daily struggles

[Eric]

I recently got put on Sertraline and its helped to clear my mind but my knee is getting worse and worse and its feeding into my depression. I've got calcium crystals in my right knee and i struggle to even exercise as i think i've got it in my lower back as well, but nearly two hours into work tonight my knee was saying hi to me lol. im only coming 25 this year, might end up needing a knee replacement at 30 ish 

[Amanda_George]

  if you want it, HighlandHaggis?

I was struck down with a rare and life-long disabling physical illness when I was 21 so I understand where you're coming from.

Do you trust your medical team to help and support you?  What sort of treatment have they offered you and do you find it's helping or not really?  Might be worth having a word in the shell-like of your GP to see if there's anything they can do/give you to help with the pain in your knee and I recommend asking about if a TENS machine would help you.  You can get a cheap and cheerful one for about £20 on Amazon - don't expect miracles from that one, but if you find that it helps your pain even slightly then it might be worth investing in a £70-£90 one to help you more. 

The thing that you need to understand (and sounds weird until you try it) is that the electrodes go at the sides of the pain not on it - weird, right?  Thing is, the pain-killing magic goes between the two electrodes and if you put the electrodes on the pain then it goes through the roof and makes it worse for you.

I used to double the dose of paracetamol every month because of period pain and it barely touched the pain, but within a couple of minutes of using my very first TENS machine with the electrodes placed properly, I was totally pain free and it was a huuuge relief.

You don't have to live in pain and you don't necessarily have to pop pills either.  Get your docs advice first though 'cos they are medical bods and I'm not    

[Eric]

i never thought in looking for those sort of machines. i've been to my gp about 6 months ago and i got a cat scan done and it's pretty extensive on my tendons around my knee. All the doctors did was give me ibuprofen and that's it, at first they gave me naproxen and that was magical lol, but they gave me rubbish pain relief and i havent really bothered with them after that. must do some research into those sort of gadgets, i've got a physiotherapy appointment on the 4th and i hope i get a reference to get a better look at it.

The caring bridge has really helped my mind to settle down, Im aiming to write down everyday as its helping more than i realised. I've had a smile on my face for most of the days now.

[Amanda_George]

I haven't got a clue about the internal workings of the body, but getting a cheap TENS machine could, potentially, really help you.  I hope your physio appointment goes well tomorrow... they might know more about TENS machines than your doc so it might be worth having a word with them when you see them?

I'm relieved that the Caring Bridge site is helping you - use it for as long as you need and point people at your site rather than going over and over how you're doing.

[Pip]

I've suffered pain for more years than I care to remember and tried combinations of paracetomal, tramadol, ibuprofen and gabapentin.  None have helped much for the past few years and weaned myself off them with guidance from my GP.  Last year I had a telephone appointment with the pharmacist and mentioned the pain is getting worse but didn't get any suggestions.  After that I had a telephone appointment with the GP - I haven't had a f2f with a doctor for over 2 years - which was a waste of time as I was told there is nothing that can be done about the pain and I have to live with it.  Anybody who can see a GP is lucky to get that but it still doesn't make it right to be in pain 

[Amanda_George]

It might be worth checking with your doc about if TENS machines are safe for you to try too then Pip? 

I've suffered pain for more years than I care to remember and tried combinations of paracetomal, tramadol, ibuprofen and gabapentin.  None have helped much for the past few years and weaned myself off them with guidance from my GP.  Last year I had a telephone appointment with the pharmacist and mentioned the pain is getting worse but didn't get any suggestions.  After that I had a telephone appointment with the GP - I haven't had a f2f with a doctor for over 2 years - which was a waste of time as I was told there is nothing that can be done about the pain and I have to live with it.  Anybody who can see a GP is lucky to get that but it still doesn't make it right to be in pain 

[Eric]

My physio went alright, the lassie basicly told me that she couldn't tell fully as i couldn't do the exercises very consistently, she has made a referral to my gp, incase my leg gets worse i can see a specialist (might have surgery if they think im suitable), i really need to think if its worth doing as i know knees are sensitive and hard to fully heal from after surgery of any kind. what do you think i should do? go with a possible surgery or is it too much of a risk.

[Amanda_George]

I'm proud of you for going to the physio but sorry that the physio wasn't able to help you more!  Only you can answer your question 'cos it's your body, but it might be worth having a totally honest chat to your GP about it to see what s/he recommends - maybe write it all out in positive verses negative columns to see if that helps you get a clearer idea about how you feel and what sort of support you'll have if you do/don't go through with it?

[Pip]

It's something worth thinking about more surgery but if it's 50/50 that you benefit you need to decide whether it's worth it.  I am deaf in one ear and when I was in my teens I could have had an operation to help me hear better.  The problem was there was no gurantees so I chose not to go ahead with it. 

[Eric]

aye i definitely have to think about it, i wrote a pros and cons on my current status about it and there was one pro and many many cons lol, it really does depend if they decide if i can get a operation as if the crystals are too small they cant operate. im going to try and get more info and try to get in touch with the specialists for that sort of things before i make my decision. hopefully.

[Amanda_George]

I'm proud of you for attempting to sort it out in your head... maybe arrange an appointment to discuss it too?  They will be able to assess if it's right for you as well as if there are any things you should consider?  They know you as a person better than the hospital does, so if you trust your GP, they may be the next port of call for you?

[Eric]

if i remember tomorrow im going to call and try and setup an appointment, i suspect there's going to be a long waiting time for anything to happen but ill see tomorrow, im going down tomorrow about my mental health appointment so hopefully i will remember to set it up. knowing me i will need to write it down lol.

[Amanda_George]

You can do this, HH!  If you trust your GP surgery, they can listen and reassure you about whichever decision you make!

[Pip]

if i remember tomorrow im going to call and try and setup an appointment, i suspect there's going to be a long waiting time for anything to happen but ill see tomorrow, im going down tomorrow about my mental health appointment so hopefully i will remember to set it up. knowing me i will need to write it down lol.

When I'm extremely depressed I write lists for myself which I leave on my laptop under my mobile phones simply because I check my emails and facebook when I get up in the mornings.