Husband has long suffered...now what?

opalfirejucika · 07-21-2006, 08:30 PM

Hi, my husband has long suffered with aches and pains I can't even imagine. Lately though, his feet started burning too. After four laminectomies, right knee torn rear meniscus, two hernias, endless joint and muscle pains, a new family doctor did a battery of tests, including envoirnmental poisons. All came back negative but for RA Latex Turbid 73.8 (0.0-13.9), TSH 1.9 (.35-5.5), FT4 1.08 (.61-1.76), FT3 114 "too low" (85-205). However, his Sed rate-Westergren) 1 (0-20) ANA w/Relex 30 (0-99) were okay. He did have an unbelievable Lipid Panel, considering he's on Pravachol 20 mg. It's never looked like this since the 5 years he's been on the stuff: T. Choles 191 (100-199), Triglycerides 261 (0-149), HDL 32 (40-59), VLDL 52 (5-40) and LDL 107 (0-99). Thank goodnes his C-Reactive Protein is still .61 (0-3).
We don't know what's going on and the doc won't see him before September. Any suggestions on what we're looking at? I would have thought Gout, but the numbers don't support it.
Thanks for any help!
Judy

ToBeFreeToRoam · 07-22-2006, 03:01 AM

Hi Opal,

I do not know too much about the #s of the tests and "things" that your husband has shown from his blood and other tests. But, I do know that your SED rate does not have to be high, for you to have Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Also, about the Gout. Not sure about the #s on that either. But my husband used to have gout and still gets it every now and then. If your husband drinks beer, eats things, like gizzards, liver and such, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts, that will bring on gout attacks. It hurts terribly and takes about 1 week to go away, if you quit eating and drink the wrong things!

Yall might want to try another Rheumatoid dr. or what ever specialist your husband is going too. I could not stand to be in that much pain.

Good Luck.

Wannnabe

adamace1 · 07-30-2006, 10:20 PM

i thought they use the uric acid test for gout. and that doesn't mean a thing, they need to draw fluid out of your joints, maybe they can show up on x-ray. But drawing fluid out or doing surgeory on a joint is the only 100% way to find out if it's gout or not. But like the above poster said usually it goes away in a week or so, and the joint or joints will be warm and red and large.

opalfirejucika · 07-31-2006, 12:30 AM

Thanks for the input...however...the one and only time he's had fluid in a joint was three years ago. Doc said it was tennis elbow and wouldn't do anything about it. After a couple of weeks, it went down and nothing more was felt. Last Fall, his knee tried to go out, went to see an ortho guy and he said that it was gout, did x-rays, saw nothing. That went away. Now his feet are burning. Put him on adrenal extract and slowly the burning is letting up. What a strange journey this has been.
Any help appreciated!
Thanks,
Judy