When I first discovered that something was wrong with me, I was not surprised because I had had some type of pain in my legs since I was three years old. When I was 30 years old, I started getting stiff in the mornings and after sitting for a while, it was difficult for me to walk at first. While changing sheets on my king size bed, I climbed on the bed to place the sheet on the opposite side and suddenly realized that my knees were gone because I could not place any weight on them. All of a sudden I seemed like an invalid. My husband had to help me get off the bed because my knees were locked in place. Such terrific pain I had never experienced before in my life. This was 33 years ago; I now take a pain pill in the morning and one in the evening for some relief. I had microscopic surgery on the left knee three years ago which helped quite a bit; but I am now starting to have severe pain in it again. I have a torn meniscus in the right leg and need surgery. I really would like to have a knee replacement in both legs. I have sent for information on the ZIMMER for women only replacement. There is always hope for a better tomorrow; I hope this is it for me.

I went for my yearly physical, and complained of aching hands and that my hips hurt. Blood tests came back with a positive ANA test. The rheumatologist ran blood tests and took X rays of my hands. This came back with a diagnosis of osteoarthritis. The hip pain was bursitis. She gave me cortisone shots in my hips and prescribed Arthrotec (NSAID) for the pain. I use hot wax dips, and lots of Aspercreme night time lotion (it smells good!). These things seem to help, since I teach special needs children and use a lot of sign language.

I was just recently diagnosed with Osteoarthritis in both knees. I am 31 years old. I started getting symptoms about 6 years ago while training for a marathon. I ran every day and did squats and lunges every other day too. That did me in. At first, doctors diagnosed me with patella tendonitis which coincided with the symptoms I had at the time. I stopped everything and gained weight. Since then, the pain returns when the weather is about to change. I used the Glucos/Chron blend and can tell it helps a bit. Frustrating because I can't really do any real workout, but I need to lose weight at the same time.

In 2005, my symptoms of osteoarthritis started with pain and stiffness of the knees, primarily over the next two years. The pain in my joints disappeared with the help of pain medication and salves, but the stiffness became worse, necessitating the use of a cane for walking. Now the joints in both hands are swollen and disfigured, but I have no pain in these deformed joints. Some weight reduction did not help the symptoms. Currently, sitting for more than two hours will cause severe stiffness. I try to maintain a moderate exercise program to reduce the stiffness, and I have moved to a warmer climate.

I have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis, but it is not in the usual sites that other people seem to suffer in. Mine is in my neck and shoulders. Initially, my pain was in my upper arms, in the muscles of my upper arms. When I went to the doctor, he immediately sent me for an X-ray as he suspected lung cancer, but my lungs were clear. The next day, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. I was prescribed Tramacet for six months and when I tried to reduce the intake of the pills, I was very surprised to find I was going through withdrawal symptoms. Since then, it is like my nervous system has been affected, and I have attacks of some kind of tension in my arms and legs and must shake them vigorously to settle them. This even wakes me up at night, with sweating and panic. I wonder if I have built up an aversion to acetaminophen, which is in Tramacet.

I first noticed a problem about 5 months ago while lying on a pullout bed. I'd been staying at a relative's home helping her recover from knee surgery, when I noticed a dull ache in my right hip. I ignored it for 2 months before I went to the doctor. By then the pain went from only slightly uncomfortable, to almost unbearable. My doctor ordered x-rays, and he determined that I had secondary degenerative osteoarthritis in my right hip. He explained that my body had grown a small "patch" to correct an injury that I'd sustained as a teenager. When he asked if I played tennis, and I told him that I had and suffered a bad fall he told me that the injury likely surfaced from that incident. At 28, I'm finding myself stiff in the mornings and achy in the movie theater or on long bus rides. The pain is not debilitating, and I am working to keep the disease at bay. I have also noticed in the last month that my right knee (which was also injured in the same fall during the tennis match) is also causing me pain. To all who read this: don't ignore your body. If you have pain, please see a doctor. I waited just two short months, and now I regret it.