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Ankylosing Spondylitis

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Posted 11/18/2010 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
I have recently been starting treatment for Ankylosing spondylitis even though i don't feel that my doctor has given me a 100% diagnosis.  I have the SI joint pain and hip pain and foot pain and shoulder pain and what I think is tendon pain that never heals.  However, I have looked at a lot of comments about ankylosing spondilitis but have not found one with the comment on whether anyone is having pain and flare ups around their collar bone joint (where it meets the breast bone). If anyone has had this please let me know and what it has been like for you.
Posted 11/25/2010 8:28 AM (GMT 0)
I have similar pain to what you describe, but my condition is Reactive Arthritis (AKA Reiter Syndrome), which is related to AS and has many overlapping attributes but is not the same thing. You may want to look into whether your diagnosis is accurate -- even if you do in fact have AS, it's possible you might also have ReA or another spondy.
Posted 11/25/2010 8:52 PM (GMT 0)

Costochondritis is common in Ankylosing Spondylitis [AS]. Also, AS effects chest expansion that also can cause pain in the area you describe. You might find the info at the following llink to be helpful in understanding about costochondritis and seeing if this fits your problem.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/costochondritis/DS00626

BTW, welcome to Healing Well!

Posted 11/25/2010 11:35 PM (GMT 0)
Ho Oredigger, I was going to say the same thing as Ides, costochondritis can cause pain right down your sturnum or where your ribs join to it. You can get radiating pain from "hot spots" too. It can be really awful and very painful. Heat helps, hot wheat packs or hot water bottles give some relief.
I got it after a bout of pneumonia and really struggled with it. There were some good threads on the fibromyalgia site if you want to search for them.
Sorry you're in such pain, golitho
Posted 11/27/2010 1:26 PM (GMT 0)
Oredigger, I've had similar pain in my collarbone from RA which I thought was coming from my shoulder which is badly deteriorated, torn rotator cuff etc. My rheumatologist disagreed but did not suggest another diagnosis.

At the same time I had pain from my ribcage every time I'd inhale which I assumed was some inflammation of connective tissue. My RA was pretty active at the time. After reading the link suggested about costochondritis, this sounds more similar to my symptoms.

Anyway, I've gone back on remicade which seems to have knocked back much of the systemic pain like the ribcage and collarbone. Hope you get the diagnosis nailed down and some meds that work.

Albizzia
Posted 12/6/2010 7:03 AM (GMT 0)
If I may make a suggestion. I am new to the forums and just joined to share this information. I was diagnosed with undifferentiated AS 15 yrs ago, spent about a year and a half in hellish pain I wish on no one. I was finally helped with Indomethacin, which I stayed on for several years, finally took myself off when the pain was manageable. Lived with the pain for years until recently, the pain moved to my neck, imagine a sore neck, like you slept wrong for a couple months. I said to myself, I can't live like this, there has to be something I can do other than drugs. I did some google researching and found the low-starch diet. I put my self on the diet and literally within days my pain was gone. I am not saying that it will work like this for you but what do you have to lose. Research it, try it, save yourself years of pain, joint damage, and prescription drug damage.
I just wish I knew about it 15 years ago. Be forewarned, it is a lifestyle change since you will be completely changing how you eat and how you look at food, but trust me, if it works for you you will have no problems sticking to it since it is keeping you pain free.

Best of luck with managing your future. Hope this helps.
Posted 12/17/2010 12:28 AM (GMT 0)
How are you all doing? I havent been in here for a yr. I have had the pain in the chest. Mine is usually right in the middle above the sternum. It feels like the chest is being ripped apart. Thankfully I dont get that pain but a few times a yr. Right now my worse pain is my back, hips, knees and hands.

I am not on anything at the moment. I moved from West Virginia to Montana so I will hopefully have a new rheumy next month.

Post Edited (Aaron E) : 12/16/2010 6:06:41 PM (GMT-7)

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