I'm so happy to find this thread. I've been suffering with increasing arthritis for several years. It has come as a shock to me because I consider 63 to be young! My parents lived to 88 and 90, respectively and did not have serious arthritis.

About 10 years ago I began having lumbar back steroid injections at L4, L5, S1. Also a couple of ablations. I'm now on pretty regular schedule of these therapies, so flare ups aren't as frequent.

I had a total right knee replacement 2 years ago. The surgeon botched the job and the prosthesis failed. It took forever to find this truth! I had to have a complete revision of the R knee, done by a brilliant surgeon in Boston a year later. The right knee is still sore from time to time - painful on stairs and I can feel the L knee beginning to go.

Then there's the shoulder surgery I'm having on the 22nd of this month!

Needless to say I'm in chronic pain and my merciful PCP prescribes Oxycodone for me - without it I couldn't function. My persistent question is: is this the beginning of the end or just a blip from which I'll recover and get my active life back?

Wow that was, as my mother in law used to say, "a tale of woe." Thanks for letting me vent!