I don't know if anybody can help me with this but I was just checked for RA and Lyme disease and they were neg. My problems are with my hands,elbows middle of upper back and feet. My thumbs on both hand are extremely painful along with my feet. It feels like my thumbs have been jammed and the joints are extremely stiff and sore along with both hands. My feet hurt so bad in the morning I can hardly walk but improve later in the morning. Every thing that is bothering me is at its worst first thing in the morning. The hands don't improve much during the day but the feet are tolerable. My right hand is also a little swollen. They did a blood test and said that I did not have RA or lyme disease and now the doctor wants to do a nerve conduction test on my arms. I don't know what that has to do with my back and feet so I am reluctant to have it done. I did have bilateral carpal tunnel on both wrists about 8 yrs ago. I thought for sure It was arthritis but they say no. I am a 38 yr old male. Are there any other types of arthritis that can be so widespread like this? Thanks for any help that anybody can give me.

I don't know if anybody can help me with this but I was just checked for RA and Lyme disease and they were neg. My problems are with my hands,elbows middle of upper back and feet. My thumbs on both hand are extremely painful along with my feet. It feels like my thumbs have been jammed and the joints are extremely stiff and sore along with both hands. My feet hurt so bad in the morning I can hardly walk but improve later in the morning. Every thing that is bothering me is at its worst first thing in the morning. The hands don't improve much during the day but the feet are tolerable. My right hand is also a little swollen. They did a blood test and said that I did not have RA or lyme disease and now the doctor wants to do a nerve conduction test on my arms. I don't know what that has to do with my back and feet so I am reluctant to have it done. I did have bilateral carpal tunnel on both wrists about 8 yrs ago. I thought for sure It was arthritis but they say no. I am a 38 yr old male. Are there any other types of arthritis that can be so widespread like this? Thanks for any help that anybody can give me.

You say you had some tests done. Who ordered the tests, was it a medical doctor or a Rheumatologist? I was diagnosed some 12 years ago with Ankylosing Spondylitis (a type of arthritis). This is just one of the spondylarthropathies and I had many of the same symptoms that you describe. Although these symptoms can also overlap with many of the spondylarthropathies eg. AS, Psoriatic Arthritis, Reiters, etc.

At least a few years prior to being Dx'd with AS, when I would get out of bed in the morning my feet felt like I had broken the bones in the tops of my feet. This pain would go away after walking for a while. My hands and elbows ached a lot but, I didn't think to much of it because it was tolerable. When I went to my primary care physician it was for pain in my lower back. He started treating me with muscle relaxers, heat and ultrasound. None of this did any good and no connection was made to my foot pain.

I started to do my own research and came across the spondylarthropaties which seemed to fit me to a "T" so I asked my PCP to order a blood test for HLA-B27 to see if I was positive (a positive test does not necessarily confirm AS but your chances are much greater). He did not want to do this test due to the expense but I convinced him. My test was Positive and my PCP referred me to a Rheumie who confirmed the Dx of AS. AS in many people only effects the spine but in many of the "lucky ones" like me it can effect all of your peripheral joints.

Do your research and see a good Rheumie. A good source of information for the spondylarthropathies is the message board at www.spondylitis.org. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.

Al

Thanks for the info Al. I am not sure what test were done on my bloodwork. All I know is my doc said something about RA, they took for vials of blood and then called a week later and said that the tests were negative. Did your symptoms gradually get worse without treatment? I have been fighting this for quite some time now and it is definately getting worse, especially in the morning. I don't have a fever or anything but I do get pretty tired. I take vicoprofen for the pain right now. Can you tell me once you found out your problem what the course of treatment was and if it helped. How are you doing now? Thanks again

I have psoriatic arthritis with the same pains as you, but there are many forms of arthritis and the pain can be similar. See a Rheumatologist and then see another one if you don't get the info or help you need. I have no idea why your dr wouldn't think it was arthritis???? Have you been ill lately? Usually when you have arthritis , it tends to affect the joints that you may have injured in the past as well. Psoriatic arthritis usually shows up years after having psoriasis. Do you have skin problems or nail pitting? PA is a clinical diagnosis-doesn't show up in bloodwork, so if you can rule this out, then definitely get more thorough testing/x-rays, so that you can get the treatment you need as soon as possible. We all feel for you. Hope you find out soon. Just a side note-You can test negative for RA and still have it.

I just had a thought that I'd throw out there for you. Does anyone else in your family as many generations back as you can recall have any remotely similiar symptoms?

There is a genetic disorder of the collagen called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, particularly type 3 which causes really severe joint pain similiar to arthritis. It is primarly characterized by loose or popping joints, soft skin and easy bruises. There are many other manifestations but that's a starting point. This sydrome is one of the most misdiagnosed syndromes I've ran across. It took me 30 years to get the proper dx. In fact a great majority of individuals who have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome actually have EDS and the CFS is post secondary it's just that doctors are not aware of it.
While I do have Osteo doctors kept telling me I had some form of rare arthritis even those my tests were always negative. Turns out this is my problem and it is crossed with type 1 which affects internal organs.

It deems worth looking at at least.

Worse case scenario, if you get no answers you should seek out a geneticist to see if there's not something genetic going on that doctors are missing, this is very common.

As far as I know there is no problems like this on either side of my family. My Dad has M.S. and that is the only thing that I can think of. I was told about 5 yrs ago that is was not M.S. but it took them about 10 yrs to diagnose my dad and now he can hardy walk.

MS can be really hard to diagnose and actually I thought most of those diagnos'es where done after the age of 30.
Alot may depend on your doctor, some just are incompitent