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Posted 7/30/2008 2:51 AM (GMT 0)
Hi. I love Healing Well and am usually on the Lupus Forum. I'm having a problem that I thought you folks might be better equipped to help me with.

I have a lot of joint pain associated with lupus but have had osteoarthritis since my early 20's. It has always been pretty maneageable until now. Or at least I think this is osteoarthritis. My knees have been absolutely killing me. Prednisone has caused me to gain weight and we all know what weight does to our knees. I'm slowly loosing the weight and am transitioning from a two story house into a one story which, once all the remodeling on both houses, plus the running back and forth is over, will be good for me, but in the meantime it's real hard on my health and my knees.

The only thing I take for pain is Tramadol and I can take it every six hours. My dad had both of his knees replaced when he was about 70. He didn't have any kind of autoimmune disease and was never even 5 pounds overweight. I'm 59 and about 50 pounds overweight. I've always been slim until the last three years when my prednisone was bumped up to 60mg a day. Now that I'm down to 5mg i'm loosing weight. Enough history.

I'm not sure I know what I'm asking. Maybe just reassurance that everything will be ok. When I call my rheumy, she sends me to my PCP. My PCP had x-rays taken and they showed mild deterioration. I feel like I should be using a cane or walker but my independence makes me determined to lose weight instead. Going up and down stairs is agony as is getting out of chairs. I have pain all over my body and in all my joints and it's keeping me awake and waking me up at night. But especially my knees.

I'm going to see an orthopedist but in the meantime I'd love to hear your opinions, suggestions, and advice.

Thanks,

Pat
Posted 7/30/2008 4:18 AM (GMT 0)
I'm a year younger than you and have experienced very similar knee issues for the last 2-3 years. I do have a disease that causes havoc with the knee tendons. Once during a particularly bad episode my rheumy ultrasounded my knee once again. This time it was not the tendon. He sent me for knee xrays. At the time he ordered the xrays he said if I had osteoarthritis that is could be helped with a series of injections of a synthetic joint lubricant that has shown to help with knee pain due to wear and tear type arthritis. unfortunately, I cannot recall the name of the medication. It is not a steroid.
Posted 7/30/2008 1:28 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks. You give me hope. Did the injections help at all? My first rheumy told me 15 years ago that I had RA, not based on blood work, but based on a swollen, hot knee. My fourth rheumy suspected RA, but my blood work has never indicated that I have it and based on my x-rays this feels more like degenerative arthritis. All of these diseases get very confusing to me.
Posted 7/31/2008 3:10 PM (GMT 0)

Ok.  I was going to ask if you had been tested for RA.  It's very common, as I'm sure you know, to have more than one AI disease.  Although I test positive for RA, my arthritis distribution is more common with lupus.  I know people who are the opposite--they test positive for lupus, but their arthritis is more like RA.  Many times, I think the dx is simply stuck on us for insurance reasons. 

I hope your knees feel better--and great going on the weight loss!

El

Posted 8/6/2008 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
I am no stranger to knee pain, the experience wa when i wa s12 and dislocated left knee playing soft ball, the kneee stayed out of socket for hours until the not nice er doc shoved it back in placed, destroyed evey ligament tendon i had in there. Since then my knees have deterioated badly and i have had many dilocations, i have had surgery on each knee to help them not dilocate so easily, since the surgery though the arthritis in my knees in un bearable..
Posted 8/6/2008 9:57 PM (GMT 0)
I recently had my knees scoped because of pain and swelling and now the doctor is telling me that I have arthritis in them. My surgery is 3 months old and now I am in more pain than before. I have been taking lorcets but they no longer help and my legs swells everyday. I feel the pain you are feeling and it is not a joke. I should have had the knee replacement instead. I injured one knee in an accident and the other just gave out over a period of time. What else could i take to help cope with the pain.
Chone
Posted 8/7/2008 11:02 AM (GMT 0)
I dont what else to do for pain my knees were scoped and and a lateral releses and he scraped out floating particuls. but now the hur more then ever, i can tevn walk down stariss with out pain. My knees feeel so arthritic now. I wish i had knee replacments too maybe in the future, i am only 39, maybe they will take me more serious when im older.  they look at me and i look very young for my age, and they just chaulk me off. I t makes me angry, only thing i can do is take pain killers, i cannot take nsaids due to severe stomach issues.

Good luck with you let know if get any thing done  for your knees....

Posted 8/7/2008 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
Sheryl my doctor also told me I was too young for a knee replacement, but I have made me another appointment to see him next week and he got to do something because I am trying to work and everyday i am in pain. I am 43 and he say i have 73 yr old knees and I am going to demand that something else be done. I will keep u posted.
Chone
Posted 8/7/2008 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you please keep us posted.  I cant even run ever. and walking is gettng to be quite a challage on some days espeically my stairs.
Posted 8/8/2008 3:04 PM (GMT 0)
I'm 59 and watched my dad have knee replacement surgery when he was in his late 60's. By the time he was 80 he needed them replaced again but insisted that he would never have that done again no matter what. He died at age 82 and it was hard to see him in so much pain but he was willing to bear the pain rather than go through the surgery again. It's been my understanding that knee replacement surgery only lasts about 10 years, so for me that's not even an option. I plan to live at least another thirty or more years. I gained sixty pounds three years ago after being put on 60 mg a day of prednisone for 3 months and I know that once I drop that weight I'll be able to tolerate this pain better. My knees just need to get some relief from all the weight they are carrying around and my legs need some more physical therapy. It's so hard to exercise when you're overweight and in pain. So far I've lost 18 pounds and I'm taking baby steps.

Chone and Sheryl you are both too young to have to be enduring this kind of pain. I hope you get some answers and some relief.
Posted 8/8/2008 3:13 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Patty Latty, yes i am too young for all I have going on. And the knee thing has been going on since i was 12, evryday I regret geting a two story house, we should have went with a ranch. i cant take the stairs, it feels like my knees are being strecthed apart with evry step.
Posted 8/9/2008 3:06 AM (GMT 0)

Yes Patty I am to young to be going thru this pain.  I have scheduled an appointment for next thursday to see my doctor and he is going to do something because this is an awful feeling.  My heart goes out to everyone that has to endure this kind of pain.  I will keep everyone in my prayers.

Chone

Posted 8/17/2008 12:27 AM (GMT 0)
My knee pain and pain in my other joints has subsided to a large degree and it's now much more manageable so I know know that it was a lupus flare. I still plan to see the orthopedic doctor next week so that I can get a baseline exam on my knees. I hope the two of you fare better as well.
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