I have been lurking here for a few days and have some questions. I am 38 and a wife and mother of three boys ages 11, 8 and 5. This past year I was diagnosed with ITP (low platelets). Before this diagnosis I had noticed some minor joint pain. The hematologist put me on a high dose of prednisone (can anyone say SUPERMOM)which was tapered over a period of about 3 months. He stated then that I had an RF of about 27, but was not concerned at that point. As soon as I was weaned off the the pain began again. Of course, each time I dropped it was terrible (especially in the shoulders) but gradually lessened. I ended up having surgury to repair a herniated disk about 3 months later (lets discuss the butt pain thread
Sorry this got so long winded
Hi...welcome
For me, in the beginning, most of my joint pain was in the shoulders, elbows and hands. But I think it's different for everyone.
Hopefully you'll get some answers in August.
Good Luck,
Kelly
My symptoms started a bit different. I have sero-negative RA. Which in all cases is the hard to DX! Like most Auto - Immune diseases are...so many over lap or the symptoms are so simular that it take months sometimes years...to DX.
My Difficulty started with my hip...I have a stress fracture in the left hip and once I started dancing again...it got worse. BUT then other symptoms started as well. Both Hands, wrists and feet were on fire...I was tired all the time even after resting. At its worse...I could not walk or dress myself...let alone feed myself.
I have had symptoms of RA for over 21years...I am 35yrs old now. I have had symptoms of LUPUS for 16yrs...and was not DX with either until 5 years ago.
I pray your visit to the Rheumy Doc offers some answers for you.
Hope this helps some...Roblyn
I don't think there is a plain jane arthritis. There are over 100 different kinds. RA does usually attack the hands & feet first, & then progresses to other parts of the body - but not always. It is symmetical - you'll feel it in the same joints on your left & right side.Thank you all so much for the warm welcome!
It does seem so different in everyone but many similarities too. Mostly, mine is symmetrical, except for the hip, but my herniated disk started with pain in that hip and I don't think that leg will ever be the same... the range of motion is still much different on that side.
I don't mean to minimize arthritis pain by calling it "plain jane", please forgive me if it sounded that way. I think of my grandmother and my mother-in-law who both have similar pain in their hands, but no RA. My dear grandfather had RA and it was dibilitating and the pain was very real. I guess that's why I wonder about what I am experiencing. So far, it's not so bad.
Thanks again for the encouragement!
Stacy
Welcome! I'm a mom of the sons also. Bless us!
Your symptoms do sound different than RA. I hang in there until August.
My RA symptoms were all in the upper extremities. Started in my shoulder, then went away, came back to the shoulder and after a few flares like this, the pain started in the opposite shoulder. This is when my family thought I was nuts (its in your head kind of thinking). This went on for over a year, before I ever felt pain in my neck, then my hips, then boom. I was diagnosed and the RA went to hands, feet, knees, ...
Good luck at the RA doc. keep us posted
Marie
I would have my flares in different joints every other day when I was first diagnosed. It started in my feet, then hips, shoulders, the wrists, hands, knees, ankles and once my jaw. I was told this is palindromic where it goes around the body from place to place.
No more flares since Enbril was added in January.
Yours sounds like RA. Does your sed rate show inflammation???
You know, I have tried to ask about the other blood tests the doc ran, but as far as the nurse could tell, everything else was normal. I'm not sure what the other tests were though. It has definately increased pain wise since those tests were run. Like I said before, it's not terrible but noticeable enough to take something - and to do some researching. The aleve seems to help, but it doesn't totally go away.
Thanks for the info. I appreciate it much!
Stacy
Hi and welcome. I was finally diagnosed with seropositive RA about 2 years ago but I had arthritic complaints years earlier and had been seeing a rheumatologist for 8 years before the RA diagnosis. It is common to have more than one kind of arthritis. For example, I had been diagnosed with OA and fibromyalgia 8 years earlier. When the blood work was positive for rheumatoid factor, they added the RA and Sjogren's diagnosis to already existing OA and fibro. Before that test my bloodwork had always been normal. I think my rh factor was 60. I knew since I was 30 that something was wrong. I'm now about 60. I would have tendonitis, bursitis, tennis elbow, knee trouble, tmj, and various migrating pains in joints and muscles. It rotated and usually was semetrical. It can take a long time to diagnose autoimmune diseases so your experience is not unusual. It may turn out to be more than one autoimmune disease, or a combination of RA and OA.
welcome, stacy. yes, hang in there & please keep us informed. we're all here to help eachother.
Hi and welcome. I hope you get answers, and more importantly, I hope you are able to manage your pain. It is hard to wait for a diagnosis, it can be torture when you are in miserable pain with no treatment and still waiting. Glad to hear that is at least under control.
What a kind group you all have!
Stacy
Hello mom, Mine started as bad charlie horses in both calfs,since then I now have it full time in knees feet wrists hands shoulders. I just have a bad rheumy that doesn't do much so i just got worse.I hope you don't have ra but does point to it. Wish u luck and hope u get better soon