Hey there,
I have been in a battle since the first of the year to find out what is going on with my body. It started with hip pain that went to my knee and into my ankle. My ankle would even be swollen. Then my back started to hurt extremly bad. After a weekend of extreme pain I went to see an orthopedic doctor. I sat in the waiting room for two hours. When I got back his did an xray of my hip and back. He came in and told me I had osteoarthritis and degenerative disk in my back. He followed that information with "you may need a hip replacement in a couple of years"! Yikes! I have just turned 40 two weeks prior and that was not what I wanted to here.
I went to see my primary doctor two weeks later. He drew my blood and my RA factor and Sed rate's came back high. He was more concerned with my thyroid which was normal by the way. He made no reference to my RA blood work.
I was at a lose and really did not know what to do at that point. The pain kinda came and went. Now the pain is back, my hip is giving my extreme problems, my ankle is still swollen, and I am have terrible pain in my back. All my pain is on the right side of my body. I am experiencing a new pain, and this is where my question lies. The pain has traveled to my right breast bone and kinda radiates through my breast. I have no lumps or knots in my breast. My breast itself is not hurting or tender. My question is can arthristis get in the breast bone?
I have an appointment on the 20th of this month with a specialist. I have also called my primary doctor to ask if the breast bone pain is normal. She said it was probably from the bone pain.
I am just wondering if anyone else has experienced this kind of pain.
Sorry for the long post!!! and thanks for you input!
I've had pain in the ribs/sternum before - my rheumatologist said it was costochondritis.
What are the symptoms of costochondritis?
The most common symptom is pain over the front of the upper chest (the
area of the sternum). Because of serious conditions, most importantly
conditions related to heart problems, costochondritis should only be
diagnosed after excluding other more serious problems.
Costochondritis pain is usually worsened by activity or exercise. One of the most common symptoms is that the pain is present when taking a deep breath. This stretches the inflamed cartilage and can cause exquisite pain. Often simply touching the area involved will be extremely painful for the patient.
Because of the many nerves that branch away from the chest, pain may be experienced in the shoulder or arms as well. When called Tietze's Syndrome, the pain is accompanied by redness and or swelling in the areas most tender.
Hope you get some answers (and, more importantly, some relief!!!) when you see the specialist.Hi Kimmey,
I had costochondritis this spring; it can be very scary and painful, especially when you breath. If you are having the pains you are having in your lower body, you really could have overexerted and given yourself costochondritis by trying to overcompensate with your upper musculoskeletal system. I did it exercising with hand weights on the treadmill.
Good luck on the 20th--I'm in the waiting phase, too (September 5th), for a diagnosis of what I think is RA. It's murder to wait, isn't it? But I've heard that after that initial New Patient Appointment, it doesn't take so long once that specialist becomes your doctor.
I do hope you feel better and get a diagnosis so you can get on the road to the proper treatment.
Best,
Christina
Kimmey, your post reminds me so much of my own when I first came here. I too went to the doctor for the first time to learn I have severe OA in my right hip and moderate in my left hip, and degenerative disc in my spine. Like you, I was only in my forties!
None of it made sense to me, as the pain and swelling appeared randomly all over my body. Hands, elbows, jaw, breast bone, feet, it just pop up here there and everywhere. It made no sense to me that it was "just OA". If OA is a wear and tear arthritis, and they wanted to totally attribute it to genetics and my being overweight, why would my hands and jaw hurt.
That's how I ended up here and met the warm, wonderful folks on this forum! I wondered what the heck it was, RA didn't seem to be the case, Lupus didn't seem to be the answer either, my gyno thought it was PA because I do have rashes, and the confusion continued for more than a year, and thru 3 doctors.
Anyway, I ultimately found out I have osteomalacia, which is caused by an extreme Vitamin D deficiency. I am currently being treated for that and I'm doing much better. I still have crappy hips and will until I have my hips replaced, but hey, I am a whole lot better than I was. And the RA folks here haven't kicked me out yet, or called me a poser! LOL
So, just something to consider and ask your doctor to test for - Vitamin D deficiency!
I hope you find your answer quickly and can begin a treatment program soon, no matter what it is you are diagnosed with. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people here to help you along the way too!
Sorry pain brought you here, but we're glad your here!
Hi Kimmy, oh my gosh the 20th is way to long to wait with the pain you are having! Please, call an try to get in sooner. Pain can make you crazy (tell them that!!), Traveling pain is pretty common with this stuff, every morning (about 2 months ago( I'd wake up with terrible pain in a new place, plus the old place.
Please, call and get on a waiting list, be prepared to scoot right into the office. Lynda
Hi Hillhoney:
None of it made sense to me, as the pain and swelling appeared randomly all over my body. Hands, elbows, jaw, breast bone, feet, it just pop up here there and everywhere. It made no sense to me that it was "just OA". If OA is a wear and tear arthritis, and they wanted to totally attribute it to genetics and my being overweight, why would my hands and jaw hurt.
I am new here also and I have experienced just what I copied above from your post. My PCP is treating me for RA, which I have had for the past 7 years, SED rate being at 38 in May.
Recently my knees have started to swell up to the point where my husband and I thought there might be a "mass" growing inside my knee. I made an appt. with an Orthopaedic Surgeon, had 8 x-rays taken, and an MRI and was told "it is only OA, and there is nothing we can do now, stay on Aleve's". Well, I just about flipped out. He told me it was because I was overweight and it was my "anatomy". LOL....My husband was not amused.
So, I am so confused. I called my PCP back, and he was out of the office for a week, and his receptionist nurse confirmed what the OD told me. Nothing can be done...the swelling will never go away....she has the same thing and she is younger than I. So, whenever it really bothers me, I take an Aleve.
We paid all this money to both doctors, x-rays, and an MRI and I don't know anything more than I did 6 months ago.
Thanks for letting me get this off my chest.
Hope you are feeling better.
Hillhoney brought out a good point about Vitamin D. I was having pain in my back so badly that I couldn't even stand long enough to clean a dish. Walking was almost impossible. My RD put me on Caltrate(I think that's what it's called). It's a combo of calcium and vitamin D. Within a day, my back pain started to go away and did eventually go away altogether.