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I just found out today that i have osteoarthritis in my lower back, with spurs and degenerative disc disease.  i thought that was probably the problem because of the arthritis in my right hand.  the dr told me that steroid injections can cause bone thinning.  i have had them in the past and they helped me, but no-one told me about the danger of thinning the bones.  now i have to have special xrays to see if there is already damage from the past injections.  i can't take any of the anti inflamatories because of IBS.  they give me terrible diarreah (diarrhea) and stomack cramps. the only thing that helps is norco.  is there anything else that can be taken that won't irritate the bowels?

Lucy

[NewLeaf]

I did PM a message to you about the recipe my doctor gave me to make up the diclofenac cream. It does help me alot with pain, mainly to get to sleep at night.


I have cronic (chronic) RA. It is in most of my joints - hands, fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, sternum, hips, knees...... you name it, it is there. I have gone through the entire repitror of treatments that started with plaquenil, then gold, prednisone, steroid infections, then methotrexate, every ANSAID they have ever made, anti rejection drugs, the biologicals like humera & enbrel and now am on rituxan. When mine started they didn't have much in the way of treatment so today I am VERY greatful in the advances in medicine over the last 30 years. I would be in a wheelchair or worse if not for the new drugs they have created or found to work, like rituxan which was originally for cancer.

You can build bone mass by taking one of the osteporossis meds. I was on prednisone for nearly 20 years and lost quite a bit of bone mass but now it is back up in the high 80's because of the new osteo drugs.