Join for free
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 > Last »
Susan68
Senior Member
Susan68 is offline
Up North, UK
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 198
Susan68 is female  Susan68 has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
23-07-2019, 09:17 AM
1

Arthritis

These last few winters it started with finger joints swelling, painful hands and stiff on getting up when temps drop under 10 degrees, this last winter knees were swelling too and more overall pain with the stiffness.

I don't want to be dependant on meds especially if there maybe a shortage due to brexit.

I use a CBD oil to help relax muscles so they're not as tight, use traumeel ointment as a muscle rub (as allergic to ibuprofen which is in most other OTC muscle rubs and anti-inflammatories).

I use magnetic bands for pain relief (Bioflow and one called You...something ankle band (they do fetlocks and dog collars too).

I take turmeric and black pepper capsules with a little bit of coconut oil every day to help with inflammation. Trying to do as much exercise as I can over summer when I usually get a brief respite in the hope it's not as bad this next winter.

Anything else anyone has found that has put their arthritis into remission or really reduced pain, swelling and stiffness levels?

I read if you catch it in early stages you have more chance of knocking it into remission and I'm trying to keep it mild so it doesn't trigger other medical issues I get.

Hoping to get through an entire winter without needing the wheelchair just to get round the house this year! (last winter had to spend a month bedbound as was so stiff pulled a muscle getting dressed which triggered a really bad sciatica attack, screaming out in pain any time I had to move a fraction!) ....could do without that again this winter
Zuleika's Avatar
Zuleika
Senior Member
Zuleika is offline
North West UK
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,311
Zuleika is female  Zuleika has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
23-07-2019, 11:22 AM
2

Re: Arthritis

Read your post with interest Susan because like you I’m dreading another winter of possible increased pain .
Have you been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis ?
My “attack” ,I call it this because of the suddenness of it’s arrival began on February 16th this year (although previously my spine and both hips were affected with arthritis but not intolerably so ) and like you was bed bound on and off .
My initial symptom was I couldn’t lift the kitchen kettle ,my upper arm and fingers so stiff and painful ,(had to resort to using my travel kettle) and it seemed like a vicious element was at work throughout my body attacking first this joint then that including ankles and lattterly a knee and sciatica .The stiffness trying to get out of bed was another factor that hadn’t affected me previously .
This has continued mainly I expect because despite the pain reducing me to tears at times I’m hoping it will burn itself out .

I consider you’re worse off because you say you had to use a wheelchair around the house while I rely on a walking stick ,couldn’t move a step without it now.
I don’t think there’s anything that can improve what you’re doing quite frankly .
Roxy's Avatar
Roxy
Chatterbox
Roxy is offline
Caithness.
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 7,592
Roxy is female  Roxy has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
23-07-2019, 11:49 AM
3

Re: Arthritis

I don't know if you've tried these or not but a lady recommended them to me a long time ago and they are excellent and I have almost returned to a pain free life. Health Shops keep them and they are not expensive, this bottle was under £7, and at one a day will last for 3 months. But Supermarkets sometimes have them and you need to be careful if you think of getting them there as they are usually in a mix with other pills and your best to use the Gluosamine Sulphate heavy dose on it's own. You don't get an immediate improvement but within a couple of months you'll know if they are going to help you.

I also in the past have given one a day to my elderly dogs should they show signs of sore joints and so far it's always helped them. It was the local Vet who told me it was ok to do this.


Attached Thumbnails (Click to enlarge)
Click image for larger version

Name:	IMG_20190723_113829.jpg
Views:	63
Size:	33.9 KB
ID:	10339  
Susan68
Senior Member
Susan68 is offline
Up North, UK
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 198
Susan68 is female  Susan68 has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
23-07-2019, 01:08 PM
4

Re: Arthritis

Originally Posted by Zuleika ->
Read your post with interest Susan because like you I’m dreading another winter of possible increased pain .
Have you been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis ?
My “attack” ,I call it this because of the suddenness of it’s arrival began on February 16th this year (although previously my spine and both hips were affected with arthritis but not intolerably so ) and like you was bed bound on and off .
My initial symptom was I couldn’t lift the kitchen kettle ,my upper arm and fingers so stiff and painful ,(had to resort to using my travel kettle) and it seemed like a vicious element was at work throughout my body attacking first this joint then that including ankles and lattterly a knee and sciatica .The stiffness trying to get out of bed was another factor that hadn’t affected me previously .
This has continued mainly I expect because despite the pain reducing me to tears at times I’m hoping it will burn itself out .

I consider you’re worse off because you say you had to use a wheelchair around the house while I rely on a walking stick ,couldn’t move a step without it now.
I don’t think there’s anything that can improve what you’re doing quite frankly .

My mum and grandad (her dad) both also had RA. I only started showing arthritis symptoms during the winter in the last years of my late forties (now early 50's).

However I do also have a neurological condition I've had since my 30's which affects my balance and co-ordination anyway. With new meds and an extensive neuro physio routine for years I had reached the point of been able to balance enough to walk round the house (anywhere flat) but still struggled over uneven surfaces and still used a mobility scooter/wheelchair for distance outdoors.

At that point I was only getting 2 fingers on each hand swelling each winter (the same joints on each hand) and my hands painful so started the turmeric/coconut oil daily...the hand was less painful the following year but then started pulling muscles alot more trying to get dressed, had several sciatica attacks (after never having had one in my life before) only ever in winter , usually after I've pulled something!

I think it's maybe not as bad as it would be if I hadn't been taken the supplements a couple of years now, however my knees still do get really bad and incredibly painful, so struggling to weight bear then throws me off balance due to the neuro issues (ataxia).

Last winter I really struggled getting from laying down to sitting up and getting out of bed was literally having to slowly roll out onto my knees at the side of the bed then get back into the chair, so hoping to have an electric adjustable bed sorted by this winter! ...not going through that again!!! ..even the dog was looking bemused at me, wondering what on earth I was doing!!!

I'm assuming each winter it will get slightly worse until it's here full time and I'm back to full time in a wheelchair so trying to get an head start on it and keep it as mild as possible for as long as possible!
Susan68
Senior Member
Susan68 is offline
Up North, UK
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 198
Susan68 is female  Susan68 has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
23-07-2019, 01:28 PM
5

Re: Arthritis

Originally Posted by Roxy ->
I don't know if you've tried these or not but a lady recommended them to me a long time ago and they are excellent and I have almost returned to a pain free life. Health Shops keep them and they are not expensive, this bottle was under £7, and at one a day will last for 3 months. But Supermarkets sometimes have them and you need to be careful if you think of getting them there as they are usually in a mix with other pills and your best to use the Gluosamine Sulphate heavy dose on it's own. You don't get an immediate improvement but within a couple of months you'll know if they are going to help you.

I also in the past have given one a day to my elderly dogs should they show signs of sore joints and so far it's always helped them. It was the local Vet who told me it was ok to do this.
yes I've given dogs glucosamine before, her dog food has has extra dose in it too with other stuff that's meant to help. (Spirulina, green lipped muscle??) Maybe I should start eating dog food..lol!

I'm on supplements to break down fibrin at the minute too, originally just for fibroids, but they also helped when I started getting circulation problems and oedema in one of my calves.

I'm peri-menopause so the fibroids seem to be shrinking anyway with declining estrogen levels.

Tried a vegan diet but felt really lethargic and not able to use nuts (due to allergies) I was low on protein, iron was low and magnesium (which increased muscle spasms). It wasn't suiting my body. Seemed to be losing a lot of muscle so went back to 'mostly vegetarian' on GP's advice to go back to including at least dairy, if not a bit of fish or white meat too.

GP agrees it looks like RA and the all over aches and pains I had for years that they thought was due to low thyroid or fibromyalgia they now think were early RA symptoms. I'm also getting sensori-neural hearing loss and tinnitus.

The GP tells me this and the sudden allergic reactions I've had to stuff I had previously eaten/taken before could have been early signs that my immune system was struggling years ago and they misdiagnosed me!
Zuleika's Avatar
Zuleika
Senior Member
Zuleika is offline
North West UK
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,311
Zuleika is female  Zuleika has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
23-07-2019, 01:42 PM
6

Re: Arthritis

Susan , so you’ve RA diagnosis ?
I also have a balance problem , Meniere’s , although it’s in abeyance at the moment .
I had a blood test for PolymyalgiaRheumatica several years ago which came back negative . The pain was nowhere near like this I might add.
So I’m reluctant to go back to my GP ,he was so confident in his PMR diagnosis he looked quite dejected at the negative test result.

I understand your problem rising from your bed, it’s a dreaded operation .
Yes a new one seems the way to go .

Re allergies to things you’ve taken /eaten ,yes I’ve had those too once ending up in A&E which is why I’m reluctant to put anything new inside myself to relieve the pain .
Susan68
Senior Member
Susan68 is offline
Up North, UK
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 198
Susan68 is female  Susan68 has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
23-07-2019, 07:53 PM
7

Re: Arthritis

Originally Posted by Zuleika ->
Susan , so you’ve RA diagnosis ?
I also have a balance problem , Meniere’s , although it’s in abeyance at the moment .
I had a blood test for PolymyalgiaRheumatica several years ago which came back negative . The pain was nowhere near like this I might add.
So I’m reluctant to go back to my GP ,he was so confident in his PMR diagnosis he looked quite dejected at the negative test result.

I understand your problem rising from your bed, it’s a dreaded operation .
Yes a new one seems the way to go .

Re allergies to things you’ve taken /eaten ,yes I’ve had those too once ending up in A&E which is why I’m reluctant to put anything new inside myself to relieve the pain .

in my case they said it was obvious when I had my last bad flare up. For the moment at least only really freezing weather seems to trigger a really bad flare up, though I start been stiff in mornings around autumn when its been less than 10 degrees all night.

By the time we have snow and ice my joints in hands and knees are swollen and I can barely move when I first get up and it takes me longer to get moving. The pain and stiffness doesn't really go when temps are below freezing all day while I'm up and about and having to go out.

I may get temporary relief from an hot shower or laying under an heated electric blanket.

I was surprised about the link between hearing and RA as I thought that had been caused by my thyroid but its mentioned on the Arthritis Foundation page.

I'm doing ore research myself, surely if a person finds things that are found to help with inflammation and the immune system then the reaction shouldn't be as severe?

I've been getting supplements from this site for circulation

https://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/a...irculation.htm


and they have helped with problems with my legs. I can tell circulation is better as I can feel the revitive machine better on a lower setting.


I've also ordered the supplements for boosting the immune system to see if that will result in a reduction of symptoms over winter.

https://www.organicnutrition.co.uk/articles/immune.htm

If the immune system is healthier than it should work better and stop attacking your own body triggering the RA flareups surely?
tarantula
Chatterbox
tarantula is offline
UK
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 9,359
tarantula is female  tarantula has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
24-07-2019, 08:33 AM
8

Re: Arthritis

I started with osteo-arthritis in my 30s, possibly due to all the crazy things I did in my youth, like falling out of a tree I was forbidden to climb, not once but twice! It has got worse over the years especially my fingers and feet. I don't take anything for the discomfort as I dislike taking medication.
Susan68
Senior Member
Susan68 is offline
Up North, UK
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 198
Susan68 is female  Susan68 has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
24-07-2019, 10:50 AM
9

Re: Arthritis

Originally Posted by tarantula ->
I started with osteo-arthritis in my 30s, possibly due to all the crazy things I did in my youth, like falling out of a tree I was forbidden to climb, not once but twice! It has got worse over the years especially my fingers and feet. I don't take anything for the discomfort as I dislike taking medication.
I don't like traditional meds but sometimes the pain is so bad I just need some kind of relief or I'd never manage to get out of bed to get my dog out everyday.

I've found supplements have helped lower the levels of inflammation and I use alternative pain control like CBD oil and the magnetic bands or just laying down with hot water bottle or under an electric blanket.

After a while though I find things lose their effectiveness as your body gets used to them so always on the look out for the 'next thing' which might work too.

It's frustrating its happening just as I was making a recovery from the neurological problems and standing a chance of being able to walk better again.

Pushing myself hard enough to reach the next level seems to trigger a 'flare up' then I'm back to not been able to move for weeks!

I'm thinking there has to be a solution out there somewhere that someone else may have accidentally stumbled on that sent their arthritis into remission or made it significantly milder?

I live in hope!
Zuleika's Avatar
Zuleika
Senior Member
Zuleika is offline
North West UK
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,311
Zuleika is female  Zuleika has posted at least 25 times and has been a member for 3 months or more 
 
24-07-2019, 11:36 AM
10

Re: Arthritis

I think we would have heard about it if there was new pain relief discovered .
Osteoarthritis thru wear and tear affects lots of people , lots of middle aged go in for joint replacement these days .

RA on the other hand and Polymyalgia Rheumatica are quite different to OA the latter needing corticosteroid treatment for pain relief within days .
 
Page 1 of 4 1 2 3 > Last »

Thread Tools


© Copyright 2009, Over50sForum   Contact Us | Over 50s Forum! | Archive | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | Top

Powered by vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.