Osteo arthritis

[India4]

I was recently diagnosed with osteoarthris in hands & wrists…this was a tel diagnosis.
this came on very quickly & I have pain daily without respite.
is it possible my Dr was incorrect?

which painkillers will give relief?

how do I prevent its spread?

unable to obtain Drs appt as I don’t feel it’s an emergency & tbh I think the experiences of people on here are invaluable.

Thankyou

It would also help rule out anything else..

Thankyou for your response, I do hope your pain can be managed well & wish you luck.

A word of warning. You might want to consider take it further, particularly if you are experiencing inflammation.

I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in several joints. I was tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis but the specialist said my blood test show no rheumatoid factors. Several years later my GP (a new GP in a different area) wanted me to go and see a rheumatologist, who immediately said that it was definitely RA. Within 2 months I'd had a double knee replacement and within another 6 months I had started on biologics, which have made a world of difference.

However, I wished I had been more proactive when I was misdiagnosed as the correct medication might have prevented the severe malformation my hands have suffered, plus the useless treatment for, not as it turned out, frozen shoulder which was actually RA .

I don't know if it if it has changed, but back then, when they thought it was OA it was a case of learn to live with it and make adjustments.

I was told I had arthritis in my neck and hands in my thirties. Maybe it was a misdiagnosis because it went away

I was diagnosed in my 30’s. I have periods of intense pain, sometimes none for months / years. I think the pain is when the active damage is happening and then it calms down for a while.

I can see nodules forming on my fingers and they’re starting to curve now.

I am surprised the doctor has been able to diagnose arthritis via an online consultation and without an x ray. There are different types of arthritis and if it involves the wrist and hand it may be something else, which would need a different method of treatment.
I have recently seen the doctor because I suspect arthritis in my knees and I have been having having lower back pain/ possible sciatica. I booked a routine appointment which was about three weeks from my call.

The doctor gave me a form to get an x ray done at the local hospital. The form said what needed to be x rayed, and briefly why, which included OA? which I take to be possible osteoarthritis. That was after seeing me in person, being able to move my knees and confirming that one was swollen.

We have a system where by you can be referred for physio by a doctor, but can also complete a self referral form - the doctor told me to complete the self referral (probably saves them time and I can add more detail than they can) and said that if I need to see orthopaedics, the quickest route is through the physio. X ray has been done but too early for the results yet. I am on the waiting list for physio which could be up to 14 weeks.

I had a knee problem in my teens and was given physio to build up the muscles above and below the knee, to help support the knee. Hoping that they can do the same this time, and also some exercises to help the back.
Feel as if I am showing my age and working through the body with physio 😁 I went a few years ago for my achilleas, and last year for a frozen shoulder.

I saw someone earlier linked to versus arthritis. A number of years ago I was given a link to some exercises, and one of those was a link to versus arthritis so well worth a look.
May also be worth looking into whether you can self refer for physio in your area too.

This is what's going on with me, they're saying not RA because no rhumatoid factor in test, but i'm only 44, and NSAIDS are only thing keeping me functioning :/

How old are you? Any chance it could be perimenopause symptoms?

@Kreepture I am in Australia, so the system is quite different, but I am quite happy with how it works for me.

Have you actually seen a rheumatologist? He/she would be able to give a much more nuanced diagnosis. I wouldn't depend on my GP. I need to see my Rheumatologist every six months with blood test results for renewal of my biological script. They are hideously expensive and extremely heavily subsidised by Medicare so they want to ensure you are actually benefitting by it. A couple of times I have got chatting to people who have been sent by their GP who are a bit unsure of the diagnosis so have sent them on a "fact finding mission".

There are a couple of women with RA in my local area who are taking a drug called Methotrexate once a week. That's all they need, and both work on their feet all day. Didn't work for me. Plus I can't take suitable doses of NSAIDS as I have asthma, which I virtually outgrew, but even aspirin can cause a flareup of it.

Good luck. It can be a hard road.

It's who i'm with atm, he prodded my fingers, declared it was OA, looked at my x-ray from 2019 that showed fuzzy spots in my hip joint, then ordered bloods and new x-rays.

I'm now waiting for the results of those.

Thankyou.