Arthritis blows

38 with osteoarthritis in both hands and both knees. I'm mechanic by trade. It really blows. I see my Dr. in June and am going to ask his opinion on a few things. Anyone have arthritis? Anything I should ask specifically? I DO NOT want pain meds.

 

Yeah it sucks big time. Can't do anything anymore. I think my dirt biking days are almost over. Definitely done riding on the track. Can't even go Gokarting without feeling like I ran a triathalon afterwards. Baseball, football, basketball, tennis, golf, skiing, snowboarding, bowling... all done. Only thing I have left is wheeling my truck and maybe get back into racing on the track one day. Oh yeah, and I can also fly a kite and play words with friends.

 

Might wanna check out acupuncture. Not FDA approved but canna and CBD oils are effective for some.

 

CBD cream helped control my elbow tendonitis really good.

 

i've heard nothing but good things about the CBD cream. thinking about giving it a try myself.

 

You do want pain meds, you just don't want narcotic based pain meds. Ketoprofen was designed for the sole purpose of treating arthritis pain. Sadly, it's out of production right now. If production resumes, I'll post here and you can check with your doctor. I was on 800mg of Ibuprofen four times a day with only a slight pain reduction. One 75mg Ketoprofen three times a day all but eliminated the pain. There are a number of non-narcotic pain meds that may help. Get with your doctor and find one that works for you. Until then, Blue Emu or one of the other creams may help. http://www.blue-emu.com/ I personally avoid CBD oil. It's legal, but it can cause a false positive on a drug test. I don't need that hassle this close to retirement.

 

I'm 41 and have it too in my hands. Luckily, mine comes and goes so i get good periods which can last for months but the bad times are brutal. When i have to ask my wife, who is literally half my size, to open bottles as I can't grip anything, I feel pretty low.

Mine certainly gets noticeably worse when the seasons change so i wear gloves if i'm outside working on something, and have a cream called "deep heat" from England and that helps. I think it's like Bengay?

I'd probably see a different doctor for a second opinion to be sure. I thought my hands & wrists were arthritic, but it turns out, a different doc decided my wrist was a ligament issue from typing all the time for work (that's my excuse & I'm sticking to it) Once a year i get a steroid shot and it's nothing but fucking magical. Still have arthritis in my knuckles & fingers though

 

What are the signs that it may be an issue in the future?
I feel like my hands are stiff and sore most days and its almost like a balloon /swollen feeling when I clench a fist. My Grandpa had it fairly bad in his hands so im a little worried as I work with small tedious parts for work.

 

I wont do narcotics. Addiction issues. I'm taking 800mg of advil now couple times a day. Some days are worse than other.

 

I'm no doctor but I have arthritis and a lot of joint issues from being a fat lawn dart in my 82nd Airborne days, most doctors will tell you that you are crazy but research HCG injections. I had a broken wrist for four years while i was in....and sucked it up during that time resulting in more arthritis, dead bone, scar tissue, requiring a bone graft, also had two back surgeries.... so I'm broken. I had years of intense nerve pain running down my legs with no relief, i even took Nucynta for a while which is a sister drug to morphine, nothing gave me relieve from the age of 22-36 until HCG..........

It's a hormone only pregnant women produce, they give it to women to start ovulating and to adolescent males who's nuts haven't dropped to induce that part of puberty. You can get it from a "medical weight loss doctor" which is how I found it, some research shows it helps people burn fat which is why they prescribe it. One shot in the fat of your belly once a week, a side effect that half the people have who take it is super anti-inflammatory effects, it's helped people with fibromyalgia, lupus, chronic joint pain, and chronic migraines.... some people it does nothing for.. but after having constant, constant, constant nerve pain for years it's offered so much relief it's crazy, life changing. I've had no other negative side effects from it none.

Worth researching and asking around. I believe you can get it from a hormone replacement doctor too because that's what it is.

 

Were you medically diagnosed with "osteo" arthritis? I only ask because it's not a common one to have at your age.

 

Should've stated earlier, I have arthritis in my back along with a bunch of other problems. Taking Nabumetone daily along with Tylenol and weekly acupuncture has made a life changing difference. I use topical oils and oral CBD after a long day and is effective.

 

Could also look into gabapentin. It's an anti seizure med that works on chronic nerve pain. It has helped a lot with a bulged disc in my back .doesn't completely take the pain away. But it's has made it where I don't even need an Advil or anything to tolerate the pain.

 

It's local to my wrist that had a lot of dead bone, I'm not sure the specific type........ prior to having the surgery to "repair" (VA surgery) it was explained to me, proximal to that area I had scar tissue, dead bone, arthritis, and some deformed bone where it tried to grow back together and i kept re-breaking it. It's less painful now since the surgery but I don't really have use of it, pain switched from more intense to more dull, ache, radiating..

 

I had x-rays done recently and the dr said my hands had severe arthritis. I'm seeing a second dr soon. It runs in my family, badly.

 

I'm a Toyota mechanic. I love/hate my job. I've had carpal tunnel surgery, wrist surgery, fractured foot, broken thumb knuckle, lower back issues, knees are wrecked, hands hurt constantly. Arthritis runs in my family. Dads started in his late 30s, diesel mechanic. My brothers started in his late 30s, plumber. We Woolards like to work with our hands. I just dont want to end up like my dad, disabled, mid fifties, hands broken down and deformed. But, he was hard headed and hated Drs.

 

My knees get hot feeling and swell. They feel tight and they ache. My hands hurt/ache. Knuckles, fingers, palms. My hands swell from time to time too. Right now both my knees are a 5/6 on the pain scale. Have been all day. I think I'm going to invest in good boots and stop cheaping out.

 

Acupuncture and pot/cbd oil. If your prior military the va will send you to acupuncture so its covered. If not give it a try.

 

Good boots go a long way.
Ive noticed my index fingers are kinda taking on a twist as well.

 

I'm going to get another pair of Carhartt boots. I have a pair for non-work. Thinking about getting a pair for work. When I'm in them, they're just so damn comfortable.

 

Sorry, that question was meant for the OP to help navigate his appt because different types of arthritis have different strategies. Not to downplay yours either, it's a tough disease in general. All the best.