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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 10/20/2008 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
I suffer from anxiety.

2 months ago I started having horrible joint pain in both wrists, hands, hips, ankles and feet.

All bld wk negative except low Iron and B-12 levels.

No inflammation either.

Can you have RA if there is no inflammation?

Have any of you every had negative bld wk w/no inflammation and then later be retested and results positive?

Thanks!

Jennifer

Posted 10/20/2008 9:14 PM (GMT 0)
Low B-12 can cause joint pain. I've answered your anxiety thread on the anxiety board.
Posted 10/20/2008 11:33 PM (GMT 0)
Jennifer, I am curious how you were diagnosed with IBS? I read that in your other post here. And now reading that you have low B-12 and iron, I have concerns about that staus of your intestinal tract. While low B-12 and iron can be caused by other things, there are inflammatory bowel diseases that cause the same deficiencies. These inflammatory bowel diseases also can have an arthritis component. Did you have a colonoscopy prior to the doctor saying you had IBS?
Posted 10/21/2008 12:02 AM (GMT 0)
I tested negative for 9 months while I was very ill and I "felt like I had been hit by a truck" I had no specific joint pain and no inflamation in my joints. I was tested approximently every two weeks for that 9 months.
Then I woke up one day and my knee looked like a softball and all my tests came back positive.
Posted 10/21/2008 1:15 AM (GMT 0)

Ides -

You've really got me wondering now!!

You know, about 2 yrs ago I had alot going on in my life.  A lot of stress to put it mildly.

After a couple of months of this, I started having what I though was a stomach bug.  Not totally D - just soft stools, several times a day - mostly in the a.m.

After weeks of this, I made my 1st appt. w/a GI doctor.  He did the scope down my throat -and told me I had dyspesia, hiatel henia and gastritis.  He took a biopsy of my stomach and a week later called to say I had H. Pylori.

With all of this being new to me, plus all of the meds he had me taking - I started having really bad panic attacks.

My anxiety was soo bad that I couldn't eat for days.  My husband took me to a Psych. who put me on an antidepressant and said it was Panic/Anxiety.

After months of still having this off and on stomach problem, I went to another GI - who literally asked me if I've ever heard the story of the Princess and the Pea....

My 3rd try w/a new GI did both scopes - no inflammation either way.  He told me that the next thing he could try was me swallowing a capsule that would take pics of my small intest.

I haven't nor have I ever been in that much pain to where I feel that is necessary. (my insurance isn't all that great either!)

My stomach symptoms are bloatedness, feelings of incompleteness, loose stools, gas, nausea.

I've never had bld, horrible d, or constipation.

Well, here's my story on my gut situation.  I'd like to know why you asked.  Is there something that you think I might have other than IBS?

Hope to hear from you soon!

Jennifer

Posted 10/21/2008 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
Jennifer - I am in NO way suggesting that you have an inflammatory bowel disease but given your history, and your GI's suggestion that you have a capsule endoscopy [pill camera], I think you might want to give thought to following his suggestion. Have you asked the doctor what could cause both iron and B12 deficiency? What was the response? Inflammatory bowel disease can cause arthritis pain like you describe having. My Crohn's disease is mild but the arthritis it caused is very severe and persistent. Think about asking your doctors to look at the big picture - what could be causing all of these varied problems. Because you have issues with Panic/Anxiety SOME doctors might be less inclined to take your complaints less seriously. That is not how they should act but it is a reality. Don't give up on getting answers to explain your physical complaints.
Posted 10/21/2008 4:43 AM (GMT 0)

Some medications can cause these issues as well. Are you taking anything for the joint pain?

Over the summer I started suffering from high blood pressure, panic/anxiety attacks, severe gastrointestinal issues, etc. I also struggle with high cholesterol - have my whole life, but it appears that an RA drug I was taking, Arava, may have kicked these issues off. RA meds also are known for depleting your folic acid and B vitamin levels in your body. Is it possible something you are on is lowering them as well?

I'm sorry you are getting such the run-around from doctors. I think Ides has some good questions you need to pose to the doctors and a reminder to be persistant, don't let them dismiss your complaints.

Good luck.

***

Posted 10/21/2008 1:19 PM (GMT 0)
I have always had pretty bad periods. I can remember at the age of 16, I had a low Iron count. That's the only thing I can think of what's causing my Iron to be low.
As far as my B12 - the doctor said people who take PPI's regularly can become a little low.
Again, both my Iron and B12 are NOT really low. They are in the normal range, however just a couple of #s up from being out of the normal range.
Posted 10/21/2008 1:37 PM (GMT 0)
Do you take a B-12 supplement?? I'm just wondering because I also tested deficient in B-12 and low rbc count while taking a daily supplement.  Did your doctor give you any suggestions as to how to raise your levels?
Posted 10/21/2008 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
momto3
When I went to the RA doctor about the joint pains - she ran the bld wk - called me back and told me that she wanted me to take B12 injections as well as increase my Iron.
I went to my family doc for the shots and he said that taking sublingual B12 would be fine. He said shots hurt, and can become expensive and I'd have to keep going to the doc to get them. ( I had not been taking a multi vitamin before all of this )

I take a multi vitamin, additional Iron and 1 - 2500mcg B12 each day. I have not been back to be re-tested.
The bld wk shows that the normal range for B12 is 200-1100.
Mine is 375.
As far as the Iron goes - normal being 40-175mcg and mine is 46.
My family doc wants me to take the vitamins and come back in 3 months to be rechecked.

The only prescription meds that I take are an antidepressant.
Anti-anxiety as needed.
Prevacid when GERD and stomach acts up.
Jennifer
Posted 10/21/2008 3:05 PM (GMT 0)
It looks like your B12 was a little on the lower side of normal but with a supplement you should be fine, and your doc is right, the shots would hurt!  When I went in to have mine tested I was already taking supplements etc and mine was way below normal so I have some kind of issue absorbing vitamin B12, and I was just wondering if that was the case for you. It is worth taking the supplements daily and getting retested.

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