u/victorella

71 f, had right hip replaced 10 yrs ago. In increasing pain over last 1.5 yrs now on left side - Also radiating pain (all on left side) in butt, flank, lower back, groin, upper thigh, shin and ankle area. Also seeing a neurosurgeon since I had a lumbar MRI with a fair amount of canal narrowing, stenosis etc - Except he thinks my symptoms if my pain was neural would tend to be on the right side, not left. Had two hip x-rays with different orthopedists over the last year, both said arthritis is moderate, not that bad. And that was that.

Had a lumbar epidural a month ago at L3-4; Didn't do much if anything. I cannot walk for longer than 10 minutes without being in unbearable pain. I have some bladder incontinence. Getting in cars is a process, butt first. Rotating knee outward is excruciating. One day I almost had to crawl back to our house because I couldn't continue walking. I have pain at night. I'm taking 1400 mg Gabapentin/day but the pain constantly breaks through, so I take additional anti-inflammatories.

Anyhow - I've just made another appointment with my original ortho and will try to make myself clear: I can't go on like this - It would be one thing if I were 81 or 85; okay, I'll stay at home and watch birds at the feeder; But two years ago we were traveling, touring, on my feet most of the day no problem. Yes, I'm too sedentary but I make sure to get up and move around regularly - My goal is to walk 3 miles pain free. As it is, I can't take one step without pain.

Who else has had their OA or spine issue underestimated? How did you handle it?

Female 71, epidural left side L3 L4 at 8 a.m. Not bad. By 1:30 (at home), could get up off of the toilet without having to hold onto whatever is close by. Could walk for more than 3 minutes without experiencing debilitating pain; probably about 10 minutes before feeling twinges in my two worst areas (ankle/foot and lower leg) - so I headed back in, don't want to overdo it. As far as I'm concerned, it's a miracle: I have not felt this good in months. And I know the steroid takes time to have its full effect; and then, there's no saying how long it might last. I am guardedly very optimistic.

Best wishes for all who suffer.

71 Female. My neurosurgeon isn't sure that my symptoms aren't related to my hip arthritis. I had my right hip replaced about 10 years ago and I do have arthritis in my left hip; But I had an x-ray a year ago at an orthopedist's office and the physician's assistant (not Dr) who reviewed it said it didn't look bad. At that time my pain was completely negligible compared to what I experience now, and limited to the hip area, which was comparable to the pain I had years ago from the other hip.

Among other things, my lumbar MRI shows degenerative disc disease at L3-4, with collapse of the disc base on the left side. There is some neuroforaminal stenosis and compression on the left L3 nerve root, as well as some facet arthropathy.

My pain has worsened over the past year. At this point it's in my back, left butt, groin, thigh, shin, ankle and foot (all left side). By the end of each day, it's debilitating - I cannot stand. At my best, I can barely walk - And that's with 1400 mg Gabapentin each day. I'm 71 and I know things begin falling apart, but this is not what I envisioned for my golden years (not that I actually expected them to be golden, but COME ON!).

I guess the difficulty in diagnosis when the hip is also involved, is a pretty common situation; so I understand that this injection is basically a diagnostic tool: If it succeeds in lessening or eliminating some/all of my pain, my problem is spinal. If not, it's my hip. I also have an upcoming appointment (at my neurosurgeon's direction) with a different orthopedist.

So tomorrow's a big day for me, I hope to hell I get some relief because I feel like I've lost a year to this nonsense, at a point when time is becoming more and more precious. Best wishes to all who suffer.