Help! Diagnosed with Colitis, possible RA???

I have had quite the time trying to diagnose what is going on with my body. I will give some background info on what has happened to me in the past. I am 25, female. I am wondering if anyone else has experience anything like what I am going through and if they were found to have RA...

-2003-2004: Left knee started swelling to the point where it had to be drained every few months. Given a cortosone injection into the joint and prescribed anti-inflammatories. Had MRI - no disease evident. It then stayed dormant for 7.5 years.

-2010 (February): Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Hospitalized three times over the next year for it.

- 2011 (February): Started Remicade for ulcerative colitis.

- 2011 (June): left TMJ began hurting (and still hurts, it is difficult to eat most days). Joint is disease-free.

- 2011-current: Left elbow hurts after lifting things at work.

- 2011 (Sept): knee began swelling up again. Given a corotsone injection and it did NOT work this time. By december, I had to have it drained at least once a week.

- 2011 (Nov): referred to a rheumatologist. Did a couple of tests. Fluid sent away for testing and came back clear. Blood work done several times for RA and came back **Inconclusive**.

- 2012 (March): had knee surgery - an arthroscopic synovectomy. Surgeon believed that the swelling was in the synovial tissue. He said my knee is completely healthy and disease free. The surgery did not help the swelling.

2012 (June): went off of remicade. Started Asacol

2012 (Sept): swelling back to be extremely bad again. It was discovered that the swelling and fluid is actually in the Bursa of my knee.

**One major issue is that my doctors will not prescribe me anti-inflammatories because of my colitis. So I have to try to just control the pain and then get it drained constantly (which is NOT fun to have to do).

So, I guess my questions are...

1. Does anybody here have RA in their bursa of their knee, but not in the actual joint? I have heard that you can have RA in the bursa.

2. If I was on remicade for a year and a half, shouldn't it have helped RA (if that is what it is) rather than allow it to continue to get worse?

3. Has anyone else had most of their tests comes back "inconclusive"? They can't seem to say I do or do not have RA.

My many many doctors that I have are completely stumped...they are not sure of the cause...and they seem to be adament that my knee, jaw and colitis issues are NOT in any way connected to each other. I am otherwise healthy and live as active as a lifestyle as possible. I am not overweight and I do not smoke.

If anyone has any suggestions at all, please, please let me know. I would love to get this figured out so I do not have to constantly be in pain. Thanks :)

Justine

As of right now my UC is under control. It took a long time but I haven't had a flare that has hospitalized me in over a year. I did have really severe inflammation but its calmed down. I am just taking asacol right now. I had to go off of the Remicade because my drug benefits no longer covered it.

I am sure there is a connection but every doctor tells me that they don't believe there is a connection...I think its because they can't find any reason why my joints are causing me problems. But I keep telling them there has to be a cause! I just thought that the Remicade would have helped my joints rather than cause them to flare up worse. I was on prednisone for a while to get my UC under control and it works wonders but the side effects are awful.

My knees, hips, back, neck and hands hurt almost all the time. The bursae swell in my knees but I haven't had them drained yet. Some days it hurts to walk.

I've had so many tests that I began to feel like a lab rat! I have undiagnosed joint pain and for years, no one could tell me why. Until I seen a rheumatologist. He mentioned that since all my testing came back negative, I have either peripheral arthritis (which is a common type of non-damaging arthritis associated with an IBD) or Sero-negative RA, tho he tends to bend more toward Peripheral arthritis because I have no joint damage.

I've been on Remicade for about a year and it has helped both my Uc and my PA - since Remi is a TNF blocker, ease the inflammation in my colon, ease the inflammation in my joints. I still have pain in my joints, just not as bad.

I can't really comment on your bursitis but look up Peripheral Arthritis and see if this is what you might have.