Erosive Osteoarthritis

Are they sure they are not Rheumatoid Arthritis, it destroys the bone. I was thought to have what you do only to have the Rheumatoid type. I got a shot of numbing agent followed by Cortisone and it has been over a years without pain. Might ask about that. Had pain for years before I went to a hand doctor for the shot.

Hi everyone,

I'm updating a comment I made in April of this year re: the use of NSAIDs, specifically diclofenac to treat arthritis joint pain.

Taking any NSAIDs, prescription (Celebrex, diclofenac) or OTC on a daily basis can be hard on the kidneys. I was taking diclofenac to treat an arthritic hip (later replaced) and it worked well. At the same time, my left shoulder was in need of replacement and very painful. So I kept taking diclofenac.

I had my left shoulder replaced on August 6th, and had a pre-op physical in July. My creatinine number ( a measure of kidney function) was too high, and had increased 50% from the last time it was taken. My reading was 1.5 and the max is 1.3. This just means that my kidneys are not cleaning my blood well.

The NP for the pre-op contacted me with this info and suggested I stop taking diclofenac or any NSAIDs. Given the pain I was in, that was easier said than done, but I did manage to cut usage below 50%, and the week before surgery I wasn't allowed to take any NSAIDs. On the day of surgery, my creatinine count was just under 1.

So please be careful with these drugs, Rx or otherwise. They aren't meant for long-term use, as I learned. They are still helpful for short-term use. As always, check with your Dr.

(Follow up - I'm two months post-op for an anatomical TSR and I don't need any pain meds, not even Tylenol.)

All the best to all of you.

Joe

Get a rolator and walk outdoors for at least 1/2 hour every day and start your day with a short bible reading to ponder all day long, then have an early supper with a glass of red wine. Go to bed by 9PM stay away from the tv at night and You'll sleep like a baby and every day will seem a little bit better.

@marthadean , that sounds nice!

@parrotqueen So Interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience. Just started my continual injections, but you sure gave me something to think about and research. Appreciate you!

Wow, congratulations. That is really a heck of a lot improved. Glad to hear that.

Really appreciate this update. Very important facts on very relevant information.

I'd replied to your initial post cuz i am also concerned about usage. Medications leave their marks. Your creatin #'s going down that fast must of been a big relief.

Did you have any ugh reactions that week of no snri meds before surgery? All the best to you. Thanks again..!

@heyjoe415

Hi Elle,

Its was definitely the chronic use of the Rx NSAID diclofenac that caused my creatinine number to rise above normal. Any NSAID used regularly can possibly cause this. It was a surprise to me. And a high creatinine number means the kidney is not working at 100%.

So in just a few weeks, and by cutting my diclofenac use by about 70%, my creatinine number went from 1.5 to 1. The top range is 1.3, so I was above that line.

As for no NSAIDs before surgery - My shoulder was really hurting, so yeah I missed having it. I was able to take Tylenol and use a lot of gel pads from the freezer! The surgeons insist on stopping those meds because they thin the blood, and they don't want that during surgery.

And when my blood was taken just before surgery, my creatinine number dropped to .9 - so the diclofenac NSAID was definitely affecting my kidneys. The lesson is to not use NSAIDs on a regular or daily basis. I didn't even know that.

I hope that helps you Elle. I'm two months now post-op for my shoulder replacement and I'm off any painkillers, even Tylenol. I've had my knees and a hip replaced before, and the subsequent pain relief is glorious.

Don't get me wrong, joint replacement is a significant and traumatic surgery, and the first few days post-op are the hardest. But the satisfaction rate among patients is generally in the 95% range, so these surgeries have really been refined and are incredibly safe, IMO. The rehab work done by the patient is very important.

Any other questions Elle? Thanks so much for reaching out.

Joe

I have erosive arthritis in several fingers. The weakened mobility bothers me most. I only have pain if I have a virus or eat a lot of sugar. No topical or other meds have helped. I find eating a healthy organic pescatarian diet helps as well as some finger extension exercises.

I wrote this huge post and my phone ran out of batteries. My body is riddled with arthritis. The doctors used to tell me that some people who have arthritis have no pain and some do. I could not make any sense of that. It made zero sense. However, it took me 30 years to figure it out And what I figured out was that the pain from arthritis is an inflammatory reaction and the pain may not be caused by the bones deteriorated condition, but caused from an inflammatory reaction which is carried by the nerves. That is what senses the pain. It turns out I had gout and I had insulin resistance Both which are 100% controlled by medication. Once I began taking allopurinol for the gout and metformin for the insulin resistance, my arthritis pain miraculously went away. I am 68 almost 69 years old and I can do things I did at 38 again. I can weed I can exercise and I don’t go into a tailspin when it’s going to rain in the barometric pressure changes. I had to keep on bugging the doctors to get tests done. All they wanna do is the minimal work that they can get away with and that’s giving you rheumatoid arthritis tests for which I was all negative. Turns out I had gout arthritis and they don’t have a test for that or they don’t think to test you for uric acid. After 30 years when they finally did test my uric acid upon my prodding they found out it was high ergo, gout. Gout runs in families and my father had it. You don’t have to have the huge symptoms that are associated with gout to have gout. I managed my diet by being on a low purine diet, and keeping my body slightly alkaline which kept me for the last 20 years from having any gout symptoms, but I still had the disease. Unfortunately, our medical industry has gone numb and they are not very creative thinkers anymore. It’s the same with my insulin resistance. I’ve had that for decades, but I always controlled it by eating low sugar, diet, and eating regular meals, but there comes a time when you can’t control the disease very more and it creeps in no matter how good you are with your diet and that’s the time for medication. Once I was put on the metformin for the insulin resistance and the owl allopurinol for the gout, I feel like 1 million bucks. The x-rays are still the same. I’m loaded with arthritis but now I got my life back. I suggest that you don’t give up and you keep pestering your doctors for as long as it takes to help you feel better. I hope you all have a great 2026!

@loriesco
Wow, you gave me so much new and helpful information! Thanks so much. I also have multiple arthritis sites and no overall diagnosis. I had a knee joint replaced but the inflammation keeps raging and the whole "recovery" has been a miserable mess. I also have had difficulty handling sugar all my life. You have given me a new path of inquiry. So glad you posted.