New to this part of board. Can I ask some ?'s

Hey there sylvie.. welcome to the Arthritis side of the forum.. It is very possible that you have arthritis.. I am 33 and was diagnosed 2 years ago... there are other members on here that are in their 20s and have it.. Have you seen a rheumy? When you made the statement about "growing pains" the first thing that popped into my mind was Fibro.. have you seen anyone about this? You maybe suffering from a combination of the 2 (which a lot of us do) since that are all AI related.. Have you tried sleeping with a pillow between your knees? I know that has helped me some in the past, as well as maybe icing your knees down, can help with the pain and swelling.. let us know what you decide.. take good care.. Duck

Hi Sylvie,
All through my pre-teen years, I had the same growing pains. Exercise has always been fun because every leg lift produces a hip crack that can be heard across the room! I've given up on them because as I've gotten older, the cracks hurt nore.

My battle with tendonitis began by 13, when I was first Dx with chronic tendonitis in my feet. Not far behind that was the knee inflammation which eventually ended in surgery, but only after 5 years of misery (There were no MRIs back then). The shoulders became a problem in the meantime and that was called bursitis. I still find it hard to believe that a 16 year old could have such chronic inflammatory problems without anyone trying to consider the cause. Instead, they just fed me one NSAIS after another. Of course I never could stay on them for longer than a few days before my gut would act up and I faced the choice of treating the joint pain and dealing with abdominal pain and diarrhea or just learning to live with joint pain.

For many years I hobbled along until a few years ago when the joint problems finally outweighed the stomach issues. Of course I was lucky and had been Dx with Crohn's Disease by then. My research had already led me to the possibility of the various forms of inflammatory arthritis and I knew enough to insist upon a Rheumatology consult.

As you've seen by your other post, there are many of us here with lots of info about our own disease process and we're more than happy to share what we know, as well as our own experiences. Certainly, we all have our own little biases, based on that info, but we're more than happy to do whatever is necessary to help someone get to the root of their problem, so that they can finally find the answers and hopefully the relief that they deserve.

I hope that you'll research all of the possibilities that we've tossed out, see which seems to apply to you and explore the possibilities with your Docs. Not all Docs consider every possibility and all too often, a Specialist cannot think outside the box of their particular specialty. We frequently need to change Docs and get other opinions. It can seem as if there is no end in sight sometimes, but most times, the search is worth it. I hope you find that true for you.

Meanwhile, as frustrating it can be, know that you've got many supporters here at HealingWell and we're all in your corner. We'll be here to answer your questions as you go through the process of finding an answer and most importantly, we'll be here to cheer you on and support you when you need a shoulder to lean on.

Best Wishes!

Hey sylvie.. how is the knee? Do you still have that icy/hot feeling? Mine get that way when I am in the middle of a flare.. is it hot to the touch?