Update on my knee pain

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Hi guys and gals. Just thought I'd give you an update after seeing my gp yesterday

I mentioned to him about stem cell therald, but unfortunately it's not available here

on the nhs here in the uk and probably won't be for a good few years yet. So that's

out the window (unless I won the lottery and can pay privately).So after a good chat

chat with him we've decided to jig my medication about as as we all know our

bodies get immune to things after a length of time. So he's taken me of my

amatryptatine on a night and replaced it with diazaapm,and also added citalopram

but has left the rest of my meds the same that being morphine tablets,

gabapentin 900mg 3x daily, ,fentanyl patches 50mcg to be worn for 3 days

then change and wear for another 3 days and so on, also lidocaine patches

that I wear every night. All thsee medication also help with my back and shoulder

problems. Previous xrays,scans, mri have indicated that I have wear and tear in

my knees and also the early onset of arthritis due to all the ops that I've had.

I think they use this wear and tear as don't really know for sure. It's being on going

now like I've said in previous messages since I was 18,now 42,so as u can

imagine I'm rather fed up to say the least. However my gp is now booked me

in for blood tests to see if I have fibromyalgia as I'm showing more and more

symptoms for it. So will keep u all posted . Sorry For the rather long post.

2

Dear Debbs,

​I gulp at the list of pain meds you are taking for "re-onset arthritis" due to many other injuries to your knees in the past.  Or maybe I didn't read your previous posts.  I'm sorry. I must state that i am not medical trained, just an old cranky lady with many years of knee pains, back pains, etc. I even suspect that I, too, may have Fibromyalgia or chronic body pain.  But, gosh, to have all of those strong pain meds prescribed by a GP without a definitive diagnosis?  I take GP  to mean a kind of primary doctor or generalist who oversees your whole health  and some of them are terrific, but since you are only 42 and have a lot of life ahead for you, it is strange for me to read that you are in need of that much meds for knees.  I would go forth immediately to a doctor who specializes in fibromyalgia or to an ortho doctor who  can give you some definite course of action to inprove .  Pain meds just block the pain from your brain. Wthout that pain, you won't know what is damaged or needing repair so that some good doctor can target a treatment plan to fix it.

​Stem cell therapy is not covered by insurance in the US, bu works very well in knees for certain conditons only.  If it would help me, I gladly would have saved up to pay for it, but alas, no.  I know of an old guy at the senior center who is boucing around like a teenage who had it done at a qualified institution and has his cartilege repaired and the ragged bones all smoothed over, so it worked for him.  But at my Medical center here in my valley in the US, they don't do stem cell therapy. In my non-medical background opinion.....they threw out the baby with the bath water. It would work for some people, but not all.  There are places that do it all in one day- regular stem cell industries- that just take cells out of your fat abdomen and put it in your knee.  They don't even check to see if the cells are viable and are truly stem cells.  So you have to be very careful about that kind of therapy and who is giving it to you.

​I wish you luck in your journey to get better.  That starts with a qualified doctor who has your total health history and who will work with you to get better without so many crutches and aids. I do feel your pains. But you don't have a good plan to go forward.

​Crossing fingers and trying to push you forward.

3

Hi o'conner.The reason I'm on so many meds is due to all the

procedures and operations that I've had on my knees. It started

at 18yrs old which originally they put it down to growing pains. Fast

forward a few years and still in pain which is when I had my first

arthroscopic op, then a few years later another one. I've since had

tens machine, acupuncture, ligament releases, injections directly into

my knee, had my leg broken and realigned then bolted in place, however

that moved and was protruding through my skin so that was to be

removed. I've had a tournacane put around my ankle tightened and

my foot injected to help the pain. Had my bones shaved to stop it grinding

Bone on bone. All of these over seen by my consultant. I've seen numerous

consultants over the years in different hospitals. Due to all this

invasive ops hence the onset of arthritis. Also I have hypersensitivity

down the right side of my knee. Sometimes it feels like someone

is pouring hot liqued inside my knee. My gp has now arranged

for me to be tested for fibromyalgia which he thought I had been.

So with my consultants awareness is how we've got to this level

of medication. It is not like I've gone to see him and he's said

here you go take these tablets, not at all I've tried creams so many

different tablets I've forgotten. There was talk at one stage of

putting a pacemaker type thing into my back to send currants to

my leg to ease the pain, but because I have shoulder and back

problems they said most likely this would intenseafie the pain in

them so not beneficial to me. So to get to where I'm at now has

taken years of trial and error. They won't do a tkr or pkr as they say

I'm to young, my argument surely be more beneficial to me now so

I can get some quality of life back. I can't sit, stand or walk for too

Long as the pain is horrendous I can only drive short distances

due to the horrendous pain it causes me. So there is a bit more

for people to get a better understand of my condition. Long

worded but there you go.

4

Dear Debbs,

​Oh my goodness!  You could write a book about knee and leg injuries and maybe the doctors would learn a thing or two. You have been through it all and then some!  I clearly did not know of your background, being new to the forum. I guess i am looking for red flags in young people, myself being a lifelong teacher and quite old, and trying to help them think things out.  I recently encountered some patients who were just being shuttled through our medical system by being given massive doses of pain killers but not given a treament plan, etc.  Perhaps that is because they did not have insurance and there was no money to be made from those procedures. (Yes, I do have those thoughts sometimes).  So they were sent away, not complaining anymore, but hardly cured.  And a  friend, a marvelous doctor, now far away from me is now up for trial in October 1 st, charged by the Federal Gov't of my country for prescribing too many opiods to patients without adequate exam and followup. She was always a good doctor, but when approaching reitrement decided to change her spinal practice to just giving out pills.  Unfortunately 2 young people overdosed and now she will be imprisoned for years. In my country and even with my own internist, I have to account for every pill I take that is a Structure 2 and Structure 1 opiod. My spine is ruined by years of injury and scoliosis and I am too old for dramatic surgery so I am given these tablets to use with caution and accountability. I would be angry if I thought that the same doctor was doing the same with a younger person. This is where I was coming from.  My country makes a patient have to show up in person and receive a paper prescription to carry to a phamacist if the drug is Structure !.  And even then, there can be no refills until you make another trip to the doctor again. I believe our country is in a mess with its medical system and I fear it is not getting better.

​You are on top of your medical issues and it seems that you have a doctor who is apprised of your history and has some plan for your future treatment. Where you will go with all your pain is another story.  I just read or heard that "Chronic Pain" is now being considered a real condition in medicine. It has something to do with certain parts of the brain and the sensory abilities of those parts. I wish I had listened well to be able to explain it better.  Anyway, it took years for them to acknowledge Fibromyalgia which they used to call, "Empty Nest Syndrone" or something like that meaning that mostly middle age housewives and mothers whose kids were leaving home left them sad and empty, etc.  How this translates to real physical pain, I don't know, but they ignored that particular condition for years and years.  I hope that you are able to nail it down and get the help that you need.

​Wishing you all the best.

5

Hi o'conner. You could be right about the book writing lol. So which country are you in for this to happen to your Dr friend that's really awful for all involved. Thankfully here in the uk we have a free national health service. However of you can afford it we do have an private health care, but unfortunately that I can't afford. However we (my husband and i)have said if we could afford it I bet I wouldn't have had to go through everything that I've endured. I must admit I sometimes have felt that over the years I've not been believed. Which really riles me that was in the early days. My gp is fantastic we have a good rapour and always takes the time to listen to me. Like the other day when I went to see him id done alot of research on the net so aimed with my long list wet discussed my options hence the jig about with my meds and pending blood tests.

Nice to chat to you.

6

Yes, in the US the medical community has a great deal of control over the administration of pain meds.  It is believed that overprescribing by doctors has resulted in the public becoming addicted to opiods, etc. This flies in the face of all the illiegal drugs that cross our borders daily and enter the communities of folks who have difficult lives and are looking for relief. There may be doctors like my old friend who in an attempt to do good, may have crossed over the line of ethics and over-prescribed without adequate doctoring and followup. Now what I see is less and less "pain specialists" getting referrals from medical centers. Actually the pain specialists use a variety of treatments for patients and only resort to pain meds when necessary. It is a complex issue and for my part, I just keep a record of my use and can justify it at any time to any doctor with a pack of CD's and reports, etc. that demonstrate my misery.  I was once told by a doctor that he could order an MRI for my lower back chronic pain to show exactly where the pain was coming from by indicating with a red line or something.  But if there was a recommendation to do surgery or give a shot, etc., and I did not agree to that procedure, then my insurance (Medicare) would not pay for it.  Fortunately I am good at research and have a good memory for what I read and I challenged him on that fact. To begin with, none of us sufferers need an MRI to just point out where the pain is. And we are still free to travel with our medical "business" and go elsewhere for a second consultation before we have to actually do anything and then at that time, we may choose to do nothing.

​Well, that is just a glimpse of my version of our medical system as it affects me and you can see that our countries approach medical assistance in different ways.  But no matter where we all are, I would implore all of you to be pro-active on your own behalf and speak up loudly if necesary to get what you think you need. I can remember one doctor telling me some nonsense about my body and I stopped him and told him that I have lived with this body for 80 years and you can't tell me you know all about me in 8 minutes. Another ploy I'be used is too ask if the doctor who is about to refer me to a specialist is the actual one he would be sending his Grandma to for help.  You would be surprised how I get a different answer sometimes. You may not have that option, but it has worked for me.

​Debbs, you still have a lot of pain to accept in your bad leg ahead for you, but you seem to have the spirit and tenacity to follow through and still find life interesting and beautiful if you look for it.

​From across the pond, I truly wish you the best of times.