Erosive Osteoarthritis

Please forgive me, the supplement discussed is Boron. I just learned about Boron reading these posts, and have not discussed it with my physicians.
I am prescribed the following medications:
Diclofenac Sodium Gel 1% (Voltaren) as needed, not enough, or often enough, leaving clothing off, and not touching anything for 15 minutes is challenging!!
Methocarbamol (Robaxin) muscle relaxer, 750 mg 1 or 2 per day
Gabapentin 300 mg (Neurontin) 4 tab spread through the day
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) 200 mg 2/day
Meloxicam 15 mg, cut in half for one tab/day, each with a food, morning and noon.
Triamcinolone Cream 0.1% for mild psoriasis, on wrists and ankles and lower legs.

Methotrexate tab 2.5 mg 6 tabs, all at once, only once per week.
Leucovorin Calcium 10 mg, 12 hours after the Methotrexate (once per week to offset some Methotrexate side effects).

for pain: (confidential and ambiguous amounts, for confidentiality; Max 90 MME/day is fairly standard maximum) (MME=Morphine MG Equivalent)
Oxycodone / APAP Tab 10-325 mg (Percocet) (1 tab is 15 MME)
Morphine Sulfate ER Tabs 15 MG, (1 tab is 15 MME)

Additionally, I take other medications.

I will be seeing my Rheumatologist next week and will ask about BORON as a Supplement.

As I understand, the Severe Erosive Inflammatory Osteoarthritis is the worst type of arthritis. Basically, nothing can be done, except some medications to try to help stop the pain and help slow the progression of the disease. They say it is not fatal however, I feel myself dying a little every day. Last year, I lost about 30 lbs, I went from an active endurance athlete weighting 185, now, I weigh about 150. Some of this may be due to several stress factors, losing my last parent and dealing with the estate, going on disability at work and having to quit my work and routine, losing my client and co-worker relationships and sports related relationships, lunch groups, and basically all social activities, and dealing with insurance, including private disability insurance, ETC. At my last Neurosurgeon appointment, we were both teary eyed, discussing the need to fuse S1-L5, and losing lots of Range of Motion, rehab ETC. We both know that it's straight downhill for me, the physicians don't want to tell me that, because each patient is different and the prognosis is variable but, I can tell that it is not good. The 2 distal joints in each hand are so eroded and have bone growth that looks like a piece of popcorn at each joint, there is no visible joint, it is just a large mass, resembling a piece of popcorn, with no space between bones and I have the gull-wing appearance on X-ray's . I believe I am heading to the point of being a 2X4 piece of inflexible human. I admire those who have this disease and manage it, and especially those who have it worse than I do. I live such a sheltered life that it is hard to be grateful for what I have. For me, this is the year of GRATITUDE TO ALL, AND ACCEPTANCE OF MYSELF AND OF ALL OTHERS, AND EMPATHATIC TO THEIR SITUATIONS. Growing up is not for sissies! I feel I have so much to offer others but my isolation hinders my outside contact.

I need to add a bidet to my toilet, and make other house adjustments before my next surgery. At 60, I often feel that I should be in an assisted living facility, where I can get several good meals/day. Currently, I have no appetite, and force myself to eat something for dinner. It seems like I cannot complete any tasks that I start. I often spend 20 hours/day in bed. It's so difficult to manage my day-to-day needs, laundry, hygiene, cleaning, cooking, maintenance, dressing myself and basically most of my ADL's. I do still drive; however, I wonder why and how.

I have always been so independent, it is hard for me even grasp the idea that I have any limitations at all or to understand my limitations, and when to call someone for help, and how to hire others to do what I used to easily do myself. I'm hard headed and independent. I don't grasp the concept to contract with others to do what I used to do. I am also very financially conservative, so that also makes it hard to pay someone to do what I used to do just the year earlier.

I do not intend to be negative; I merely want to express my situation hoping that I can help others who are struggling also. I want to write a book about my struggles with this disease, including the mental challenges, physical challenges, social challenges, financial challenges, all coming as a brick wall hitting me. Even the physicians did not believe that there was anything wrong with me. My right leg lost 2 cm in circumference, or 36 cubic inches before physicians began to be concerned and figure out what I had been complaining about. My L4-L5 was pinching nerves, cutting off communication with the muscles in that leg, and the loss was from atrophy (neglect of my physicians). The physicians want to send you to a shrink for complaining about pain, instead of searching for the real physical problems. Physicians are not perfect, it is an art. You Know Your Own Body better than anyone, be persistent. I recommend if you have lower back pain, to measure the circumference of each leg in several locations (same locations on each leg) periodically to see if there has been any atrophy. I could actually see that my Right leg was smaller than the Left!

A young physician thought that since I could take my shirt off by myself, that I did not have any problems, even after knowing that I had Severe Erosive Osteoarthritis. I am extremely flexible or hyper flexible, and this tends to disguise some to the stiffness or lack of mobility that is typical. Just because I look young and athletic and very flexible, does not mean that I don't have very real, very painful, very serious problems, I am just atypical. Physicians, please listen to your patients & be Objective. Patients please be persistent, investigate, and get second opinions. Actually, I am not in a position to give advice on anything, especially unsolicited advice. So, I am sorry to those whom I might offend.

I am not trying to wine or cry or ask for sympathy, I am merely trying to express my personal situation and what I am going through in order for me to help others going through similar problems. I ask those with similar or worse situations to post up, so that together, we can help others. Maybe we can build a bridge for others to cross, as they come to the raging waters that we have crossed, so that it might be easier for the next person; That is my Hope and Prayer.

Has anyone else been diagnosed with Erosive Osteoarthritis? What is your treatment plan? Any studies?

@mememc52 Hello, You might like to take a look at this ongoing discussion of Erosive Osteoarthritis, and try to connect with some of the posters there.
Sue

Where is the discussion located?

I'm sorry you have so much pain,I think I may end up with a trigger finger as my ring finger on right hand does get stuck slightly sometimes.My gran suffered with it terribly,she would shout my cousin and I when we were around 8trs old to pull it out she wold scream out in pain,not nice at all.Nature is so cruel.

Has anyone else been diagnosed with Erosive Osteoarthritis? What is your treatment plan? Any studies?