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does anyone have swelling in any of your joints

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Posted 12/18/2010 6:01 AM (GMT 0)
Just had my first rheumy visit expecting a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. He thinks it is fibro. Was wondering if anyone has swelling in their joints or had an elevated CRP or sed rate both of mine were really high. I have swollen elbows and knees and awful joint pain in fingers. Just trying to figure if i need a second opinion. Had to drive 3 hours one way just to see the doctor.
Posted 12/18/2010 4:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi maymay, Just my own experience here but I have never had the swollen joints and I have OA along with fibro. I am really surprised that it wasn't diagnosed as RA. Maybe others here on the board have had the swollen joints with fibro. I just know I haven't. I hope you get answers soon.

I love your signature on the bottom. :)

Gentle Hugs
Shirley
Posted 12/18/2010 5:31 PM (GMT 0)
Fibro doesn't affect the joints.  Sometimes it feels like the pain is in the joints but it's the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that move the bones in the joints that is hurting.  You shouldn't have swollen joints because of fibro.  The doctors say it isn't an inflammatory illness.  Sometimes I wonder, though, because Ibuprofen helps me a lot. 

 

Sherrine

Posted 12/18/2010 6:53 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Maymay, I'm wondering if your doc is dismissing arthritis
altogether or has the "lets wait and see attitude."

I have OA ...also have RA as part of MCTD. There is obvious
swelling in the joints, but treatment does help.

It may be possible that you have both fibro and arthritis...time
will tell. Heat helps me with both arthritis and fibro.

Hope you can get answers soon so that you get proper treatment.
Wishing you the best. Keep us posted.

Hugs, Robin
Posted 12/18/2010 7:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for all of your input it is really appreciated. He ordered another round of blood tests 7 tubes of blood. Hopefully that will give somemore definite answers. Supposed to start nursing school in August and really want to get things straightened out. I also have gastroparesis and I think that might have had something to do with the fibro dx he said lots of people with gastroparesis also have fibro. I was reading some other posts and I also have low vitamin d due to high prolactin level from gastro meds. Had bone density scan and I am already losing bone density. I just pray that God will lead him to a correct dx. Hope you are all having a pain free or at least low pain day, I know I have not had a pain free day in about 10 months since all this crap started.
Have a blessed day.
Posted 12/18/2010 8:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi;

Probably a bit late on replying on this topic.  But when I went to the Rhem. in July, I was diagnosed with Fibro and also with Seronegative Arthritis - Psoriaiform Arthritis.  Which means the blood work for RA came back negative, but my symptoms showed RA to come.  Currently I am in Seronegative Arthritis, and this will eventually become RA.  I need to take care of my joints so that I wont have deformatives.  My feet already have deforms, and I am working at slowing down the results.  I wont stop the RA, just the deforms.

Fibro on top of this makes my muscles/tendions etc sore and I have swollen joints from the arthritis.

Ask the doctor (which I'm sure he will look into if he's taking so much blood from you) about seronegative arthritis.

 

Posted 12/18/2010 9:15 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks! My sister is a nurse and my gp when I talked to him also both mentioned the same thing, I guess great minds think alike. My sister said with having a family history paternal grandmother RA and my mom with lupus. I also forgot to mention for the last 3 months every night I run a low grade fever with my wbc being normal. Maybe I am like my mother, her doctor told her if she had been his patient out of med school he would have quit. If you don't mind me asking do you know what your crp level was?
Posted 12/18/2010 11:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Maymay,

I have Fibro, OA, and Erosivie Inflammatory Osteoarthritis, or so they say at this point. I am starting to wonder. I had to stop taking my Plaquenil (which helped a lot) because of an adverse reaction. I called the doc and he put me on prednisone and Tramadol, while he "thinks" about what to do next. I cannot function w/o Tramadol. I guess the prednisone is helping, but the DIP joints on my thumbs are swollen and painful and today I am having trouble walking. the middle joints on my toes are swollen and painful. This is getting crazy! I hope the doc can find something to help me. My NP implied that she thinks I have seronegative RA. Who knows?!?

Good luck to you. Let us know what happens w/your rheumatologist. Your story may help others on this site, and it would be good to hear that you are doing better. We all like happy endings!

Peace,
V
Posted 12/19/2010 12:18 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, V,

Thanks I have tried tramadol it does not do anything for me. Right now I am taking norco but it seems to make my heart race. I find myself in the whirlpool at least 3 times a day it gives some temporary relief. I had to drive to New Orleans and back yesterday to see the doctor and today I feel like I was hit by a mack truck. He prescribed klonopin to help with sleep and it did not help but I must say I must have entered rem sleep because I had a dream last night and I cannot remember the last time I had a dream he said it had alot to do with not getting enough deep sleep. Who knows? I hope your doctor can find something to get you straight too.

Blessings,
maymay
Posted 12/19/2010 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
I'm so sorry that tramadol doesn't work for you, Maymay.  I hope you find something that works soon.  Pain can really knock a person out and rob them of their joy.

My husband and I took a two-hour road trip yesterday...2=hours one way and 2 hours back.....and I paid for it today. I have spent most of the day on the couch.  Took the kitty to the vet this a.m. for her booster shots, and I was in so much pain when I got home!  I walked in, took my prednisone and two tramadol, and hit the couch. Later, I ate  entirely too mcuh chocolate. LOL

I wonder if chocolate has pain killing properties?!?  I always crave it when I am not feeling well. Sigh.

Best Wishes!

V

Posted 12/19/2010 12:41 AM (GMT 0)
Forgot to tell you that I tried Vicodin and some of the other pain relievers. I cannot take anything with codeine in it. Makes me so, so ill. I guess that is why they make different drugs. Everybody is different. Tramadol has been a god send for me.

Peace,
v
Posted 12/19/2010 1:09 AM (GMT 0)
LOL! I just finished eating chocolate ice cream. Fixin to hit the whirlpool again. The only other pain meds I can tolerate are darvocet which you cannot get anymore and perocet and dilaudid which I doubt any doctor would prescribe that for this.
Posted 12/19/2010 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Maymay;

If you are asking me about my CRP level, it was in the normal range. I'd have to hunt down the blood work to find the exact number. If you want, I will. I think my arthritis is mild. I'm more stuck dealing with my anxiety, pains then the arthritis pain - I think. I don't know what is what at times. Hope you find help and answers. Let me know if you want the number.
Catt
Posted 12/19/2010 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Catt,

It's no big deal if you have to hunt it was just curious because mine was 14.1 and the rheumy acted like it was not high but my gp said it was very high that was 6 months ago before I started having the swelling. He is rechecking it and maybe that will lead to some better answers.

Blessings,
Mandy
Posted 12/20/2010 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Mandy;

I did find the bloodwork, but once I looked at it, there was no CRP listed. I'm in Canada, so the reading might be different. There was other stuff that the doc looked at. Good luck with your doc - hopefully they will find an answer for you.

Catt
Posted 12/21/2010 3:25 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Catt,

Thanks for looking, did not mean for you to go to any trouble to find the results. I really appreciate it. I am sure I will not know anything til after Christmas.


Mandy
Posted 12/21/2010 4:19 AM (GMT 0)

Sherrine said...

<font color=#0000ff>Sherrine

My doctor has a poster about arthritis on the wall of one of his exam rooms and way down at the bottom is a paragraph that says Fibromylgia is associated with Gout. Like people with FM are a lot more likely to also have Gout. I don't know why, I just know that's what the poster claims. With Gout, there is inflammation. And it's not confined to the big toe like some people think - it can and sometimes does - spread to any or all other joints in the body. Not realizing that my excruciating pain was being caused by Gout, I let it go undiagnosed and untreated for 10 or more years. By that time it spread to my left knee and elbow, both shoulders, and right wrist. So while FM probably doesn't cause the swelling, it is possible that someone could have Gout in combination without realizing it - and maybe that is where the swelling and inflammation comes from. Both conditions cause horrible pain and after you get to hurting that badly, it's sometimes hard to tell which is causing it. idea
Posted 12/21/2010 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks! but my gp already did tests to rule that out. I really appreciate the response and info.

Blessings,
Mandy
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