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Erosive Osteoarthritis

Bones, Joints & Muscles | Last Active: Sep 6, 2023 | Replies (100)

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@kilh

In reply guess, I am lucky to have 3 ortho surgeons that can inject both thumbs, one shoulder (now that the other one has been replaced), and my one foot(big toe joint and right in the middle where there are no cushions left) I go every three months and have been for many years. Hope they do not retire. But they want me to go to plan B which is surgery on my thumbs but will do injections as long as they work. If I have to wait longer to have injections then it is bone on bone with pain. Along with losing bone. I have never been on any Rx just injections. I hope you find some help soon. Keep in touch with your progress and stay safe.KLH

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Replies to "In reply guess, I am lucky to have 3 ortho surgeons that can inject both thumbs,..."

A cautionary tale for you regarding your thumbs. When my thumbs got to the point where injections weren't lasting 4 months, the ortho surgeon took new x-rays, and told me I was in the "sweet spot" - the repair surgery would still work. He warned if I waited until the joint collapsed due to bone deterioration, the only solution would be full fusion of the joint. Two friends were given the same caution by their docs that autumn. Two of us elected the conservative surgery ASAP, the third decided to wait, and see if somehow the thumbs would heal.
Two of us now have nearly full, pain-free use of our thumbs to paint, sew, etc. The guy who waited has fused thumbs on both hands, and had to give up his favorite hobbies, as well as rig a special harness so he can still use his big SLR camera to take wildlife photos. So be sure your ortho frequently x-rays the thumbs for comparison...
Sue