I have found no infomation about avn/on and if it affects the other bones in the body. Why does it seem to hit only the joints?

-- Nancy Lombardi (nanlombardi@aol.com), August 06, 2003

Answers

AVN (of the bone) by definition affects only bones. Any bone may be affected, but the ones that become symptomatic are usually related to joints. Commonly the upper end of the femur (hip bone) and the upper end of the humerus (shoulder) are affected. AVN is often found incidentally on MRI when other areas of the bone are imaged.

-- Errol Bennett, M.D. (ebennet6@jhmi.edu), February 03, 2004.

Nancy,

I have this deaseas and it's not in my joints( yet ). I have it in my hole spin, face and a lot of other places in my body. So you have your answerer, there are so many of us out their just dying from the pain.

Geo.

-- Georgia DeRosa (geodr211@aol. com), February 06, 2004.

I noticed in one of the replies to this thread that one patient mentins the unbearable pain he is in. There is no need to suffer like this. I have AVN in eight joints...and I suspect that I am beginning to get it in my skull as well. My AVN is caused my vascular inflammation from lupus (we assume), as the AVN was diagnosed prior to the lupus diagnosis and before I was on steroids or had other contributing factors. Anyway, back to my point; a few years ago, a pain patient's bill of rights was passed guaranteeing patients the right to adequate pain mangement. I realize that this is not always easy to get, though, as many doctors are afraid to prescribe adequately for chronic pain for fear of losing their licenses. If you are suffering from sever, debilitating pain, ask your orthopedist or rheumatologist for referral to a pain management doctor who specializes in medication management. I suffered for many years with severe pain. My doctors were afraid to prescribe anything stronger than Lortab. However, a wonder neurologist was concerned with the amount of Tylenol that I was consumig in the Lortab, so he referred me to a pain managment doctor. I still hurt....somedays are worse than others...but most days the pain is bearable. Speak up and speak loudly. You may have to raise a little hell, but eventually, you will find a good doctor who is not afraid of the DEA nor backward in his or her thinking as to what constitutes proper pain management for chronic pain.

-- marcie nye (mjnye265@aol.com), October 13, 2004.