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Old 08-13-2012, 06:50 PM
 
915 posts, read 2,119,242 times
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I went through surgury this April for ovarian cancer, but it was only Stage1, encapsulated, and after four rounds of chemo, I may be fine. But I was in such pain and went back to my family doctor and just got my labs & xray results: I have degenerative osteoarthrisis in both knees, both hips and both sacroiliac joints.

I was getting very depressed, but apparently it's not the end of the my life, just yet. Apparently this last bad news can be treated with diet, exercise and she's got me on Meloxicam (I don't know that the later is helping me at all).

She (the family doc) recommended vit. D and calcium, but doctors such as T. Colin Campbell, Dean Ornish and others who recommend a vegan diet, cite about 1,200 studies which indicate that the calcium pills don't do any good.

I switched from vegetarian to vegan a few weeks ago, take D and tumeric and found a vegan Glucosamine.

I'd love to hear about people who are living well with this diagnosis. I'm 62, don't drink or smoke.

TIA

Last edited by mvintar; 08-13-2012 at 08:14 PM..
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Old 08-18-2012, 07:33 PM
 
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Isn't there anybody out there who has, or knows someone who has, this diagnosis?
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Old 08-18-2012, 09:58 PM
 
Location: Hawaii/Alabama
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I have RA in my spine, SI joints, hips and knees. I am 46 and have had RA since I was a child. It is incredibly painful but after exhausting enough meds to drop a horse, shots, etc I have finally had a pain pump inserted.

It has reduced my pain greatly although I am still in a wheelchair and will be in one the rest of my life.

Try to find a low impact exercise (like water aerobics)- this can help you keep your joints in working order for longer periods of time.

I wish you the best.
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Old 08-19-2012, 08:32 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by melaniej65 View Post
I have RA in my spine, SI joints, hips and knees. I am 46 and have had RA since I was a child. It is incredibly painful but after exhausting enough meds to drop a horse, shots, etc I have finally had a pain pump inserted.

It has reduced my pain greatly although I am still in a wheelchair and will be in one the rest of my life.

Try to find a low impact exercise (like water aerobics)- this can help you keep your joints in working order for longer periods of time.

I wish you the best.

I'm sorry to hear about your RA; I've heard it's really bad. I plan on doing the water aerobics as soon as I heal from the port removal. In the case of my diagnosis, I'm just not sure what "degenerative" means: does that mean there is nothing that can be done to stop the "degeneration?"

I've determined--without any knowledge really--that I'm going to fight this and not give up. I'm sort of in training mode; I'm determined to not just lie down and give up--which after the cancer was my initial reaction. I was very unhappy, to say the least.

My family doctor recommended physical therapy, vit D and calcium. But in my vegan books there are citations to 1,200 studies which indicate that the calcium (she recommended 1200 units of calcium and 800 vit D daily) doesn't do any good.
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Old 08-19-2012, 09:40 AM
 
Location: Hawaii/Alabama
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I know how it feels to fight cancer- I have (so far at least) survived breast cancer and had a radical mastectomy and reconstruction. I have also had several rounds of chemo for SLE.

You cannot undo the damage that has already occurred but you can do your best to keep your degeneration minimal. I would go ahead with your Doc's suggestion for the calcium and vitamins since it will do no harm and may help.

For me the SI pain has been the worst (even more than my spinal issues). The glucosomine is good; is it in combination with chondroitin? I cannot take it due to an allergy (iodine/shellfish) but I know several people (including my DH) who swear that it helps.
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Old 08-19-2012, 10:23 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by melaniej65 View Post
I know how it feels to fight cancer- I have (so far at least) survived breast cancer and had a radical mastectomy and reconstruction. I have also had several rounds of chemo for SLE.

You cannot undo the damage that has already occurred but you can do your best to keep your degeneration minimal. I would go ahead with your Doc's suggestion for the calcium and vitamins since it will do no harm and may help.

For me the SI pain has been the worst (even more than my spinal issues). The glucosomine is good; is it in combination with chondroitin? I cannot take it due to an allergy (iodine/shellfish) but I know several people (including my DH) who swear that it helps.
I'm so sorry to hear about your cancer; mine was ovarian, encapsulated, Stage1, so I may be okay (I hope). There is a vegan glucosamine (made from corn rather than shellfish) you might want to look at:

Vegan Vegetarian Glucosamine

or

Vegan Glucosamine MSM CMO joint support

This second product appears to be in combination with MSM and CMO (not sure what those are), not chondroitin.

SLE??
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Old 08-19-2012, 10:51 AM
 
Location: Florida
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I don't have this (I don't think) but I have Fibromyalgia and sometimes my joints hurt like the dickens including my thumb joint which was in terrible pain for weeks recently, and just as it got better, my knee cap started hurting and slipping out of joint. It's crazy and unpredictable. I take a whole load of vitamins and supplements everyday as well as Cymbalta and try to eat very healthily and I get by. But if I slack up on my regimen, I will pay a price. Also I exercise as much as I can stand to via walking and bicycling. I'm 49 years old.
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Old 08-19-2012, 10:55 AM
 
Location: Florida
5,965 posts, read 6,974,162 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by melaniej65 View Post
I have RA in my spine, SI joints, hips and knees. I am 46 and have had RA since I was a child. It is incredibly painful but after exhausting enough meds to drop a horse, shots, etc I have finally had a pain pump inserted.

It has reduced my pain greatly although I am still in a wheelchair and will be in one the rest of my life.

Try to find a low impact exercise (like water aerobics)- this can help you keep your joints in working order for longer periods of time.

I wish you the best.
So sorry about your pain. At times I do wonder if I have something besides Fibromyalgia. I'm really not sure. I can walk most of the time. But I do have pain in my joints and muscles on a regular basis. This all started for me a few years ago.
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Old 08-19-2012, 10:57 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Heartsong View Post
So sorry about your pain. At times I do wonder if I have something besides Fibromyalgia. I'm really not sure. I can walk most of the time. But I do have pain in my joints and muscles on a regular basis. This all started for me a few years ago.
You should get a blood test and x-rays; don't put it off.
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Old 08-19-2012, 11:02 AM
 
Location: Hawaii/Alabama
2,265 posts, read 4,096,331 times
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Mvintar~
SLE is systemic lupus (as opposed to discoid lupus).

FMS is a pain (literally!). Nothing like some muscle pain to go with painful joints...

Aren't I soooo lucky that autoimmune diseases just seem to love me!
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