Bursitis!

[Epson]

I'm sure some of you have had bursitis before, but has anyone ever had bursitis that did not respond to cortisone?

[munch53]

Yes, I have had hip bursitis for 5 years and nothing has helped. I had one cortisone shot a few years ago that lasted 2 months. My most recent shot hardly touched it. So, I started taking 1 aleve every day and that has helped more than anything. I have given up hope of it ever going away. It throbs in the morning. I had to scale back walking for exercise because of the pain. 

[Scottietottie]

Hi Epson 

I had cortizone for bursitis. Six years I was told it was bursitis. in my case it was osteo arthritis. Maybe there was bursitis too. The shots helped for a while but eventually did nothing. A partial knee replacement stopped me from being immobilised!

Take care - Scottie 

[Epson]

Thanks for the replies, funny, I have had bursitis in my hips for over 13 years.  The cortisone helped for about 3 days, maybe it's not bursitis, maybe it's arthritis!  Does the crap ever stop hitting the fan?

[allium]

Hello Epson:

I have had hip pain starting roughly around the same time as yours (hip pain going around those days?).  Mine seemed to start after a severe case of the flu, and settle more on the right.  I've done PT, exercise, cortisone shots, rest, heat, ice, voodoo, etc....nothing has ever helped, and now it is worse. Orthopedic docs aren't so interested to really find out what is causing it, but it could be I haven't found the one who wants to be a doctor instead of a expensive surgery sniffer outer. Bursitis is a phrase oft used by those who can't catagorize it easily.

X-rays six years ago apparently showed no osteo degeneration, but I thought traditional bursitis eventually resolved on it's own.  I found out that I have two lumbar vertebrae misaligned as well; maybe a factor.  I think it might be part of the overall thing that is bedeviling my body.  It most definantly has been bad since my other symptoms started last year.

The best I have found to get a little relief is anti inflamatories like Aleve, and heating pads.  Celebrex is an NSAID that bypasses the usual neg. stomach effect.  I am considering asking about it (the aleve and plaq are starting to get on my gastro case).  Maybe trying another ortho who is willing to get to the cause.  I was walking more than twenty miles a week less than a year ago, and now I am lucky to get a quarter mile or so on a good day. 

Take care
Sheila

[genko_b]

I developed bursitis in one hip some years ago and my doctor sent me to physical therapy 3 times a week for six weeks. The PT gave me deep ultrasound heat, deep tissue massage, and then ice each session, and the bursitis cleared up. It hasn't ever come back. The doctor said the ultrasound heat was the key to clearing up the bursitis - that it goes way deeper than any conventional heat methods.

My sister however has had a bad pain in her hip for years and years, due to one leg being 1/2 inch shorter than the other, which sends everything out of alignment. She used to wear special shoes with one sole built up, but they were very expensive and she finally said forget it. So she just hurts a lot and has to walk down stairs like a crab, sideways.

I hope you have better luck with Celebrex than our family. It can have very severe gastrointestinal effects. My brother developed severe bleeding from taking Celebrex, and I had to stop using it myself because of the GI effects.

Genko

[Katybarstool]

Genko

Like your sister, I have one leg 1/2 shorter than the other. I've had hip pain in my right side for about 5 years. Nobody could tellme what it was and the rheumie was extremely dismissive as nothing showed up on the x-ray. It was a physio who diagnosed the leg discrepancyi. She then arranged for some core strenghthening classes to help, but afer 3 classes I had to give up, as the exercises were causin me problems in my knees and elbows.

I feel my hip hurting in the night - I sleep on my tummy, which may not help, but it's the only way I can sleep. It's always sore at morning, and if I bend over forwards. Taking Celebrex has helped me overall with the arthritis in most of my joints, nd it dulls the pain in the hip, making it more manageable, however, it still hurts every day. I wonder if this is bursitis?

How are you doing after your recent surgery? I'm struggling at the moment, but hope to have a date for surgery after I see the consultant on 6 May.

Kathyx

[genko_b]

Hi Kathyx:

I'm finally recovering from the surgery. The doctor said between the Sjogren's and the meds I take for it I am healing about half as fast as someone my age would normally heal, but that things are moving along. I'm doing better every day, feeling less pain and more energy. But she said it could take a year to get back to a normal (for me) level of energy.

I hope your surgery gets scheduled soon and goes smoothly.

Genko

[Katybarstool]

Thanks for your update Genko. I'm glad you are mending. It must be frustrating to not have the same level of energy as before, but I guess you  appreciate every litte improvement.

I understand the slow healing. I got very frustrated after my hysterectomy, when I was still struggling to walk any distance after 5 weeks. I felt a bit of a fraud as two of my colleagues had been back at work within 6 weeks. WIth a combination of holiday and unpaid leave, I went back at 12 week and struggled for a while. Of course, I didn't realize I had SJS then, and certainly didn't have Raynauds or some of the other problems I have now. If I had known then, I would probably have been easier on myself.

The information I have read suggests that recovery from this surgery will be similar, due to already having a weakness in the pelvis I suppose. How many weeks post op are you now?

Kathyx