My Doctor is referring me to an ortho doc

[Marie5656]

I went to the doctor today for a routine follow up visit. First, she upped my Prozac. Been having alot of stress and trouble sleeping.

Of course, some of my trouble sleeping comes from this arthritis in my hip and knees. Sometimes wake up to sharp stabbing pains. So she wants me to go to an ortho doctor, and maybe see if he will give me a cortizone shot.

Here is one of the issues I talked with her about. I WANT to walk more..but sometimes cannot because of the pain. I am sure if I can get more exercise I can loose more of the weight..and thus maybe have less pain. She said I should hold off the walking for now..as it may be agrivating things. She said to see what the new doc says.

She also related my increased stress levels, which she feels is not helping my sleep, and may also be contributing to some of my discomfort.

I will keep you all posted.

[laneybug]

Hmmm.... if you are overweight (and I don't meant to pry) that won't help the pain from arthritis at all. You should ask your doctor about some low-impact exercises that won't bother your joints, like swimming for example, so you can get your heart going and lose some of that weight you were talking about. I know there are plenty of programs you can put yourself on that will help with that, without bothering your joints even more. So, I'd ask.

Also, if you live a pretty inactive lifestyle, that can disrupt your sleeping as well. Exercise will help lower your stress levels, as it releases natural feel-good chemicals in your body, not to mention it'll help you get restful sleep.

Anyway, if I were you, I'd definitely look into some exercises you can do at home. If your current doctor doesn't have any for you, go to another one. Or ask the ortho doc.

Just some friendly suggestions since I work in the health field.