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Ankylosing spondilitys

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stefan9303347
stefan9303347

Hello guys from a 23 old male. I am depressed in the last two weeks since i dont know whats wrong with me. I have pain in my right wrist and in the heels more specifically near the toes. At night and in the mornings its very bad as i am not able to walk properly. I dont have any back pain for now at least but i am HLA B27 positive. I ve been to the orthopedic and he said that ive overtrained at the gym and i need rest and physiotherapy for the wrist. But after the third session i am actually getting worse. I have done some blood tests on my own and the reactive protein and the sedimentation rate are okay also i dont have gout as the blood test are okay there too. I am really confused and i dont know what to do. This Hlab27 gene is scaring me.. I wonder if you can give me some advise can i have some early stage of AS , is anyone here experiencing the same first symptoms.

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • maureen61742
    maureen61742 stefan9303347

    Posted

    Hi Stefan, having the hbla27 gene alone does not mean you have AS. 8% of the population carry the gene and only a small proportion of them develop AS. The symptoms you describe do not sound like AS. Foot pain in the foot is usually in the heel where the tendon attaches. Do you suffer back pain that is eased by movement?, do you have pain in sacroiliac joints?. Changes in SI joint(s) is compulsory for diagnosis. You also need to have had this type of backpain for 3 months

    Also AS occurs slowly and subtle changes over months and years, rather than 2 weeks. Based on your descriptions I think it is very unlikely you have AS. Your specialist may be correct in over use injury these can take up to 6 weeks to heal. Try not to worry, apply ice to the areas it may help. Good luck

  • CtKathleen
    CtKathleen stefan9303347

    Posted

    Hi! I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties. First, I'd like to say that most people who are HLA-B27 positive never develop AS. An UK study showed only 1% of those who test positive for the marker actually develop AS

    Your pain could be AS related, or something else, injury is one possibility. Some AS complications include plantar fasciitis, achilles tendinitis, enthesitis, etc. Personally, my wrists have not been effected. Also, Peripheral AS is a diagnosis for people with mostly limb effects of the disease. Many online resources for AS have only limited info and focus mostly on the SI1. It takes some digging finding the uncommon symptoms.

    Have you seen a rheumatologist? I've had several blood tests to measure inflammatory disease markers. If you are negative in all tests it is likely the pain is not from AS. Keep in mind, I am not a doctor. Many of us suffer years or decades before receiving an official diagnosis. If your doctors are not providing appropriate care, find another doctor. If you have active AS, it is very important to start meds to slow/stop the progression. The sooner the better. Not all rheumatologists are good at treating AS. Also, many of these physicians won't give an AS diagnosis without visual damage of the lower back on X-rays. I would be ok, tho a little frustrated, with a rheumatologist holding off on an official diagnosis as long as I am prescribed appropriate treatments/meds to stop/slow progression of the disease.

    Finally, you mentioned depression... I have had good results with the ant-depressants Cymbalta and Effexor. They block pain receptors in the brain. It's not 100%, but really helps. Depression and chronic pain go hand in hand. One will bring on the other. Not having freedom to move around and dealing with pain brings depression for many. Physical activity helps both AS and depression.

    I wish you luck going forward in your health management journey.

  • Yogee
    Yogee stefan9303347

    Posted

    Did the doctor do a visual exam for possible psoriatic arthritis?  A symptom of PsA are sausage like fingers, which is what I have in addition to AS, and I am told another symptom of PsA is pain in the heels and then toes, which, thankfully, have not appeared on me.  It is a good that your reactive protein and sed. are WNL.  It is puzzling....sorry I couldn't be of help.

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