RA?

I post on the lupus form and have poked my head in here from time to time. I also have OA. My lupus has been quiet for some time and since eliminating gluten from my diet, my fatigue has lessened. Three weeks ago my rheumy took me off my miracle drug, CellCept, because my labs were showing elevated BUN and creatinine levels, and she attributed that to the med.

Four days ago new and different symptoms popped up and I'm trying to understand them. I've had a major flare-up of joint pain -- elbows, wrists, hands, knees, and feet. The elbow pain is new and feels like a bad toothache in each elbow and keeps me awake at night. My knees hurt so much at night that it's hard to turn over. Hubby says that I cry out a lot in my sleep.

What's different is that morning are so bad that I dread getting out of bed. Walking is excrutiating and I hobble around like an old woman (even though I almost am...:) While I've had morning stiffness before, it usually subsides within 30 min to an hour. This doesn't go away till mid afternoon, and even then I feel crippled by the pain. I was having so much trouble walking yesterday that I went to a pharmacy and bought a cane so I could get through the voting line yesterday. I was lucky - it was only a 15 min. wait.

Two rheumys have told me that I have RA, but that was a long time ago. I don't have any nodules. My right hand is becoming deformed in that my fingers point to the right, but I don't have the big knotty joints that lots of folks with RA have. Frequently my joints (esp hands and knees) are hot, but they never get red. Labs have never shown an elevated sed rate.

I'd appreciate any feedback you folks can give me.

Thanks,

Pat

Hey Patty- (im from the lupie board too)
I just posted on there about asulfasalazine and that it made a huge difference with my morning stiffness. Enough to stop my celebrex which was the only thing that even got me out of bed before! have you tried the asulfasalazine?
Melissa

Ducky ,Thank you for writing what you did when i read this it just hit me .Doctor took me off celbrex month ago nd told me to take 2 percert at a time instead and i thought that was nuts but she's the doctor and i have been in a major flare and thats why your post just made nnnnnnme think of that i have p/arthtritis and o/arthtritis ,fm and 11 bad disk that you i think i need a celbrex now Deb