DISH (diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis) or Forestier's

@pak5000 I wanted to welcome you to Connect. You have a great outlook on finding strength and new ways to do things. I'm not a DISH patient, and I wanted you to know your input is valued. It will help someone even if they don't join Connect and start posting because there are many more people reading that you never see.

How soon are you being scheduled for further surgery?

These posts look pretty old, but i am going to join in the discussion with the idea there is always someone new joing up (like me).

History of back problems for almost 20 years before i was diagnosed with DISH. Before that it was just called degenerative disc disease and i was told "everyone got that". Well, 4 back surgeries (2 spinal fusions within 2 years) and a neck surgery. Looking at another spinal fusion (which will make it S1-L2) sometime this year. It has been quite an education. The XRAYs show growths on all my vertebrae fusing with the vertebrae above and below them. Arthritis simply everywhere. Knee surgery. Shoulder surgery. Ankle issues. It is slow but it never goes away.

The worst part is the lack of sleep (due to pain). Which makes it harder to power through the day. I have some exercises i learned in PT. i try to do some walking. Best results from just adjusting my routine, Investing in DME - handrails for the toilet and bath, a bench for the bath, grabber tools. JUst finding ways to make every day tasks easier and safer. There are some medications, but i hate taking a handful of pills 3 times a day.

There is also the diabetes and sleep apena. And last year a diagnosis of Parkinson's. Makes it hard to enjoy my hobbies, but giving up is the worst thing you can do. Find strength in things you love. In friends and family. Wait for a cure.

I was diagnosed 1 year ago due to some horrible rib pain that just wouldn't go away.im wondering what meds you guys use to help. I was on meloxicam but it has irritated my gut. Have changed to celebrate twice a day but it's not really cutting it.

Just got an confirmation on the MRI. Scheduled for 8/15. then a follow up with the surgeon. Hopeful that an injection will settle things down for a few months. will have to wait and see.

Personally, I use Tylenol 1 g twice a day. At night I take 600 mg of gabapentin. That helps me sleep. I recently was asked by orthopedic MD, how do I you sleep? Both of my shoulders are not in good shape and he wondered how I slept with, both shoulders in bad shape & bad back. I told him I kind of am not directly on my shoulders, but kind of at an angle banked on pillows. I just got shots in my shoulders and going to start physical therapy on them.
So between the gabapentin and a very tiny dose of lisinopril at night and a tiny dose of metoprolol that was just added, hoping to get rid of my headaches, That’s what helps me sleep. I think I’ve just gotten used to pain.
I also get radio frequency ablation done in my back, which I will have in September. They seem to work in my back pretty good. Sometimes I will get epidurals as well in my lower back. But haven’t had to do that in a while, but could be getting close to having to do that again. Everybody is different and seems to have different ailments with their dish. Pain management will probably be your friend.
Again, I hope you find what works for you!🙏

Sure! The first time I heard about DISH was about 10 years ago when I was having severe shoulder pain. My family doctor sent me to an orthopedic doctor because he said I had some of the largest bone spurs he had ever seen. The orthopedic doctor was also somewhat puzzled, but said he faintly remembered hearing about something called DISH, and he thought I should see a rheumatologist. I had to travel to a town about 75 miles away to see the only rheumatologist he had heard about. When I saw him, he confirmed it was DISH because an x-ray of my spine showed the classic "candle dripping" look that created a solid thin line about an inch from my spine all the way down my back. He said there was nothing to be done for DISH except to try to stay active to avoid stiffening of the joints and back, and take pain medicine when necessary. He tried 10 or so pain meds without finding anything that worked very well. He said surgery to remove the bone spurs wasn't a realistic option because they would simply grow back. Over the next 6 or 7 years the pain migrated through many of my joints - spurs in my ankle caused a tear in my achilles tendon, I had a total knee replacement in which the bone eventually grew over much of the replacement as best I recall from seeing an x-ray of the knee replacement years later, I had severe pain in my hip joints and my shoulder joints. The pain has somewhat waxed and waned, and people don't understand why sometimes I can move freely while other times I am quite limited - nor do I understand it.
I have only met one other person who told me they were diagnosed with DISH, but their experience was very different from mine in that theirs affected mainly their spine, resulting in several back surgeries. My back has some spurs and random other problems, but my other joints have been my biggest problem.
I haven't really researched DISH since my original diagnosis years ago. When i tell doctors I have DISH, they generally ignore it. I would be very interested in hearing from people with the same diagnosis about their experience with it and any new research that has been done. I have never heard of any association for people with DISH or support groups because apparently it isn't very common and in fact it is just a form of osteoarthritis.