I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in February 2007. My rheumatologist told me he ruled out Lupus and related diseases as the x-rays of my hands and feet showed NO degeneration and stood firm on his FM diagnosis.
I had abnormal levels for my CRP and my ESR which told him there was inflammation somewhere but it didn't change his diagnosis. My bloodwork also showed that I was anemic.
A couple of weeks after my last visit, I started having short-lived bouts of inflammation of my right index finger, my left and right thumbs, and my right knee, though not at the same time. They would swell, become very painful and then go back to normal after a couple of days. While inflammed flexibility was down to almost none. If it was my knee, I was unable to walk until the inflammation was gone.
I started on Celebrex four weeks ago and that has stopped the problems with my right knee. It still flares, gets sore, but does not swell and go out of commission like before.
However, my fingers are compeltely unaffected by the Celebrex and continue to flare up, swell up, and lock up to where I can neither straighten them or completely close my hand.
The only thing "symetrical" is that both thumbs do this but not at the same time. It's always one item per flare.
I notice only the pain and swelling but no redness or heat at any of these above-mentioned locations during a flare.
I called my rheumatologist for an appointment, but they want to see me immediately at the on-set of a flare like I mentioned above, which scares me a bit at their urgency. The nurse started to tell me what it sounded like to her, but then she stopped herself and said she "shouldn't" diagnose over the phone without the doc seeing it.
Now I'm terrified. Does this sound like RA or something else? Maybe another weird symptom of the fibromyalgia?