Posted 11/11/2020 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
My partner is having some awful issues that may sound familiar to folks here, which freaks me out. I'd appreciate it if y'all could tell me your impressions about what's going on for him.
My partner has had structural issues since we met 15 years ago. At that point, he had massive TMJ issues which he resolved over the course of a year using biofeedback, physical therapy, and meditation. He learned to do a strange-looking vibration practice I've seen referred to as TRE, which he has done ever since to eliminate muscle tension. Occasionally for the next decade, he'd get a neck pinch when he was stressed and tense; usually his shoulders would be tense, and he'd sleep in a weird position, and his neck would get messed up. The neck pinches would resolve in a few days with rest, gentle stretching, ice, etc. Crummy but manageable, and not uncommon.
about five years ago (around the time I got sick) he was under extra stress (obviously) and his neck issues got worse - more soreness and tension that radiated to his chest, throat, diaphragm, mid-back, jaw, hands, and head. He started seeing a chiropractor often, and for the first few months, he felt nauseated, dizzy, and in significantly more pain after appointments, but then it started to feel helpful. He also was doing chiro-recommended strengthening exercises during this time. When he experienced pain at this point, the muscles around the affected joints were not tense. He felt like he had a decent handle on things and stopped seeing the chiropractor regularly after a couple of years.
Then he broke his tailbone while ice skating. (Ouch.) Since then, about three years ago now, he has had the same issues in that region as well - hips, pelvis, tailbone, lower spine. Craniosacral therapy helped the most with this lower region, and helped the upper region as well. When he gets flares of these spine-based ailments, though, the tailbone area now is in the mix.
Because of the pandemic, seeing a chiropractor or bodyworker has not been an option for several months.
Lately he's been under a lot of stress - workplace weirdness, job hunting, the election, the pandemic, etc. He's been processing the stress, exercising, getting outside, and taking various supplements (CBD, magnesium, vitamin D, 5HTP, Saint John's wort, DHA, vitamin C, B complex, glucosamine). Everything else is fine - digestion, other joints, heart, vision, head, etc. Zero swelling, as far as we can tell. He passes all the standard neuro exam tests, and his spinal x-rays are fine aside from a small spur in his neck. His only other chronic health issues are a small patch of lower scalp psoriasis and occasional cold sores. He had a tick bite a few years ago, after which he took ten days of preventative doxy and had no symptoms, though the tick tested positive for Borrelia.
Because of my mold issues, he has been designated for various projects in basements and garden brush piles. He's never had symptoms from mold exposure (that we've noticed). Last weekend, he spent a long time shoveling wood chips from a giant pile. Every time the shovel went in, you could see a grey cloud of mold spores fly up.
Right now he feels inflamed in the usual spinal ailment locations - tailbone and neck - though everything looks normal and feels normal to the touch. It's not tender or warm. The muscles are not sore or tense. His proprioception is slightly off, and his hands, shoulders, and legs feel weak and tingly. His tailbone feels like a cell phone in his back pocket is vibrating. He is miserable, but has no other issues except for some phlegm making him clear his throat more than usual. Ice, heat, CBD, and ibuprofen don't seem to make any difference.
So what say you - mold exposure, Borrelia, Bartonella? Something else? It doesn't sound like psoriatic arthritis to me, despite the psoriasis spot, because there's no swelling, no soreness aside from his spine, and the psoriasis patch is on his lower scalp (several inches above the neck vertebra that causes his issues). Ditto rheumatoid arthritis - just doesn't fit the description, as far as I can tell. Never swelling, never red, never warm to the touch.
After years of chiropractic, physical therapy, and bodywork, he has a lot of props and tricks and exercises that he deploys when he feel a twinge, and I wonder sometimes if he over-corrects and irritates the area.
Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!