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REC73 · 12-22-2003, 01:46 PM

Hi there. I was diagnosed with DDD last year. My L4-L5 disc ruptured and i had to have emergency surgery to alleviate cauda equina syndrome. My surgeon was able to salvage 10% of my disc so she didn't have to fuse my vert. together but a new MRI has shown it is close to re-rupturing and the 2 discs about it are herniated and have tears in the annulus and ligaments. So needless to say i'm use to being in pain but i have a great PM doc. Here recently for the past month i've had the most awful sleep of my life because i've been waking up almost every 2 hrs with the worst acking pain on whatever side i'm laying on in my hips and my shoulders and in my hands. My mattress is only 2yrs old and has always been extremely comfy to me. I never use to have a prob. sleeping through the night. Now when i wake up in the morning i can barely get outta bed my body hurts so bad. At first i thought it had something to do with the pressure being put on my hips and shoulders when i slept on my side but it never use to hurt when i slept on my side and why do my hands ache as bad as they do because no pressure is being put on them they are just laying there when i'm asleep. I can't barely move my hands when i wake up in the morning and my engagement ring that use to almost slide off my finger 2 mo. ago is so tight on my finger now that i can barely get it off and i haven't gained any weight. I'm the type of person that doesn't want to go to the doc unless i know i really should. Do these symptoms sound anything like RA? If someone could please answer back i would greatly appreciate it

red_snapper · 12-22-2003, 02:06 PM

hi i have had ra for 5 years now and one true sign for me was a burning sensation in my feet as ra norally starts to attack the small joints ie;toes first then if its ignored as mine was it eventually moves through the body to larger joints and in my case to the cartilage in my larynx.i think i had it for five years before it was diagnosed.it sounds as if the swelling you encounter is caused by something else and for sure get to the doc and have it looked after.my hands went crazy on me because of the ra action in my wrists i ended up with carpal tunnel in both hands and that sounds like what you have due to swelling.once the swelling is reduced the pain from carpal is greatly diminished.as for the rest of your body pain i think its prob due to the original cause of your swelling see the doc. i also have fybromyalga a form of muscle arthritis all related to ra.and lots of pain in the muscles of the bod.i hope this helps and i hope you get to the root of the prob quickly pain as we know is no fun good luck to you.

REC73 · 12-23-2003, 01:05 AM

Thanks for the reply back Red

I'm not sure what the cause is but i know that it's extremely painful! I've never had my hips, shoulders, and hands ache and be so stiff in my entire life. Even if i sit for more than a couple of minutes it's hard for me to get up. In the morning is the very worst but as the day goes on the stiffness loosens up a little and the pain isn't quite as severe as it is in the mornings.

It's funny that you said something about your feet buring because just this past sat. night i was telling my friend how the bottom of my foot was killing me because it felt like it was burning.

Again thanks for the info.

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