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Hey guys -
At the risk of boredom, it's been awhile but I felt it might be helpful to somebody to post some news.
In addition to this cns stuff, which can confuse a lot of things, I just have OA throughout a good part of my body from the training I described, in my mid-30's. I don't know why something so obvious was missed by so many from one carrier's providers - to a person, they said my back and hips, as well as this hand, are all soft-tissue related and that my x-rays are "clean." In the PT's words, "Though your imaging is clear, it is very likely soft tissue may be very irritated in that area...".
My son's pediatrician growing up is also a renowned sports med guy (team doctor for many of UW's teams, for one), and I've gone to him for a couple of weird things in the past (flying scapula from a rare thoracic nerve viral attack, frozen shoulder). I finally went to him for this stuff. It took him 30 seconds to manipulate my hips to say "I don't need to see anything more. You've just got arthritis everywhere." He then showed me my films and pointed out how my hips, lower lumbar are jacked. I saw it. He said far from "clear," and nothing to do with "soft tissue," my joints are substantially arthritic. He said they are "not unremarkable at all. They're remarkable, for arthritis."
In his notes he said "patient seemed surprised to discover he has arthritis..."
Hand imaging was finally done - and it's pretty well-developed arthritis: "Moderately severe degenerative changes of the thumb carpometacarpal joint are now present, manifest by significant joint space narrowing and osteophyte formation. A small well-corticated ossicle adjacent to the tip of the radial styloid process appears old, probably the sequela of an old injury."**
So: I know we know this, but maybe it's helpful. All this stuff, I was going nuts trying to figure out why nothing I was doing, based on the PT/med course of therapy being based on tendonitis, etc., helped. Having been told clearly and bluntly by the sports med doctor, my world immediately lifted. Arthritis - you can't slow it's progress, but, as I confirmed, nothing I'm doing injures anything any more than its natural course. In other words, I asked him, "so basically I can just suck it up and play through the pain - and it doesn't matter, right. It won't do any more damage?" He confirmed: "yep. You can play as long as you can deal with the pain. Nothing you're doing will affect the course of the arthritis. It will degenerate but that's on its own."
So - even if walking immediately my back to seize up, or playing causes pain, f$ck it. It's incredibly freeing. With this central burning thing, which flares up on even a small change in barometric pressure, it took me years to realize it doesn't matter, functionally. I'm pretty pissed it took so long to get a doctor who got it right, when it was seemingly so obvious. But, whatever. Play away.
As is my wont, I do a lot of research on my own (I've had to. Per above). I found that Keith Richards has it bad. And he said the same thing. Play, man. A good friend in our jam group said he's concerned he's getting the same stuff in his left hand but after talking about it, he said the same thing - that if he plays, it gets better, but if he has any kind of break, it can get worse.
Anyway guys, hope this isn't incredibly self-indulgent and boring, but rather it can provide something useful to you who deal with this.
**Pretty funny. I was an idiot as a kid. Same damn truck, fractured my skull on the trailer hitch at 10, and thought it would be fun to drag a rope and watch it dance off the drive shaft while heading down the freeway. It....wasn't fun. A second or two from getting the whole damn arm ripped off at the shoulder. Every arm bone snapped in two and compounded. This "sequela" of an old injury is likely from this moronic move 45 years ago. I don't know how boys make it to adulthood, sometimes, lol!
pas encore, j'erre toujours.
Since I've had some minor joint issues, especially in the wrists, I thought I would post this link which may help others: https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/nutrition/anti-inflammatory/the-ultimate-arthritis-diet
Thank you jon. Yes, I've found anti-inflammatory natural anything is great as well. And I still take care to (try to) do short sessions of a half-hour or so (thank you Buco), and stretch plentifully.
pas encore, j'erre toujours.
My knee joints are affecred with arthrosis, so kneeling down is no fun since several years. My wife has worked in various positions in medial care, and she always says to me, I should move the joints: walk, ride the bicycle, and dance. During the lockdown months my arthritis got worse, and I could not dance with my groups in primary school and kindergarten. Now that I started again to dance with the children (https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/17908/small-and-big-children-draw-guitars-and-other-musical-impressions/p24), things are better. Kneeling down no longer feels like "I'm afraid I have to stay down there for the rest of the day".
Sorry to hear you have been in pain, Paul.
Have you already tried a chiropractor?
That’s what works best for me.
Good luck.
Will
Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."
Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
Oh thanks, Will. I know you suffer too, buddy.
I have to be honest, I'm really happy to have gotten the right diagnosis. Pain is no fun, as you know, but the clear diagnosis, I find, anyway, is truly liberating. To know it's arthritis and not some crap they misdiagnosed that SHOULD be improving but isn't....well, it's incredibly freeing. "Can't know the course of decay....nothing you'll be doing will 'hurt' the arthritis damage....play away, to the extent you can deal with the pain."
So I'm really stoked, to be honest. Sort of like the CNS stuff, which sucks horribly and with other symptoms points to a high probability of full-blown Parkinson's within the next 10 years - I can't know, and can't do anything about it, so while pain sucks, play at will.
That's how I responded, anyway. I hope it can give some useful info. In comradeship with you with some challenges, brother.- Paul
Edit: Whoops, I realize I forgot to respond re the chiro. Yep, many times over the years. I find they're great for acute stuff. The best thing I did was to lose a ton of weight. I can't train physically very much but my doctor's magical cure - "eat less," was miraculous, imagine that. I get up early, eat breakfast, don't eat lunch, and don't really drink beer anymore. That, and I do yoga as much as possible (ashtanga - energetic, includes core strengthening), seems to keep the subluxations/spasms in check. Causes flareups, but then everything does, so "eh," what're'you' gonna' do?
pas encore, j'erre toujours.
i also have some fun with arthritis in my knees since my early twenties and yes, riding the bycicle and sailing helps al lot!
I do have some really heavy arthritis in both of my thumps (the gristle is gone), there were times i couldn't hold a pick or even write my name...
The equal mix of powdered cumin, coriander and nutmeg two times a day after eating helped building up the joint fluid in my thumps and took away the bite of the pain quite clearly (it is even visible by an echograph!)! But to notice a remarkable change it takes 6-8 weeks at least!
The link to the "ultimate arthritis Diet" in Jonpowls answer is also very useful!
Here comes the good part: since i can play again but a lot less (some pain is left) i play and arrange guitar like it its my last day being more effective and creative having fun with music;-))
Good luck to everyone!
Hey Paul, wow sorry to hear that it took so long to find a doc to figure that out but at least now you know. Yes I have it in both wrists and thumbs. Sucks ESPECIALLY for guitar. My doc says I can do anything I want with it, can't hurt it, but it is painful. I don't use any meds unless I really screw up. Even then I don't use pharmaceuticals or OTCs. Don't like the side effects or chemicals. What works best for me is weed but I hardly ever use it because I don't like to be high and can't drive (don't want a DUI) but it is REALLY effective for my pain. Only time I've used it is for really bad pain like if I fall or something and really crunch my wrist. Otherwise I just try to go easy on my hands and only play guitar for short bits.
Djangheuruex, interesting, how much of the mix do you take at a time and how do you swallow it, capsule? thx
That's great to know, thanks much. I'll give it a try. And the focus you talk about is something I've only recently begun doing (or trying. I have lingering "you cannot leave off - you sound terrible" demons). Buco was tremendously helpful here with respect to short, intensely focused sessions. I really like your image. And thanks again for the info.
Sorry you suffer, man. I'm glad you've found a way to manage better.
pas encore, j'erre toujours.