
When cooking for my family, i give them lots of fish and veggies for the main meal and i often roast meat or chicken for them and then pop in a fish for me 10 minutes before the end of the meat, so really not a problem. I do eat chicken now. I just dont eat the potatoes they do but not an issue as i normally do lots of vegetables for any main meal. are all much healthier now too - really the only thing they miss out on are pies and quiche but sometimes i buy them one from M&S! The children eat the same as us. its not an issue...if we go out there are always tondsof veg and fish or chicken is on most menus. If we go to Pizza Express then the kids and husband have pizza (realy treat for them!) but i choose their salads... which are super actually. I dont really know why it works - and it did take a while, it gradually got better... maybe i lacked something that was key or maybe i just get a lot more nutrients now. I sprinkle seeds on most things now; really cant go wrong increasing and varying your fruit and veg. The other thing i did was see a hand surgeon as i had terrible painful nodules on my fingers. He immobilised them for 3 months - which is unusual - but the pain went and whilst it has taken a year, the last nodule has nearly disappeared - only i woudl know it was there. He explained that immobilisation of the hand meant scar tissue had a chance to grow (its very slow growing) between the joints which acts to protect the joint. I was really surprised the nodules have gone - but they did take months to go. Also i did this as soon as they started to appear so maybe i halted whatever was happening. I dont know if this will work if you have bad genes but i;d give it all a go as you have little to lose. The worse thing that can happen is that you will lose weight and get healthier so i kind of 'went for it'. Good luck to you.. xx
Hi sparkle. Yes, I am out in the sun every day but the point of taking Vit D was that England said I was fine (and the scan really I couldn't see anything wrong) but my dr sent me for another scan and it said I needed vit D but I have heard you can take too much vit D so that will be an issue I will be taking up when i see the pain clinic dr. We are surrounded by orange groves so I always drink pure orange juice and eat satsumas, manderins etc. and we have 2 trees growing in the garden. There are tons and tons of fruit here so never without it. I've never had a scan since so don't know what the density is. But my nails are really strong - I was a bit scared actually because if I still have bone spurs do they grow more with doses of Vit D. We hardly ever have a cold and if we do, its a silly thing that you can't really call a cold. We are out in the fresh air nearly every day, gardening, walking and discovering the historic countryside. Nodules do you mean Dupuytren's contracture, I thought once you had it you had to have an operation in the end. If its this, I have it on my left hand but it doesn't bother me, no pain or anything. Lose weight, how do you do that lol. Lyrica is known for putting weight on and so are cortisone injections but they take the pain away - its difficult, I try and eat the right things, we have fish twice a week, and exercise (and I exercise to the extreme that when I walk, I am absolutely knackered and in terrible pain - I just have to get home to sit down) otherwise i do yoga which is fine. Never usually eat pastry but my partner cooks as I am incapable of standing for long, bless him, he even mops the floor and hoovers. We tend to eat chicken. There are enormous chicken houses over here you can tell the chicken from the pig hiouses lol.... I love it here but we have never been able to sell our property to buy a bigger one and have 2 sets of furniture. Probably just as well because if England comes out of the EEC we will be illegal immigrants and we don't know what will happen to the tax situation and our pensions. A bit scarey. So we may be looking to go back home - as is most English people over here. The forums over here - people are all asking about benefits - You want to see the fruit that is wasted over here, citrus fruit all on the ground wasted. 8 wheeled trucks full of fruit being carted off. Terrible waste. All the best and thanks for the chat and I am sure you are going the right way with food.