I have been diagnosed with a number of medical conditions including severe osteoarthritis. I have to have fusion surgery to both hands and have been told FM will affect healing times and the operation will be so much more painful.
Has anyone else experienced this?? Would like any advice you guys may have on this. Would appreciate you sharing your experiences.
Dear Dee,
Oh my, I am so sorry to hear that the OA has progressed to this terrible stage. I will tell you that I worked with a gal whose husband had this operation done to his toes, and he was much better for it!
I have Psoriatic Arthritis, the Spondylitis type, so of course my worst area is the spine, from the very tip of it, up into my head, to the tailbone, don't forget the SI joints! So I do understand the pain and dysfunction of arthritis, and I know that surgery is in my future!
Hope the nurses and other members respond! We do have a fibro and arthritis group too!
http://forum.livingwithfibro.org/group/fibroymalgia-and-arthritis
Wishing you well,
SK
Hello Dee
Oh my goodness what agony you must be in. I too have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, moderate to severe in my right knee. I feel it now in all my joints, specially my left heel and it is painful to walk and specially painful in bed at night. Often I cannot find a place to put it so that it does not send me severe pain. I broke my left ankle in 2001 and the doctor warned me that I should expect arthritis in it specially the back of my heel. They were right. The pain has arrived.
Otherwise I don't have any experiences that sound like they would be helpful to you. Hum, come to think about it, my wrists burn if I type for too long.
But I am glad that you started a Discussion about it. Hopefully some other members might have some similar experiences to share with you.
Gentle hugs
Rachel
For my Mom they prop both legs under pillows, with her heels just off the pillow, told me it keeps from getting blisters on the heel, might help to take the pain from your heel, Rachel! Might be worth a try! I'm learning all sorts of things!
I wish you both relief!
Hi,
Like you, I have several medical conditions along with Fibromyalgia and was recently told my a neurosurgeon that he loves to cut, but not on me. I had looked into the pump for medication, but, found out too, that that was risky because of the fact that I have had some bone marrow issues so I would be at high risk for menangitis. I did have a spinal fusion after I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and it did take a little longer to heal, but I tried to follow what they told me to do to the letter and it did help. I think every person is different and what may take me two months could take you six months or vice versa. I believe in being the CEO of my care and that the doctors and I work as a team. Being in tune with your body and knowing it will really help you also. If you are then I think it really helps to make good, sound decisions that will be in the best interest of your care. I was just diagnosed with Adrenal insufficiency which now even further poses a problem as I have to be on a natural steroid and thus my immune system is compromised. One of the things that I firmly believe is necessary when you have multiple illnesses, especially, the invisible ones, is that you have a good support system that you can rely on and trust to be there for you. I am sorry that you have to go through all of this and hope that the surgery will be a success for you. You will be in my thoughts.
Lois
I think that you really should try your best to think of this as positive surgery...that it is going to make you feel better. If you have any doubts then if it was me, i wait.
As to healing, unless you have some health problem like auto immune diseases such as lupus, you should heal just fine. I have few autoimmune diseases and they just make sure i am not active and it does take me few weeks longer to heal than normal healthy people...so not enough to make huge difference.
As to the pain...again try to keep upbeat attitude! I do know that if you are anti inflammatory drugs or narcotic they will lower your dosage or have you stop a few weeks before surgery. So you will hurt before but afterwards, your doctors should take care of your pain.
Is this doctor a believer in fibro? Or is this their way of saying that they are not going to treat your pain after surgery because they think you are faking it? i ask this flat out if this is what is possibly going on.
See now i have had RA and opted not to fuse after doing research and speaking to others with it in same joints. My husband fused his ankles and yes it did stop the ankle pain but created pain by him not being able to walk normally plus the pins created pain and a few had to be removed. I personally, always felt fusing was not his best choice but it is his body and his decision. He is on more narcotic pain medication now than before...so i see this as negative as to reducing the pain.
I make sure that you know realistically how much function you are going to lose of your hands especially if you knit or do something like typing, other crafts or work with them. You might not be able to after fusing! I had instead joint work and eventually will do replacement joints..yes they can do joint replacement of your hands. I also have RA in my hands and was worried in my 30's so checked into it....they improved a lot since i originally did my research..20 years ago!
I just hope you looked into all your options. Plus, about pain..my mother had a quadruple bypass surgery and yes they had her on narcotic drugs the few 4 days after it in the hospital. She asked to go on motrin last few days and after that she only took 4 reg Vicodin pills in her complete recovery!! I kept after her that if she was in pain to take them but she said motrin really helped and i believe her as it has helped me as much as narcotic drugs or better.
SOO...most of this was her attitude...she just knew the surgery was good thing and though she was scared at first when she felt her heart beat eventually she would say it gave her new lease on life and it has!! She is 85 and gardens every am..really gardens..goes on walks, small hikes ..just in great shape despite having OA and touch of RA..So try to think of this as positive for yourself and it will be!!
i wish you speedy recovery and hope it makes your live improved!! If you have any doubts..wait..make sure before you let them...i never regretted not having fuse and i also have spondylitis in my spine and was told only thing that might be bad is bones might break...but i never plan on having surgery. so just depends on what you feel is right for you...than do it. I often still think best question is to ask your primary doctor what they do if it was them or their spouse, child etc. Also would they let the surgeon be one to do it?
Oh one thing if you do have surgery....while in the hospital my sister who is RN insisted that before touching my mother that they change their gloves in front of my mother. Also that room was clean! If any dust bunnies showed up at all either in room or bathroom she insisted they cleaned her room immediately...also she made sure they cleaned her room at least daily and tried to get them to do twice.
Now my mom went in with 7 other people who all had failed their stress tests..she was only one to not get infection at some point after surgery..even small one..sure it was due to glove changing and room being cleaned!! Often if you are well enough to notice dentists, nurses, LVN's will come into room with gloves ...does not mean they are not new but just in case have them change them..even to do BP she had them in new gloves! So have advocate if you can!!
I think this bit of information is valuable so i try to pass it on to those having surgery.
Thanks for all of your responses. New to this FM thing and my rheumatologist very offhand about it. Left to research this myself and stumbled on this site in the process…so glad I did.
My problem is that I have a whole host of medical conditions and in the process of trying to get diagnosis for it all have been classed as clinically depressed. Well duh!!! I’m in pain 24/7 and have a whole lot of symptoms to deal with, including breathing difficulties from ILD (chronic lung condition), so yeah I’m depressed, what a surprise!!!
Problem being that for months I was labelled a neurotic who manifested all my symptoms in my mind. All this despite the endless tests showing actual physical conditions.
Now finally they have come to the realisation that I am in pain…geniuses!!! I’ve been telling them for months.
Any wonder I was suicidal…in pain, no respite, exhausted both mentally and physically and no support from anyone including family.
Still don’t believe me or understand the FM…but “luckily” I have osteoarthritis a condition they can actually see!!!
OMG... what do I do .. if i need surgery and i do have an autoimmune disease too... will i never heal? I am so frustrated with everything else .. and trying to keep on working.. I have so much stress... wondering whether I will have to lose my job over it.. etc... help!!!
Karen
IF your tests showed you had something wrong with you and they ..your doctors still did not believe you..well they are ones with the problem.
I personally do not like working with doctors who do not believe me. It is my body and only i know how i feel and what has helped in the past. Is it possible to find ones that do believe in you?
I am in severe pain and also have number of health issues, yes i am depressed but i not severely depressed or even where antidepressants will help me. Being clinically depressed is worse than many diseases in my book. I had it when something very bad happened and it was just horrible. Not to have hope well takes a lot away.
Most of us feel bad and have bad days but we bounce back in time. When one is depressed you do not bounce back it is just dark and hopeless daily. I think just dealing with it until they can get your meds where they help you, if ever should be your first priority if possible.
Sad part is the fact you are depressed than had the doctors make assumptions which is not right. Depression is its' own legit disease. You should not be made into mental case because you have it...thousands of people do!
I am glad that they are not looking into what is wrong and hopefully able to make you feel better physically. Hopefully than your depression might not be as bad too!