Possible Arthritis Of Some Sort??? Please help me. - Arthritis Message Board

fluffytoes · 07-25-2005, 07:55 PM

Hello everyone

I've been wondering about my knees and fingers for a while but they never give me pain. Recently though my neck has, round about C5 or 6/7 I have a lot of swelling and have had since February. The pain comes then goes as does the swelling. I also get lower back pain. My idiot doctor looked and said "that's just your spine" my reply was that it was never there before and it hurts. You can see it better from the side but I look like an old lady. I'm only 38.

My knees are very swollen but have been for years I can hardly make out where my knee cap is anymore and one leg looks a little bandy, the doc said it was housemaids knee about 7 years ago at least but it's never really hurt that much it does now and again but not often. The swelling has got a lot worse, it's my whole knee even at the inside, I'm slightly overweight by about a stone it's no big deal but my knees are out of porportion to the rest of me. I also noticed about 3 or 4 inches above my right knee there appears to be a hardish small swelling that isn't on my left leg. I can push the swelling down towards the knee a little and the fluid at my knee distorts if that makes sense. It's my legs that hurt, towards the outside of the calf.

My Index fingers don't hurt but in the middle knuckles I have little lumps on the joint and also another finger, not at the side but on top. The weirdest thing about these fingers are if I line up both knuckles in a straight line my fingers look twisted from the knuckle up, to have the tops of my fingers look straight I have to line my kuckles up in a twisted fashion. I also have a little tiny red patch just below my lowest kuckle, on the skin under the skin I can't tell but it's been there for ages and has never cleared up, I don't know what it is.

I hope this is making sense to somebody because it's hard to describe without pictures. It's only through looking for things to do with deformed fingers that I've raised the possiblity of arthritis of some sort.

Incidentally I also get terrible itching only on my legs, nothing works and after several years I've tried just about everything. In the past week I've been very hot and sweaty even though I live in a cool climate but my forehead is always cold and clammy. It's horrendous.

If anyone here has any ideas or suggestions or have anything similar I would be very, very grateful for your help. I need to see my main doctor but I need facts because they are so useless I would need to suggest what it may be to them rather than the other way round.

Many, many thanks in advance to all.

teachergirl64 · 07-25-2005, 08:19 PM

Yes, you do need to see your PCP. Ask him for a CBC with differential, a sed rate, RF, hs-CRP and and ANA. Your fingers have damage that sounds like rheumatoid arthritis. I hope that it's not, but there are good treatments available if it is.

MCTD · 08-08-2005, 12:57 PM

Oh gosh do you sound like me..... First, get the tests for RA, then don't let any doc tell you that your spine cannot be affected by RA, you are talking to someone who has a spine so affected by RA, I have had broken bones, broken neck, fusion of C3-C7. But you know what, it took damage and severe breaks for them to do anything about it. Now of course, I have pain control, and they monitor my bones all the time, they are horrible. I have the little knots on my fingers too, in fact, I am going to ask doc this month about one that is really painful probably due to location. Probably will have to have surgery to remove that one. I have osteophytes all over my body and they are painful because they inhibit motion, etc. and eventually either the osteophyte will break off, or in my case, the bone breaks cause its not as strong!!! And this all started when I was 30 and I am now 41 and still fighting these docs all the time, fortunately I found some about 2 years ago that at least respect me and my hard work trying to educate myself about my diseases (there are many) I have a lot of everything but not enough of one thing??? I have RA, lupus, sgojrens, and now they are looking at scleroderma, in addition to severe osteoarthritis. I am finally getting into NIH regularly so maybe will get some help. Hope to you in your quest...

kathyann · 08-10-2005, 12:42 PM

Your symptoms sound very similar to mine 5 years ago. It's been a battle ever since. One doc told me I was in denial about my condition. I wasn't in denial. I just didn't like to start taking every medication in the book until I became educated about RA a little bit and looked into alternative therapy. The thing that's helped me the most consistently has been fasting. Every time I fast for about 3 days (usually not because I want to but because I get migraines and can't eat), my joint symptoms decrease or temporarily disappear. That is why I think it's diet related. Back in the 1970s Dr. Collin Dong, who was a physician, kept his own arthritis at bay and that of his patients by designing an arthritis diet. If I stick to that diet, I'm usually okay but it's very hard to stick to it. There are "yes" foods and "no" foods. Anyway, whenever I search "rheumatoid arthritis diet" those foods are usually listed. Have you tried eliminating certain foods or fasting?

fluffytoes · 08-16-2005, 05:12 PM

I forgot I'd started this sorry it's taken a while to reply and thank you all for your thoughts and comments. I'm not too bad at the moment, had my OH massage my hump/lump on my neck this evening and it reduced in swelling??? I'd had nerve pain going to my shoulder and it took that away, however now I have tingling in my little finger and the one next to it and half my hand. Small price to pay some discomfort versus pain. I just realised a cousin of mine I think has RA, I'll need to find out more about that.

I haven't tried fasting or eliminating foods Kathyann but it's something I will look into. Glad it works for you somewhat and good luck with it all.

MCTD I'll keep my fingers crossed for you too, sounds rough what you go through.

teachergirl when I'm in enough pain to warrant going back to the doc, I'll certainly raise the possibility of these tests. Thanks for that.

Why does a visit to the doctors induce a person to feel anxiety I wonder?? Is it perhaps the fear of being ridiculed and not being taken seriously?? In my case yes, I thought going to the dentist was my pet hate but at least she listens!!!!

Thinking of you all, take care and thanks again for your kindness.