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Swelling worse at night

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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 5/25/2011 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a 21 year old female and my doctor and the rheumatologist at the hospital have both concluded I have some form of autoimmune inflammatory arthritis.

My joints (knees and fingers) are stiff in the morning, it usually doesn't take anymore than about 45 minutes to feel ok.
But at night time I notice that they swell up the worst. My knees especially get very swollen and I can't straighten them. They get red and hot. It usually starts at about 10pm. I get all these symptoms throughout the day, but they get worse in the evening.

I'm also on 20mg of Prednisone, which helped a lot in the first few days, but now (5 days after starting them) I'm still getting some swelling, soreness, red, hot joints.

Does this fit in with RA? Any idea about the Prednisone not being so effective anymore?

Thanks
Posted 5/25/2011 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
Good afternoon,
My swelling is always worse at night. If I avoid sodium, that helps. Bottom line is, for me, I swell more if I am active. So by the end of the day, my body is tired.
I find that if I take the pred at night, it is wearing off by the next night when my body is tired of going. I started taking it after work, around 5, and it seems to kick in before the night swelling and pain gets bad. When are you taking the pred? Also, consider that the pred is still working, but you may have noticed it's effectiveness more in the beginning compared to before you started it. If you stopped it, you would probably notice how well it was actually working.

In either case, mention it to your rheumy.
Posted 5/26/2011 12:50 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your reply. I'm going to see if being 'less active' today makes my knees less swollen. I take the Prednisone at night time, but it keeps me up, so I'm going to try and take it earlier in the day.

That's true, it's definitely helping some, but it's not as good as it was the first few days I took it.

Thanks =]
Posted 5/26/2011 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
If they keep swelling at night or whe flare ups happen and they will ice your knees some before bed. It'll help with the swelling.
Posted 5/26/2011 3:01 AM (GMT 0)
I was going to say the exact same thing, heat in the morning to get your joints going and then ice at night to help them cool down. Also my rheumy gets me to take my prednisone some in the morning and some at lunchtime to lengthen its usefulness. Sleep on prednisone??? You gotta be kidding, I'm a complete insomniac, goodluck, golitho. Plus you sound as if you'll need more than just prednisone to settle your flare.
Posted 5/26/2011 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks, yes it does suck! I'm just worried that a) they'll say well if the Prednisone isn't making it better now (it did at the start) then it's not autoimmune arthritis etc, and tell me it's just Fibromyalgia (WHICH IT'S NOT!). Or b) they'll give me a higher dose.

Lol yes, it makes me hungry and I can't sleep!
Posted 6/4/2011 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
I'm a 35 year old male and I was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have very similar symptoms to yours. My joints, mostly my hands and feet, get red, hot and swollen at night. They hurt all day but get really bad late at night. They seem to be the worst at around 2 or 3 in the morning. I've been on prednisone for a couple of weeks and, again, I've had a similar experience. The first couple of days were amazing, with no pain at all. Since then the pain has progressively gotten worse. It's hard to tell whether this is due to the prednisone not working or my condition getting worse.

Since I've been on the prednisone I can't sleep without Ambien and at any given moment I feel like I could eat a horse. On the positive side I have insane amounts of energy.

It's reassuring to here that someone else is experiencing the same thing. Have they given you a more specific diagnosis?
Posted 6/5/2011 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your reply. It sounds very similar to me. I'm the same with the swollen hot joints at night and then same again with the Prednisone. My GP said that Prednisone wont get rid of all the swelling, but most. Lol I feel exactly the same on the Prednisone, hungry and lots of energy.

No I haven't got a more specific diagnosis yet. I'm seeing a rheumatologist on the 30th June. It's nice to speak to someone who's going through the same thing!
Posted 6/25/2011 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
My rheumatologist has been talking about putting me on methotrexate so I went for a second opinion. The second rheumatologist was skeptical of my diagnosis and as such is weening me off the prednisone and the plaquenil in order to see my symptoms without the drugs.

I've cut out the plaquenil completely and I'm down to a pretty low dose on the prednisone. My hands and feet have become more swollen and painful since I started dropping my doses. Again, it's hard to tell whether the increased pain is due to the lower dosages or whatever I have getting worse but I'm starting to think that I hadn't really appreciated what the prednisone was doing for me. My hands in particular seem to be significantly more swollen.

Fibromyalgia came up with the second rheumatologist as a possible diagnosis. It seems to make sense when I look at the symptoms. I have irritable bowel syndrome, fatigue, pain in most of the tender points, depression and sleep problems. It doesn't explain the swelling and burning in my hands and feet though.

My feeling at this point is that I have RA and Fibro. You seem to be pretty certain that you don't have Fibro though. Why do you say that?
Posted 6/25/2011 11:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hello SKBE. I don't think I have Fibromyalgia because my GP said these are definitely not symptoms of FMS, I don't have wide spread pain, my pain is in my joints not my muscles, and you don't get swelling, red, hot joints in FMS. You can definitely have both, but I don't feel I have Fibromyalgia. Good luck with your diagnoses. Fibromyalgia is generally given to people who have pain but they don't know why or can't be bothered looking.
Posted 3/22/2013 6:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hey paperbagprincesses I know its been a long time since you posted but I wanted to see if you and your doctors have come up with a diagnosis fitting your symptoms. I ask b/c I am 23 and experiencing the same thing (i.e. joint pain worsening, swelling, and red at night). My rheumatologist has run tons of tests the only results are slightly elevated CRP and ESR but there has yet to be specific diagnosis or treatment plan put into place. I am currently on Prednisone (low dosage) and although I have been feeling a little better my knee & elbow swell up every night, and I have severe back pain. I don't know if we have a similar diagnosis but our symptoms seem to match (relatively) so I would appreciate your feedback. Thank you
Posted 4/2/2013 8:05 PM (GMT 0)
Hi just a girl,
I am 32 year old mother of two with RA.
I have only had it two years. I have not been
on any meds, managing it with diet and exercise. Two doctors
told me if I wanted more kids, I should hold off on meds. Honestly,
I'm not a fan of Western medicine that usually only hides
Symptoms and cures little. That said, it is a personal choice but I highly recommend an anti- inflammation diet, lymphatic exercises and
Mobility exercises
The pain comes and goes but it is tolerable. I did an
enormous amount of research when I was first diagnosed.
It lead me to do an elimination diet where I discovered dairy and sugar caused me swelling. Corn and wheat are bad news too. I recommend a gluten free/ dairy free diet, also staying away from corn and sugar. There are other food triggers but these are the worst. The Anit-inflammation Diet is an other good book.Prescription for nutritional Healing is a great resource 4 supplements. Try a couple. Don't go crazy like I did and try 18 at once. I was terrified of the damage arthritis would do to me in the long run. Take my advise on the food thing. Cut back slow. giving up these things took time. I love cheese and sweets but there are alternatives.It took a lot of hard work to discover the food link. Look online there is tons of info to verify it. Let me know if you need any advise. Hang in there!
Posted 4/3/2013 3:22 AM (GMT 0)
I have heard about the anti-inflammation diet but I have yet to try it. At such a young age I am tired & frustrated with giving things up in my life because of these medical problems. As you probably know giving up your mobility and not being able to participate in normal activities gives me few things to hold on to these days. When originally introduced to the anti-inflammation diet I refused to try it because I didn't want to lose anything else to this illness. Like you Rhimo I too LOVE cheese, carbs, and lots of sugar. However after dealing with this for so long I think it is time to try an alternative treatment. I am tired of putting all my trust in the many doctors I have been to (most of whom have done nothing to really help me without horrible side effects). Thank you for the motivational words and sharing your story it truly does help to know that I'm not alone. It gives me hope that you can manage arthritis and keep up with 2 kids! :)
Posted 4/5/2013 9:26 AM (GMT 0)
Pregnancy improved my RA from my second trimester until
2 months ago after having the baby, which is common. It's the bodies way of protecting the baby. I had no symptoms! Being the cheese and sugar addict Iam, I went back to a normal diet. Great in the short run, bad in the long run. My pain use to be only in my hands and feet but now it is everywhere. It likes to hop around from day to day.Don't be discouraged by this. After months of eating a normal diet, it makes sense. There is a theory that RA is causes by a bacteria. And guess what bacteria love? Sugar and bad carbs that turn into sugar. So I been feeding these little monsters for months. I am back on my diet and am sure it will take time to detox. That said the lymph exercises have already improved my knees and have kept it from my feet. Just do a search online. I got the exercises from the live strong website.

As far as keeping up with two kids, I have really simplified my life and tried to embrace a slower pace lifestyle. I am content as long as I can take care of them. Nights an mornings are the worse and that is only an issue because I have to get my son to school. Nights are tough because I am nursing a baby. Some nights, I cry because my arms hurt when I carry her. But, my faith keeps me going. Suffering to me can either break me or help me grow into a better person. I often pray God use my pain to help me sympathize with others who are suffering. I pray for healing too but that is in God's timing. I cant worry about tomorrow, i have to do my best today. I have also learned to accept help from others and ask for help more.

Try to remove one thing from your diet. Don't give up. You are young and am assuming without kids, so you can truly take time in focusing on your health. Perspective is everything. How can this make you a better person? Don't be defeated. I will keep you posted on my progress. Is there a way to send you a message directly on here?

Post Edited (Rhimo) : 4/5/2013 3:31:12 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/6/2013 5:28 AM (GMT 0)
I don't think/know if there's a way to send messages directly to one another on here. I changed my profile settings so that my e-mail address can be viewed. I Would really appreciate it if you sent me an e-mail so that we could stay in contact. In all honesty it is nice having someone to talk to about all of this. I feel horrible depending on my boyfriend all the time. I think he's a little tired of hearing about it as well, poor thing. :)
Posted 4/9/2013 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
I will send you an email soon.
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