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Posted 9/19/2010 6:35 PM (GMT 0)
One week ago I added yet another autoimmune disease to collection: Rhuematoid Arthritis.  I was put on some medication that has helped everything but my knees, particularly the right one.  Now my doctor says I need an MRI because it could be a meniscus issue.  I don't really care what it is except to say that I have spent my entire day with achy knees.  I can't even walk down the hall with out pain.  I was wondering if anyone out there has trouble with knee pain and if they have found anything to help?  Plus, anyone with any expereince with meniscus problems?  Is there any effective resolution to them?  My symptoms are achy knees from arthritis but the right knee gives me a sharp pain upon standing and when I twist or turn or go downstairs. It is swollen a little bit, but nothing seems to help. Any advice for me would be great.

Thanks,

Kara

DXs: Fibromyalgia, Ehlers-Danlos, Spondolothysis, RA, IBS, Endometriosis among others.

Posted 9/19/2010 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Sweet,
I can seriously relate to this as I'm out of work with knee surgery. 2 years ago it was a torn maniscus and torn
cartilidge which healed in about 6 week...hurt like heck but I went back to work. I'm out now with a torn
cartilidge and chrondoplasty. They did it almost 7 weeks ago and I still have a lot of swelling in the joint. I didn't
know that by limping since February I actually got so I couldn't straighten my leg. I've been in Physical Therapy for
2 weeks now and am slowly getting back to normal. It still swells a lot and I can't go for more than 2 hours before
severe pain sets in, so I just sit for a few and start up again. I didn't know what chrondoplasty entailed and now
know that's what's taking so long to heal. If you have RA check into the chrondoplasty if they recommend it. They've
cut off my disability until further notice as for someone MUCH younger probably would've healed by now but the
fact I've had RA for nearly 50 years sets me way behind in the getting better department. Good luck with your
knees....I've been there.
Nana Monster
Posted 9/19/2010 11:38 PM (GMT 0)
I am having knee problems also. They hurt so bad. what you wrote about the pain and aching all the time describes what I am feeling. The ortho surgeon told me that my right knee cap is not lined up where it,s supposed to be so now I,m doing physical therapy to see if that helps. I,ve been in therapy for a week now and so far i see it not working. I have 3 more weeks to go. so we,ll see. I could cry at times it huerts so bad. My left hurts but not as bad as the right. I also have swelling in the right. I see the ortho dr. the 4th of oct. so i guess i just wait it out and see what he has to say. I,m on my feet 40 plus hrs. a week and my job is very physical. I wish I could get disability but as long as i work and don,t miss to much work i doubt i can get it.. I just tell myself to hang in there. I hope you find out what helps you with your knees. I know it isn,t much fun ahving fibro and everything else that pops up with it. Good luck.
Posted 9/20/2010 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Mickey,
I did PT first with my left knee but like I tried to tell the dr, there is something wrong. X-rays don't show much of
the damage so the MRI is the way to go as it will show the tears and wearing of the bones. I did 4 weeks of PT
after the left knee surgery. So far I've done 2 weeks after the right one, but with the chrondoplasty it still hurts
and swells. It's getting stronger but like you I do my 40 hours of seriously physical work. I'm in a dishroom of a
200 bed nursing home....what do you do for a living? I've been doing this job for 11 years now. The only reason
I've got disability is because I can't do my job and hope I can get back soon so I can get the next 9 years in
and retire. Stinks to get old sometime!!!
Nana Monster
Posted 9/20/2010 3:08 AM (GMT 0)
nana monster, Had x-rays on knees too but he said they looked fine, just that my left knee cap is not tacking the way it,s supposed to. I build industrial fans. I,ve been doing it for the last five yrs. I use lots of different tools and an impact to screw the bolts in. some are small fans and some are really big fans. I lift ocer fifty pounds several times a day. we have to use chains and hoists and straps to help lift the wheels and shafts that go in to these things. believe me it,s not the kinda work a woman should be doing but it pays pretty good. before that i used to run a saw to cut window parts to make vinyl windows. Most of my life i,ve worked in factories. when i hah my 3 kids i stayed at home 13 yrs. raising them then i went back to work and when i did about 4 months after that is when i got sick. I have no idea what brought it on. thats when i was diagnosed with fibro. I,ve had it now for 16 yrs. Yep it does stink to get old. I just found out I have mild carpal tunnel,which makes my job harder to. My hands hurt all the time so I,m not sure what thr dr. will do for that. I wear splints at night to help but not helping so far. And also just found out i have severe snoring and mild sleep apnea so i am now wearing a c-pap at nite. Yeah it stinks but i guess we just have to keep going. You do have a physical job. I hope your knees get to feeling better. Just hope the therapy works. It,s ahrd though when you have to be on your feet that long. take care.
Posted 9/20/2010 4:55 AM (GMT 0)
Mickey,
I understand about your job. Before coming here to the nursing home I worked in a plastics factory for almost
5 years. We made Gauer Skis and I did the screwgun for the rails. We also made cooking utinsels, computer parts,
rifles, gun parts and many others. With me as I'm 5' tall I had to climb up a couple of pallets to get into the machine
to get the parts out.

Tonight is rough because I really overdid it today, lots of lifting and moving things, but I did get most of my
living room back. Under the couch was a bear!!! I'm wondering if there is another tropical storm brewing, the
spasms are hitting hard and heavy. Hurricane season is the worst time of year for me, with the barometric changes
on the joints. Not sure which is worse, the RA or the fibro. Tonite I think they're tag teaming.

For the carpal tunnel try using Vit E internally. Start out with 400 IU then work up to about 1600 IU's. Whenever
my wrists start giving out I do this. I read a drs report who treated his patients with this and had to only preform
surgery on a few of them. Can't hurt???!!! Myself, I just had a lipoma tumor taken out of my wrist that was
wrapped about a third of the way around it. Now when I hold my e-reader my hand shakes. I go tomorrow to see
if it's natural in the healing process, It's been 2 1/2 months since the surgery.
NM
Posted 9/20/2010 11:27 AM (GMT 0)
I am going to be getting an MRI this week. As a 32 year old full-time grad student I have been just working part-time between three different jobs. Last week I worked more than I have in while -25 hours. This week I am on tap for 32 between the three jobs. It is killing my knees. Physical therapy is a crock...I have tried it on all my other issues: sprained ankles, tendonitis in knee and shoulder and I have not seen great results. Swimming is the only way to go for rehab. Wish it were something other than my knee. It effects everyting I do. I know I am overdoing it, but life cant't stop. I tried for disability but was denied because I am too young. Basically I can still work with medication in their eyes. Not true, but I guess that is how they sleep at night. Plus I live with my boyfriend who makes too mush for me to qualify. I will keep you posted
Posted 9/20/2010 7:53 PM (GMT 0)
Mine is work disability instead of SSDI. Sometimes I wish I could qualify just so I didn't have to battle the snow
in the winter. The stupidity of the teenie boppers I work with is something else entirely as they sure don't want
to work. I do one of the hardest jobs in the kitchen, next to stock (which I've done) and running the dishes which
I've filled in for. All I can say is ""come one retirement""
Posted 9/20/2010 9:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hmmm.....entering in to a new phase of pain...the knees. I see a neurologist tomorrow as I have been having terrible low back and leg pain. I've had an MRI of my low back and it shows moderate DDD. Most days I just limp around the house. If I try to walk too much, my knees hurt terribly.

Anxious to get started on fixing this new problem. If I find out anything new regarding knee pain I'll be sure to share!
Posted 9/21/2010 12:17 AM (GMT 0)
Julie,
I was diagnosed with DDD about 15 years ago. I don't know if they go hand in hand. I had a tummy tuck done
as my c-section incision kept getting infected and with the 15 less pounds on the front it made a major difference
in the back pain. If I go for long periods of working without a break I'll get a backache but nothing major in years.

With the limping just some advice....I had been since February real bad to the point I didn't realize I couldn't
straighten my leg right. Every time I came down on my right leg it was bent, hence the limp. I started Physical
Therapy 2 weeks ago and am working on the straightening exercises and working the muscles that support
the knee. I still catch myself limping on occasion and have to say to my self "walk straight". Slowly getting
there and they have me out of work until Nov 1....but good old disability cut me off even with the drs note!!!
Hopefully, they'll reinstate it but it may take weeks, until then NO income.
Nana Monster
Posted 9/21/2010 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
I,m beginning to wonder bout the therapy myself. I had it today and what an experience I had. I was with the therapy person for probly 15 mins. and she told me she had to leave and do in-home therapy for a patient that was housebound. So she hooked the electrical stimulation machine on both my knees, wraps my knees with ice packs, pulls the machine up to the bed and shows me how to run it if I need to change anything. So I am left there for 15 mins alone reading a magazine waitng for the time to run out and someone who I,ve seen before who straightens up the place comes over and helps me take the packs off and pulls the pads off and says your all done. What kinda therapy is that. I,m about done with it. Why should I go and spend the money when this is my time and the therapist leaves. I didn,t know what to think. I,m going to try to stick it out but if it happens again that,ll probly be it.

I,m just waiting till Oct.4th. to see the orthro dr. so he can tell me how the MRI went on my back and to find out why my hands are hurting so bad. Was told I have mild carpal tunnel by one dr. and the other,I went for a second opion, said yes I do have carpal tunnel. I just want to feel good again. The past few months have seemed like nothing but a flare. There were some good days but most of them I,ve felt terrible. This past weekend I was on the couch. Everything hurt. Sorry don,t mean to vent so much. I just want to feel good again. Thanks for listening. Hope everyone has a good day tommorrow.
Posted 9/22/2010 11:54 AM (GMT 0)
Called the doctor on Monday and that they won't do an MRI until I have been on the arthritis meds for 2 weeks. I complained that the meds have helped most of my pain except my right knee and that walking is becoming increasingly difficult. Now I have had a more physically demanding few days than normal. I understand that, but last night I had to break down and take a pain pill, plus 2 anti-inflammatories and ice my knee 3 times just to sleep. I am having to turn down work opportunities and forget working out. I won't be able to even go back to the doctor until MOnday because I am busy on morning till night on Friday. I am so very frustrated. I want something done other than physical therapy and soon as my insurance deductible rollls back over in December. I have a TENS until at home and access to an ulatrasound machine. Did I mention the right knee started swelling terribly yesterday?
Posted 9/22/2010 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
Every day we live in pain feels like an eternity, doesn't it? Especially when we are waiting, waiting, waiting for labs, test reports, doctor's evals, etc. Then we get to the long awaited doctor's appointment, only to be disappointed to learn that there's more waiting involved.

Hang in there, everyone. We can win today's battle; it's one more step towards victory!
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