ostoarthritis vs rheumatoid

[NY 1009]

just a quick question to see if anyone else can relate to a sudden change in my body.

I was dx'd w/ osteo a yr or more ago. I have it in my spine which equates with my sometimes severe spinal pain on an off.
sleeping is getting harder because I'm finding my pain level is getting worst if I stay in bed too long. I'm 47 yrs old, female and also have a dx of osteoporosis last year.

I never had pain in my fingers or my feet or hips, just my spine and neck.

I woke up yesterday out of the clear blue sky with pain in my third fingers on both hands. they're swollen at the joints and I found it difficult to bend my fingers to hold my coffee cup. the joint in my right shoulder was also hurting which made me feel miserable and uncomfortable.
I have a horrible headache, plus feel flu like. I have a chronic lymph node on the right side of my neck that's the size of a quarter that enlarges and then goes down on and off for a few years now. . it was much larger yesterday.
the days I feel like this are horrible and I can't work due to physical exhaustion and all I want to do is sleep. I"m so afraid I'll lose my new job. I've been there only four months with lots of sick days used already.

I'm going thru a stressfull time with my 17, soon to be 18 yr old daughter.
I don't know if this set off these new symtoms?
I was just told by my GI dr that he thinks I have a spastic colon on top of all this. I just started suffering with sudden chronic constipation.
this sent me to the ER room with painful abdominal pain. enough to think it was a gall stone or kidney stone. they did a ct scan and found out otherwise.
so I was referred to my Gastro dr.
can all these things cause the immune system to go out of kilter and cause rheumatoid arthritis?
I was tested for rheumatoid a couple years back and the ana level was normal.
should I be tested again for rheumatoid arthritis? would it come on suddenly like this?
I'm confused and thought if anyone can share their views and experiences would help me a great deal.
thank you,

linda

[roses4evver]

Hi Linda,

I'm sorry for all the pain your in and all your going through. What are you taking for the pain? I have been taking anti-inflammatories & muscle relaxers for 13 yrs now. They don't take the pain away but it certainly helps.

Food for thought...
I have had Osteo for almost 14 yrs...severe the last 5 yrs, in fact I just had a TKR 11 wks ago. Osteo can & does cause all over joint pain & swelling as it did with me. It is not well known, but Osteo can be very debilitating. I found this out through experience. It has destroyed my lumbar area and both knees totally and has had me in chronic pain for many years and thats with taking a lot of drugs. Rheumatoid is just an added bonus ! Without the pain drugs I would not be working & would be in a wheelchair. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid & Lupus 1 1/2 yrs ago & I'm 46 f. (all in the blood work).

In answer to your question, no I don't think what you are describing can bring on Rheumatoid arthritis. I do believe it can certainly agrivate what you already have. STRESS .....mental or physical can have a big impact on how your body feels and deals with pain. The more mental stress I have in my life, or the impact of a surgery on my body ALWAYS increases my pain and even puts my Lupus or Rheumatoid into a flare. Hope this helps

[NY 1009]

Hi roses4ever,
I must say that I really love your signature. you are a true lover at heart.
thank you so much for your reply.
I suffer nothing on a scale to your pain. plus the fact you've been in such pain for so many years. I'm glad to see the pain meds & anti inflammatories have saved your life.

as soon as the problem was aleviated with my daughter, I felt calmer, plus I came home from work that day and slept the entire day on and off and thru out the night. when I woke up the next day, the pain in my fingers subsided to the point where I could bend my fingers without pain and hold my coffee cup or pick up things without pain. then the next day after that, it went away totally.
If it were rheumatoid, I don't think the pain would have come so quickly and left so quickly, right?
what is a TKR? I'm not familiar with that term.
I have a script for muscle relaxants but have had the script for over a yr now and was only taking it seldomly. I could only take it at night because it makes me sleepy. I can't afford to be tired at work. I usually am over active with such energy thru the course of a day that even my co-workers and boss tell me they never see me slow down. my boss says she always see's me doing something. which is true, because I can't stand to be idle.

at my last job a year ago with a different insurance, they wouldnt' authorize an MRI of my spine until I completed a course of physical therapy. I couldn't afford the therapy with the cost of it being $50 copay, at two times a week for six or more weeks. so I didn't go thru the therapy. I only had the inital consultation where she showed me a few excerises to do daily and she gave me a complete exam.
the warm pad they put on me felt wonderful and really relaxed all my muscles.
In the winter time you see me with my heating pad which helps wonders.
I can no longer bake and cook like I used to which involves alot of standing up for me. I feel like I've lost a part of me that I can't get back.

My mother and brother suffered a bone disease, which is called gorhams disease, which I don't have thank God.
does your parents have any form of bone or arhtritic disease?

what did your dr. tell you? is there anything that they can do for you other than what you're doing?
Do you go to physical therapy and if so, has it helped you?
I want an MRI performed and may get one this time with my new insurance.
I dont' have such a high copay with this one thankfully, so when I see my family dr in a few weeks, I'm going to bring it up.
he referred me to a specialist that I only visited with once because he was the one that referred me to the physical therapy and didn't do much else for me on that first visit like I thought he would.
he was only with me a entire ten minutes and I felt like he really wasn't listening to me.
so I never followed up with anyone for this problem.

I'm wondering what it's going to be like years from now if I hurt this much now at age 47? they have cures for some cancers, but they can't do a whole lot for arthritis?

I do understand that the majority of the population suffers from some form of arthritic problem.


I really wish you the best. Let me know if you have any other suggestions for me.
sincerely,
L

[roses4evver]

Thank you for the comment about my signiture. It means a lot to me since it was chosen in leu of my husband. Through the years he always made me feel like every day was special and what a blessing! Just like I would feel when he would bring me roses. I have since lost my best friend & soul mate suddenly to pancreatic and liver cancer Dec 2006. He was diagnosed 12/15/06,hospitalized 12/18, in hospice care at home on 12/23, and passed away on 12/31/06...all within 2 wks notice.


You are correct, the pain would not come and go so quickly if it were Rheumatoid. This is going only by my own experience because I'm not a doctor.

A TKR is...Total Knee Replacement. The arthritis destroyed my entire joint and arthroscopy surgery was useless so the whole joint had to be replaced with a metal implant.

When your in enough pain you force yourself to get use to muscle relaxants because of having autoimmune diseases. I also have connective tissue disease which is arthritis of your muscles, ligaments & tendons. I learned to always take vitamin B comples every morning & drink coffee which I didn't like in the beginning.

Oh yes, my mother and 3 generations before her are all deceased (I lost her at age 47 to cancer) , but all had all kinds of hereditary forms of arthritis and different cancers.

You should do what I do in regards to cooking. Bring a chair right into the kitchen, but it must be a tall high back chair (tall enough that it puts you high up at the counter & stove but your feet can still touch ground).

My condition is way past physical therapy that can help. Nothing can be done except aqua therapy. I've tried that twice & it feels ok-good while I'm doing it but I'm right back to the way it was an hr later. So to me it's a big huge waste of time unless it could be right in my home.

If you can afford it & have insurance you need to see a Rheumatologist. They deal with different arthritis form & autoimmune diseases.
Good luck to you!

[NY 1009]

I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. it wasn't that long ago either.
you have such a good out look and are a very strong woman.
you've been thru alot and are still going through alot.
considering you suffer so much, you have a very good spirit.

I never thought of rheumaolotigst. my dr referred me to a bone dr. what do you call them? the types that do surgery with bone problems?

so a rheumatoligst deals specifically with all forms of arthritis and not just auto immune problems?
hum.... maybe I'll bring that up too when I see my dr.
thank you for the suggestion.
also, thanks for the tip on the type fo chair to use in the kitchen. it really works for you, huh?
well then I'm going to try that too.
I love these boards because you can really get some good tips and suggestions from others.
drinking coffee is ok? it helps you're saying?
I'm JUST starting to take suppliments in my life whereas before I never really believed in them. I haven't been on them long enough to say whether I"m feeling any improvement in my life yet.
I am taking a new colon cleanser my partner picked up and I have to say It really works great without any painful side effects of it.
I'm finally getting rid of all the built up toxins which I have a feeling the empactment I was having adds to the pain in my lower spine when I lay down in bed. I can't lay staight on my back anymore to watch t.v. it hurts so much. I wake up in the middle of the night in pain so much I can barely turn over and i have to pull on the sheets to help me turn over slowly.
this used to happen on a consistent basis and I told the dr. this. that's when he tried to get me the MRI but the insurance said phsycial therapy first.
I only weight 113 pounds and am 5'7" tall. so it's not a weight issue that's making it difficult for me to turn over.
I really think the bowel problem adds to the pressue on my spine. did you ever have this issue?
Mine just started and my GI dr. told me to take metamucil, miralax plus take senakott. all three products.
one thing leads to another thing, than I'm told I have another thing.
so it's getting pretty complicated and crazy with me.
I just want an end to all this so I can restore my health.
I forgot to tell my GI dr that I have this new diagnosis in my spine since I last saw him and I'm wondering if the spine is causing the sluggish bowel and constipation. it's more neurologic I think than the problem with not getting enough fiber. I eat alot of food so it's not that I'm not getting enough fiber. I know what's good and what's not good to eat.
I am drinking enough water so that's not the problem.
so my question to you is, do you have bowel problems that are associated with the arthritis in your spine?

thank you roses.

Linda