New and unusual pain

My left knee and upper calf hurt really bad. I don't remember hitting it, but it hurts to touch, like a bruise (especially on the inner leg where the side of knee meets the calf). Most of my knee is sensitive to the touch as well. The calf area feels really tight and my lower leg is getting tingly (sp?) easy. At one point, the pain felt like I might get a cramp in my leg. I"m a little scared to go to sleep.. I"m not sure what is going on. I can even feel my knee tingle/hurt.  I've been stretching my calf and back of leg for the last 2 hours and it's not much better.

Any ideas of what might be going on or what to do?

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Hi CaMama,

How are you??  I am really paranoid about leg pain, especially if you don't remember hurting yourself.  A few years ago I fell off a ladder and had a bad compound fracture in my left leg.  Needed a couple surgeries, and the docs were so watchfull about blood clots. Tightness in the calf, sore to touch, and pain that got worse when flexed my foot were all things I was supposed to alert them about. But, I think they talked more about soreness in the back of the knee...anyway....please be carefull!!  Might be worth a call to the doc.  Keep us posted, ok?

Hugs,

Jody

It's probably worth mentioning the weather did change overnight. It was raining yesterday a.m. and this morning it dropped to 45 degrees. We were wearing shorts and tanks to school w/no jacket the other day at 7:30 a.m.

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You know, last night was a little 'familiar' - I think my leg has done some similar things way back when my feet first went bad. The burning skin...I don't recall. My palm feels like I burned it, you know? Like I leaned on a hot grill or scraped it against something rough, but I don't remember doing anything like that nor does it look like I did either of those things. Plus, it didn't happen until my arm went numb last night in my sleep, after I 'woke' it up, my hand was left with that burning feeling. My husband says it doesn't feel abnormally hot to him either.  My leg isn't as bad right now (the burn and tingle) but it's not completely gone.

I'll see if I can reach either the PCP or Rhuemy today before the weekend. It's not going to be easy, PCP works part-time and rhuemy works in a different office on Fridays.

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camama I am sure glad that you are seeking advise about your recent pain and possible flare as there more I read the more I thought 'this isn't right'. I would hate for to read next wek sometime that you had been taken in for somekind of rattlespider bite or whatever.
I think you have a point when you say that it may be your body finally reacting to the personal troubles you have been going through these past weeks. We all can only take so much and I have admired the way in which you have tried to be fair, understanding and stoical through it all but at some point - and that point is different in all of us - we reach dry tank with not a gas station in sight. I think youmay have arrived there and that may be no bad thing on one level. Your doctor may prescribe total rest for you and mr. camama may have to go that extra mile to enable you to recover. Maybe a bit of collusion between you and the doc in the form of a letter to your hubby may also bring home the seriousness of the situation to him. Maybe.
Let me know how it goes - please. Enjoy the weekend mama.
The Bear

camama! whats going on sweetie! did you call the doc? tingling can be inflammation reaching nerve endings too? but whatever it is a phone call is a must and now it is friday night so i hope you called during the day! if not i think i will have to fly over with a wet noodle and slap you silly!
even if you didnt call the doc we forgive you and are jsut worried. let usnow how you feel again soon
lov and hugs yally

Hi guys, thanks for checking in with me. I've been off-line all day. I did not reach the doctor yesterday, I think I see rhuemy soon but will call on Monday to see if I can move it up just in case there is somethign to check in to. My joints are hurting pretty bad and I'm exhausted beyond belief. The tingling in my hand is still there and my legs are falling asleep really easily. In fact, today, I didn't even feel my leg asleep until while I was walking along I almost fell flat on my face. Very strange.  No feeling of pins and needles. Had no idea it was asleep and wasn't sure when I got it all awake.

My palm is still weird, but slightly better than yesterday. It hasn't been going numb like it did....I've been thinking that maybe the tingling is either a result of the going numb or (which I'm not happy about) my psorisis is about come out on my palm there. I haven't had a serious problem on my hand w/it since I started remicade. I seem to recall strange feelings in my hand before it would get really bad. I could never control it before the infusions, but the remicade eradicated it (on my hands) in the first 2 doses. SO, while I wait the weekend out to reach the doc, I'm trying to heavily lotion up my hands regularly in hope that if it is psorisis coming through, I can lessen the outbreak by keeping the hand moisturized. Soon as/if a rash comes thru, I'll put on the rx'd cortizone.

Yalinda....noodles sound yummy! Can I put some basalmic vinigrette on it first? ****

Hey camama - glad to see you are more comfortable about your mystery ailment - all greek to me but this forum is a whole new learning curve to me in terms of RA. What does concern me in a small way is the possibiility of RA being hereditary in some way. My father in law - when he was alive - had RA quite badly and I never knew him as a well man. Mommy bear now has signs of arthritis andmy concern is that it may be RA rather than OA. I have tried to ask her about getting tested at this early stage so that we know one way or the other but her response is "whats the point?" The point is it makes it easier for me to deal with given my other issues - knowledge is the first step in the strategy. What do peeps on this thread think? All answers much appreciated.

Stay well

The Bear 

keeping you in my thoughts and prayers! hugs ~ yally
ps sure basalmic is no problem :)

 Camama...we need to ship your arse to the CDC! ok, i have my hunny handy here (tah! i'm a poet) he's in neurology so i just 'splained your situation to em'.

to him it sounds like a neuropathy; basically a disruption of the signals of where nerves are supposed to shoot.  this also would explain any burning, hot feeling of the palms and also bottoms of feet.

that'll be $150...what insurance do you have? LOL.

 

sooooo...toss in my opinion, and you'll whip in inflammation "in general" from the inflammatory arthritis & somewhere along the lines inflammation is bound to reach or be near a nerve, thus the loss of sensation, tingling, burning, etc...

also, menopause (hah!)can cause quite a few similar problems w/ burning or hot feelings in hands/chest/face/feet.  not that you're going through it, i don't know...LOL...but females in their mid 30's to age 45 can have the "starts" of it.

 

the leg thing:  have you ever had vasculitis?

i did and it STINKS!  basically it's an inflammation of the tiny arteries & veins of a certain area.  mine was RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE TALKING about!  near the knee, to the side just below it...but on the inner part near the bend (you'll see that on most people a big jobey of a vein lies there).

it was so painful that i couldn't even touch it, or even wash my leg near there, or lotion or anything.

it was diagnosed through a doppler US and i had to rest the leg, keep it elevated, use HEAT (moist heat pad), steroids and i had an anti inflammatory and antibiotics too.

some people also go on low dose aspirin therapy as well.

 

i think people here are talking about a thrombus in the calf?  the maneuver about "bending the foot towards you for a response of pain" is really not safe to practice & it's not practices in most hospitals anymore either due to the fact that it can actually dislodge the emboli.

so, what we look for instead is : swelling, heat, redness of the calf area. and if the patient complains of pain too.

 

well my dear, i do think it's a good idea to bring your butt to the doc if this really is worrying you & not getting any better.  it is most likely benign and probably an inflammation thing.  but it's better to go & get a clear head about it.  vasculitis isn't that bad of a recovery, i think i was on my butt for only a week or two.

 

your doc might suggest a neuro consult if you never have been to one yet, to find out about the problems you're experiencing with your extremities.

 

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{many hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

luv ya,

erin

 

 

Bravo Jody!
I can't stress it enough...EARLY ACTION, EARLY DIAGNOSES, EARLY TREATMENT!
And this is what all of these TNF meds and newer Bcell meds are for. You really want to be the "ideal" RA patient and start the treatments early. Wait 10 or 12 years???? Not great.
So much can be avoided & one can actually change the path their life will take.
I really do wish someone told me that when I was 16! {then again none of this stuff was out there, LOL}.
As for people like me though...the next 15 years should be very interesting in where they're going next for RA in advanced stages.

Camama...did ya' get to the docs?

Just wanted to send you a hug, and let you know am thinking of you.  So much wish there was something I could say or do to help you...you've always been such a support for me!  My heart is with you girl...email me anytime if you'd like...always there for you, even if it's just for you to vent.

Jody