Another arthritis thread......

[hellsbrink]

.... But not one about being able to be a pilot.


I thought I would maybe tap into the collective knowledge here in the hope of some advice/answers.

OK, short background bit. Recently had a barrage of blood tests, xrays and even an ultrasound on my wrists to check for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and all is clear on that front. Officially the word is I have Osteoarthritis running rampant through me, especially in my lower back where the signs are VERY clear around the areas of degrading disks (D11, L3, L4, L5) and the dislocation at L3 (further investigation higher up on my spine has not been carried out, so there may be other problems). Also, one is having a heck of a lot of swelling and pain in both hands and wrists, with pain "on the bone". Not fun when you lose strength in your hands and they hurt when you grip things, and we won't go into the cramps and pains I get down my legs.

After years of popping various pills from various doctors, we're talking assorted NSAID's, Vioxx, Diclofanac (Voltarol), Piroxicam and others, with no effect, and the overuse of Tramadol which has left that stuff ineffective unless I kick up to almost half a gram per day, the latest suggestion is Arcoxia (etoricoxib). I have to wait before I get it as my health insurance has to approve it, but that should be a formality as all other "conventional" treatments have not worked at controlling the pain (that goes for Glucosamine Sulphate and Amitriptyline as well, and also physio), so I am taking the chance before starting them, if I get to, to ask if anyone has any experience of this drug and, of course, if anyone has any suggestions for alternatives and/or other treatments that might keep me working a bit longer.

Luckily my work is relatively light work, there's no real heavy lifting so that helps keep the stress on the worn out bits down. My blood/urine tests are good, with almost everything in the "normal" band (apart from a few pointers for Rheuma which were slightly elevated, liver function is good, cholesterol is good, uric acid is good, no diabetes, etc, etc. I was shocked to find that I am in relatively good health), and blood pressure is "ok" but a little towards the high side.

Any help/advice will be greatly received.

Thanks

[gingernut]

apart from a few pointers for Rheuma which were slightly elevated,

can you be anymore specific?

[Brian 48nav]

Yes I take it infrequently as I have Ankylosing Spondylitis.

It is like Vioxx, which was withdrawn a few years ago, and Celebrex - a COX2 inhibitor. These are supposed to be kinder on the stomach for those of us who can not take 'regular' NSAIDs ( brufen, neurofen, diclofenac etc ) as they cause ulceration and stomach bleeding.

I have not been aware of any side effects with Arcoxia apart from dark faeces if I take them for 3 or 4 days; I guess this also suggests stomach bleeding.

My normal routine is to take no more than one a week.

I can recommend a 'natural' anti-inflammatory called Nexrutine, which is available from Victoria Health. I have been using this for 5 or 6 years with, as far as I know, no side effects. Of course the medical profession do not have any thing to do with an alternative drug that has not been 'properly' tested.

I suggest you Google all the things I have mentioned, including Anky' Spon', then you can make your own mind up!

[hellsbrink]

Gingernut

can you be anymore specific?

Can't find the results at this moment, but my doc did point out 3 things that had to be checked out. After going to a Rheumatologist, she said that they didn't mean that there was Rheuma present, took some more blood, etc for tests and the result was her saying that the things they saw in the blood were elevated but so slightly above "normal" that Rheuma could be ruled out.

Brian

My normal routine is to take no more than one a week.

I could have fun then, doc wants me to start on 1 x 30mg per day, every day. Should cause havoc with the good old stomach ulcer, but I have plenty omeprazole to help with that.

[Brian 48nav]

Ask to see your result. Then look for the C reactive protein and ESR ( sometimes now called PV, Plasma Viscosity ) readings, these indicate whether there is inflammation present.

Ask the doc' to test for HLA B27 - again look up the meaning of this yourself - if you are positive then you may have AS. 98% of AS sufferers have this tissue type, however if you have HLA B27 it does not necessarily mean you have AS.

[vulcanised]

This might sound as if I'm joking, but I'm not.

Lots of folk have found that good old Rose Hip Syrup can be quite beneficial - and it tastes nice!

[gingernut]

Unfortunately,the test results don't always give a definitive answer. Rh factor and the like are notorious for giving false results.

ESR and CRP can be useful, but again, don't always give the full picture.

Sometimes the doc's like to see how things go over time.

[hellsbrink]

Oh, I'll be making sure more blood tests are done to make sure of things, but one thing is that two tests, within a month of each other, both came back with the same results.

Not been so bad today, but with the amount of Tramadol in me I ain't surprised I feel relaxed.........

[Rory Dixon]

Your age is a bit young for osteoarthritis. Make shure, ankylosing spondylitis (M. Bechterew) is excluded as diagnosis. Can you touch the floor with your fingers bending over with straight legs? If not, what's the distance?

[hellsbrink]

I reckon I could touch the floor if I held my gut in, Rory, on most days I still have "full" movement but every movement can cause some pain due to the damage in my back from the dislocation and kapot disks putting pressure on nerves.

As i say, the signs are visible on the spine even on an x-ray. And AnkSpo would not be causing the issues in the hands and wrists which are also being blamed on the osteo.

And, to be honest, I ain't really "too young". I've had a lifetime of working in construction, and that knocks hell out of you, especially when you continuously overdo things because you are "your own worst enemy". The "trigger", as far as my back goes, was a fall from a stepladder over 20 years ago which caused the dislocation and started the degradation of the disks. Add in the punishment the rest of my body has had over the years because of my work and you can see how OA can develop at my age.

As they say, crap happens.

[gingernut]

The challenge for the docs is to try and work out if there is some sort of inflammatory process going on, or whether symptoms are due to "wear and tear.":)

[Rule3]

Try Apple Cider Vinegar, works for me and others I know.:ok::ok:

[Loose rivets]

I often wonder about this taking of remedies - it just might be it causes other offending chemistry to be subdued, but I like to work towards removing that chemistry in the first place.

There just might be a connection with what I went through and arthritis, or there might be no connection whatsoever. Right now, I'd bet my last dollar on there being a connection.

History. Coming up to 60 I thought I was superman. Sadly, no one told my lower back, and it objected in a way that changed my life. Can't run anymore, so other things wind down, etc., etc. Age is a factor, but it all happened so suddenly. Four surgeons have said don't operate.

While this "is this the end of life as I know it?" period was going on, I became allergic to something or somethings. Very allergic - side of the road job on 999 call on one occasion.

Feeling ill a lot of days with mystery illness, I started to remove things from my diet, not try 'fixes.' I now don't touch wheat or washing up liquid. An odd mixture, but the results of eating/using either is dramatic. Now, real ale feels like acid running through my veins, and Scotch makes me ache like hell.

The link between these very different items just might be the stuff they spray on wheat, not the wheat itself. A professor down the road from us in Tx., can eat wheat in one state, (of America) but not in Tx. You get the gist.

Getting to the point. While all this was going on, I noticed a marked change in general arthritic characteristics. I'd had an increase of painful hip, and wrists etc., just general joint pain - not too bad, but walking was not fun. Occasionally, it was a stopper.

While I'm on full diet, there is almost no pain anywhere. I work on the house or garden a lot, and power-walk a mile or so every night to get the dinner away from my stomach. While the wife is on the other side of the Atlantic, I don't allow washing-up liquid near the kitchen. The affect is dramatic.

Break the rules, not only does the aching and feeling unwell return, but the arthritic pain comes back as well.


My pal here in the UK can't touch strawberries. Athletic until nearly 60, he's really suffering from S-A. I tried some lovely English strawberries, and joint pain seemed to start within a few hours. A few more tries this trip home, and 100% hit rate on the pain.


I know I'm being over analytical, but the first few years of this century had me looking at the rows of pethidine boxes in the medicine cupboard, in a very counter-productive way. It is perhaps my good fortune I became very allergic to that as well.

I think bodies (or minds - it doesn't matter ) can undergo some form of change for one reason or another. When this happens, it doesn't get better; you don't get used to the problem products, it just gets worse.

The horrible thing is, starting right back from a glass of water a day wouldn't have necessarily helped - if I'd washed the glass with washing up liquid.

[hellsbrink]

Oh, there's no doubt that over exposure to chemicals (and everyone's "safe" exposure level is unique to that person) can cause merry hell on the body, and that can manifest itself in many different ways.

But, again, we can look at physical causes for me. My back is an obvious one because of the fall and following "brute" work on construction sites. My hands and wrists? I can look at years of using hammer drills and Kangos having a detrimental effect as well as the brute force work (cable pulling, heavy weights, etc). Hips and knees? Working on construction sites.

Basically, things are worn out.

[gingernut]

In that case, the way forward is pain relief and maintain what function you've got now.

[Bertie Thruster]

Loose rivets; your reaction to wheat and beer and the effect of those things on your joints sounds very similar to what people are reporting about 'lectin' intolerance.

[Blinkz]

There is a history of Ankylosing Spondylitis in my family, hopefully I won't get it though! Does it have any implication on a Class 1 medical? Any info would be great!

[Jn14:6]

Hellsbrink,

FWIW, although my problems are no where near as severe as yours sound, I've found Arcoxcia fantastic. No side effects. Stomach problems when previously taking diclophenec (sp?) totally gone.

Good luck

[Mimpe]

Hellsbrink..Im a non commercial pilot and medical

your age is too young for osteoarthritis. In relation to your back, I hope your weight and spinal fitness is optimal.

Its proper that you deal with a rheumatologist.
Make sure an anti CCP has been done..if you are getting swelling you have an inflammatory arthritis.
You probably have a seronegative arthritis ie rheumatoid facor negative.

The list includes ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis arthritis, arthritis from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, immume disease, pseudogout,immune complex arthritis and arthritis relating to hepatitis and nephritis.

In these situations the rheumatologists may try drugs like plaquenil to dampen down the pain.

[Loose rivets]

Well, Bertie, I goo'd around and found this:

Quite a read, but very interesting. The bit about stuff crossing the blood-brain barrier is of interest to me.

THE LECTIN STORY (http://www.krispin.com/lectin.html#Become)


So much to tackle, but it shows so clearly how humans, especially older ones, can succumb to new ailments.

[Bertie Thruster]

Yes, that 'lectin report' first sent me off hunting into the outer reaches of the internet a couple of years ago. The information is slowly getting more 'main stream' these days. Try searching 'Ancestral Health'.

...anyway, I got rid of 50 pounds of 'middle age spread' and the arthritis in my finger joints at the same time.