Newbie In Every Way: Robbed Overnight | Arthritis Information
The very first thing I want to say is that if this thing I'm suffering from turns out to be temporary, and I so hope it does, I will never, never, never have more respect and sympathy than I now have for people who have lived with chronic arthritis for years and years. I will never again sigh impatiently behind the elderly woman in the checkout line who takes forever to write a check or the person who takes forever to walk up the jetway to the air terminal. And, though I'm in a professional position where I'm asked all the time to take on and volunteer for health causes of all kinds (the Heart Ball, the Diabetes Run, etc....I think I have a new one that I might dedicate myself to now).
I was robbed overnight. One day a month ago, I was fine...except for my long-running but well contolled and not bothersome hypothyroidism and a pesky cold/cough/slight sore throat with conjestion/runny nose that I'd had for about a week.
But the next day, BOOM. My body imploded. Debilitating pain in my shoulders that within hours migrated to my right hand and elbow where I had red, warm, swelling, that hours later migrated to red, hot, very swollen ankles, and there followed hips and knees. Thank GOD my feet below my ankles have never been involved. Also had fever and chills that made my teeth chatter. But due to my hips, I couldn't walk and barely made it into the ER where I was given a steroid shot and a shot of Toradol to help me keep from just wanting to die. Went home with 10 days of prednisone and a bottle of Tramadol. I thought for all the world I had rheumatic fever, but the ER doc said that's not what it was.
The pain has decreased over the past month but still is there in milder form, jumping all around my body and newly attacking my jaw, the swelling and redness never has returned, but the tiredness and fatigue are horrible.
Since then, I've had myriad blood tests (RF negative, ESR 91 and now 74, WBC normal, TSH 2, ANA positive but not yet analyzed), and I'm being presently treated with doxycycline, since one of my doctors thinks it could be a mycobacterial infection and the other one thinks the doxy is at least ameliorating an autoimmune response if in fact I am not bacterial. Both of them suspect if it's not bacterial, it's viral. Also have done an exhaustive search thru family history where there is no RA, no Lupus, no MS.
But the docs are both waiting for the magic "6 week" mark to see if they should press forward and try to find me a more devestating diagnosis, and I am waiting to hear back on my ANA analysis. Thank goodness one of my docs is an "out of the box" doc who already is using an alternative protocol to treat my hypothyroidism (the Dr. Broda Barnes protocol). Because at least that keeps my options more open.
So as of today, I'm on doxcycycline, Tramadol and 400 mg Celebrex/day.
I have taken some of this into my own hands and am doing as much research as I can. Have begun taking Healthy Trinity probiotics, daily dose of Certo pectin with grape juice, multivitamin, Omega 3/6, garlic supplement, and eating as healthy as possible. Also have begun epsom salt/peroxide baths (today).
I have been heavily searching the internet for the past month and have both been terrified by what I've found and also been much more educated about all this.
Glad to find this forum and will probably spend hours on it now.
Stormee2010-02-04 08:38:03Hi Stormee,
It's amazing how we seem to find more sympathy and empathy after we become ill. Absolutely no apology needed. None the less, I just wanted to post this as maybe something that you and your doctors should consider or at least maybe you can do your own research and see maybe if it seems like your sysmptoms. None the less, even if t's rheumatoid arthritis, it's not a death sentance and many of us are leading fairly normal lifes. Good luck and feel free to go straight to the rheumatoid arthritis forum, where every one can meet you and give you some good experience and suggestions.
LEV
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Lyme disease signs and symptoms vary widely because Lyme disease can affect various parts of the body. Not everyone with the disease will have all of the signs and symptoms. But in general, Lyme disease can cause:
- Rash. A small, red bump may appear within a few days to a month, often at the site of the tick bite — often in your groin, belt area or behind your knee. It may be warm to the touch and mildly tender. Over the next few days, the redness expands, forming a rash that may be as small as your fingertip or as large as 12 inches (30 centimeters) across. It often resembles a bull's-eye, with a red ring surrounding a clear area and a red center. The rash, called erythema migrans, is one of the hallmarks of Lyme disease, affecting about 70 percent to 80 percent of infected people. If you're allergic to tick saliva, redness may develop at the site of a tick bite. The redness usually fades within a week. This is not the same as erythema migrans, which tends to expand and get redder over time.
- Flu-like symptoms. A fever, chills, fatigue, body aches and a headache may accompany the rash.
- Migratory joint pain. If the infection is not treated, you may develop bouts of severe joint pain and swelling several weeks to months after you're infected. Your knees are especially likely to be affected, but the pain can shift from one joint to another.
- Neurological problems. In some cases, inflammation of the membranes surrounding your brain (meningitis), temporary paralysis of one side of your face (Bell's palsy), numbness or weakness in your limbs, and impaired muscle movement may occur weeks, months or even years after an untreated infection. Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and changes in mood or sleep habits also can be symptoms of late-stage Lyme disease.
- Less common signs and symptoms. Some people may experience heart problems — such as an irregular heartbeat — several weeks after infection, but this rarely lasts more than a few days or weeks. Eye inflammation, hepatitis and severe fatigue are possible as well.
Thanks, levlarry.
I am inching my way to being better, but it is literally inch by inch. Would it be rude to go to the RA forum and re-post what I've posted? (In case somebody might have a clue what I have).
I also have an update in that my ANA was speckled, and it turns out I have high neutrophils and low lymphocytes and that there has been microscopic blood in my urine.
Stormee,
Please do go straight to the ra forum and repost. There are people with more knowledge than I have. If you want you can just click on this link to zoom to the ra forum.
LEV
I'm 27 and have experienced the worst arthritis the last few weeks, I too felt robbed of my health. Like you, I've finally started appreciating my nana who does her best to do house work despite the constant pain in almost every part of her body. I hope you're doing well now.
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