Ouchhhh

[Guest *gupt-kaur*]

Hi,

just had a quick read through your answers. I forgot to ask a few pretty important question -

which joints hurt? answer yes/no:

Hips, NOKnees, YES

ankles, toes, YES, VERY

fingers, hands SOMETIMES,

wrists, YES

shoulders, SOMETIMES

neck.SOMETIMES

lower spine NO

(note, not a sore back but something that does feel like bone not muscle!).

Do you feel as if your joints are stiff? If no then fine but if yes, are they stiffer in the morning or evening? or constant throughout the day?

MORE IN THE Evenings

Do you feel that your knees 'lock'?

erm, yes

Do you feel any of your joints are swollen?

noo... not swollen

The very fact that you can walk long distances is reassuring because it does make it unlikely that it is osteoarthritis. The clicking is caused by relatively lax joint capsules, that allows more than a usual amount of movement.

oooooooooh thank god lol

It sounds to me like you're not happy with your GP. your GP *may* have done the appropriate thing based on examination/history, but clearly it was ineffective as you're still concerned. I'd suggest you either change GP sooner rather than later or go back and visit again.

yeahh, i am going to change...

If it is every joint then it may be harmless nitrogen gas coming out of solution from various body fluids - this can cause clicking. Although there isn't a scienfitic basis, in most cases the symptoms you've suggested are usually harmless if not annoying. exercises to help stabilise joints may help, including yoga.

oooh ok thanks... will excersise

If i were your doctor I'd order another blood test to check to see if you're anaemic just because you've complained of being tired a lot of the time. girls of your age are susceptable to blood loss from heavy periods. most women aren't affected by anaemia even i they do bleed heavily, but it would be reassuring to rule it out. taking iron supplements without tests is a bit overkill because iron supplements can make you very constipated. i'd suggest eating plenty of green vegetables (Esp. saag) with a glass of orange juice (acidity helps increase iron absorption).

ooooooooh ..thanks jee, i'll tell my new doc, or will go bk to this crap one and tell him to get it done no matter what. hmm, i do eat healthy tho :gg:

with regards to your joints, if it is only one joint (e.g. your knees) i'd want an x-ray to rule out any degenerative causes such as juvenile arthritis (rare) and rheumatoid arthritis (rare in your age too). oseoarthritis is so rare in your age too.

ooh, ok,

if your knee locks etc it could be a damaged meniscus or ligament (cruciate ligaments). this could cause the clicking and locking/stiffness. an x-ray wouldn't be able to detect this, but a physical examination of your knee could (something called McMurray test and draw test/lachman's test would check for a meniscus injury and a ligament injury respectively.

:o

Vitamin D deficiency is quite rare so long as you're out and about once in a while (i.e. you get some sun!). It wouldn't hurt to have it checked however but if you were my patient I probably wouldn't. vitamin D allows you to absorb calcium. vitamin D deficiency could affect your bones in that you would have thinning of the bones as your body would try to take calcium from bones to make up for the low calcium in your blood. this means mostly your bones would be thin and may result in bowed legs (osteomalacia) or easy breaks (osteopenia resulting in a pathalogical fracture). it wouldn't affect your joints. I very much doubt this is the case in you however.

phewww

if you'd like flakseed oil which is rich in omega 3 could be a good supplement, but another one is Glucosamine. it is available from most health food stores and although it hasn't been proven medically to be antiarthritic, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence for it and medical evidence for it improving symtoms.

yeahhhh, im going to try falxseed, most ppl say its gr88,,,, so will try this, however... omega.... thats fish oils :umm: plss.... is this suitable for veggies... not gona ruin rehit over my knees

i'll check back on wednesday (UK time) to see if you've answered any questions or indeed have any :o )

thanks soooooooooooo much for ur help veerje!! appreciate it alot

[Into the Light]

you can get flaxseed oil from Holland & Barretts, GNC etc take it with food...if you want the really good quality stuff, keep an eye out for 'cold pressed' flaxseed oil but it can be that little more pricey

The one that i take is called Udo's Choice, i find it really good, i know you can pick this up from GNC cuz thats where i get it from (it has to be kept refirgerated tho)

best of luck

[SonyNeech]

don't worry about that

your bones click

when someone old so promblems can be happen .u r old in young age

[s8220]

howdy,

ok, if your knees are locking get a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon (they're the bone specialists, let them check you out). Your local health care trust may have a policy to refer to a physiotherapist first, but that's fine too because they know what they're doing - it could be something that could be helped by a few exercises to alter your gait.

I do have a few more questions I would like to ask. It may seem long but you gotta remember if we were having this conversation in person it'd be done and dusted within ten minutes!

However, I don't think I could add to the solution or formulate a diagnosis without examining you myself and without a few key tests, so I feel it'd be a tad pointless to continue probing your medical history and clarking you further!

it sounds to me like you've been putting up with these problems for quite some time now and you're getting sick and tired of them - and rightly so. I wouldn't pay any attention to people who say it's nothing and you ought to learn to live with it - it may be something you could get help with (potentially). I do think you ought to change GPs and see if they can help.

Try the flakseed oil or the Omega 3. I'd definately 100% recommend the Glucosamine. It's relatively inexpensive and I can recall at least one patient who said it significantly helped her.

I'd try this for 2-3 months and in that time change your GP. if after 2-3 months the supplements haven't helped, seek an appointment.

If you're in pain taking an Asprin/Ibuprofen/Neurofen could help (not paracetamol). It is important to read the leaflet inside and to speak to your doctor if you're asthmatic or have a stomach ulcer. Follow the instructions on the packet for maximum dose and if you know you're going to do an activity which often makes your joints worse (hypothetically running) take some an hour before you commence that activity.

Just a few suggestions. Best of luck with this - keep us informed if you make any progress

[Guest G.Kaur]

s8220, how many spoons of flaxseed oil should you eat in a day?

I have started eating flaxseed oil recently but I'm not really sure how much to eat in a day.

[Guest Guest]

would maalish with saro da tail (sunflower oil, i think) help?