pre-arthritic at 26

[Ahava]

Hey everyone,

I am new here but definitely not new to the chronic pain of fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed when I was 18 but had been experiencing symptoms since the age of 12. Lately my joints have been hurting more and are weaker, I especially am noticing this in my knees and have started wearing braces to help. It is really frustrating to have this issue at 26 years of age (not that it is fun at any age) and I am having a hard time coping and knowing what will help my joints. Does anyone else go through this? Is there anything that you do in particular that helps with the pain? I am also planning to find a new rheumatologist soon and possibly get scans of my knees.

Any feedback would be appreciated. <3

 

[Lou38]

Hiya

I’m in a similar position to you. I’ve just turned 40 & have osteoarthritis in most of my joints, the worst pain being in my knees & feet usually. I can’t kneel or crouch, getting in & out of the bath is a nightmare! I attended an osteoarthritis knee physio class at the start of the year & I was the youngest person in the class by a mile. The class taught me loads of beneficial exercises to help build up the muscles around the knees and in turn making the joints more stable. I started taking CBD oil a few months ago & the results have been incredible. I can’t remember when I last had a flare which would usually affect my knees the most, I can’t remember the last time I took any painkillers, I’ve stopped all anti-inflammatories, Gabapentin and the only drugs I now take are vitamin d for a deficiency and half of the Amitriptyline dose I was on, all being well I’ll be completely weaned off this in a couple of months. I’m still restricted with movements in my joints and need to be careful not to overdo things but I can enjoy doing some ‘normal’ things again. I know it’s really tough being hit with this at such a young age, it’s hard enough to cope with when you’re older & maybe not as active.

 

[rhionna]

I started having symptoms when I was younger, around 13, but it was before fibro was widely recognized. For a long time, people thought I was dramatic or a hypochondriac -- I can empathize with what you're going through, but it must be so difficult at such a young age. I'm 36 now, and there are days where I feel like I am robbed of my life. But those are only some of the days, and while they can be so overwhelming we have to try to persevere and focus on the better days in between. They've come a long way in recent years with treatments. I've recently started CBD lotions for my legs and it's been helping a lot with night pains.

Keep an open mind, seek out advice and feel the support of the group to remind yourself you're not alone. And as painful as it may be some days, try to stay active. Once you slow down, it only seems to get worse from there. <3