I found this info very interesting. I have very mild osteoarthritis myself, but my husband had more severe osteoarthritis, and my son is starting, at his relatively young age. My mother has sworn by the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin, and said it kept her going for years until she finally had to have a complete knee replacement. Of course, she is in her 80's, so I don't think that is too bad. She has had knee problems since her 30's, probably, and had been taking the glucosamine and chondroitin for probably 20 years before the surgery. So I think it really did work for her. My husband also noticed it seemed to help him.
I can see I need to start posting in this forum, too. You have some very good info, and looks like you could use the support. I usually post in the myasthenia gravis and autoimmune forums.
Hugs,