Experiencing severe joint/muscle aches for 3 months

Posted , 7 users are following.

Around three months ago I started to notice some dull and sometimes sharp aching in my body mainly in the joints in my fingers and feet and a little less commonly in my elbows and knees and wrist/ankle I thought nothing of it and thought I was just getting sick and it would probably pass after a couple of days which it didn't it then progressed into the joints in my toes and I started finding it hard on bad days to walk as my toes would feel extremely sore to walk on and I was finding it extremely difficult to get any sleep at night as when im lying down I have nothing to think about apart from the constant aching in my entire body..

I put off going to the doctor originally for a quiet a while as I only like going to the doctor when I feel it is absolutely needed and I thought that if I just wait it out it would go away I waited quiet a while and after a month of suffering I decided it was definietly not going away so I go to the doctor and the doctor tells me to get a few blood tests from what I recall one of them was for lupis and one of them was for rheumatic factor one for CRP and the other I can not remember

a week or so later after the results came back I went back and they all came back negative but the CRP showed a slight bit of inflammation in my body and told me that he wanted me to take the test again because he wants to see if the inflammation goes down or up in the following test

he also told me to take some 400mg of ibuprofen a few times a day for the pain (the ibuprofen did absolutely nothing lol)

After that doctor visit I didn't feel like getting the second CRP blood test done and didnt 

fast foward about 6 weeks and I woke up one morning feeling extremely bad very dizzy couldnt really move and felt very fatigued had a sore throat etc but the dizzyness and fatigue was quiet severe so I decided to go to the hosptial 

at the hospital they ren a couple blood tests and after a few hours they found I had glandular fever during my time there I discussed if that could be what was causing my body aches and they recommended I went back to get the blood test done and to sort it out with my doctor

When I got home that following day I felt a lot better and had no symptoms of glandular fever after that day felt 100% and even noticed that my body aches for the first time in two and a half months were very mild ( I would have some days where it was very mild but it wasnt very often ) after about 5 days I found some tramadol in my house a bunch of Sustained release and some normal tramadol

I decided to take some tramadol and see if it would make my body aches disapear entirely and while it did work the tramadol affected me a fair bit and I was very dazed and out of it for the first few days after a few days I felt a little more normal I was taking roughly 300mg every 6 hours for a week

Anyway its been a week or so since I stopped taking tramadol and the body aches came back roughly 12 hours after I ren out of the tramadol and since they I have suddenly became really depressed and I just feel that these body aches are never going to end I went to go get the blood test done today but the pathology closes at midday on saturday and I got there just after it closes so im going to have to wait a couple days now and then a few more days for the results to come back before I finally return to my doctor and try and get something to help me sleep and hopefully sort out this pain

I was wondering if glandular fever can cause aching to this extent considering I had the aches for 2 months before I had any symptoms of glandular fever and was confirmed to have it

2 likes, 22 replies

22 Replies

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  • Posted

    Yes ... GF can cause your symptoms .... also can cause immune reaction if the viral load is heavy, with joint pains and any rash on skin ? 
    • Posted

      No rash

      My aches started atleast 9-10 weeks before I woke up feeling pretty bad and went to the doctor which then took a blood test and told me I had glandular fever could the aches really start that early before any other symptom?

  • Posted

    Hi Joel,

    So sorry to hear that you've been having such a tough time lately, I went through glandular fever about 10 years ago and I really empathise because it did cause all sorts of aches and pains in my body too. Initially, as well as the awful sort of running fever, I just felt wiped out and a stunted sort of feeling of just not feeling at all well, it was horrible.

    Just want to write to reassure you that I think these kind of things definitely can be caused by glanduar fever, and to let you know that you will get better and recover and not to panic if it doesn't come right away because unfortunatley it can take a few months for the symptoms to settle down. But things definitely can and will get better, when I went through it I thought it was never ending week after week and month after month, but eventually things did get better and settle down, and your body strength and resilience will come back again.

    Best advice definitely is to rest and avoid stress as much as possible - a common mistake people with glandular fever make it just to keep working through it - that really can only make things worse, you need to give your body recovery time after such a battering, so trying to get rest when you can is really helpfu. Also, taking some good vitamins and herbs can really boost your immune system, I would recommend a strong multi-vitamin daily and for energy B complex and Co-enzyme Q10 are excellent. A high dose of Vitamin C (1000mg to 3000mg per day) can also be really helpful, as can immune boosting herbs like siberian ginseng and echinicea. These will help boost your body while it's having to deal with the effects of the virus.

    I really do understand Joel because it got me so down and depressed too, but remember to hang in there because it will pass over and it doesn't last forever, even though it feels that way at the time! Thinking about you and I truly believe you will get through this and make a full and complete recovery, without any doubt in mind I truly believe that.

    Craig

     

    • Posted

      Hi craig

      I really appreciate your reply

      I dont feel all that bad with my glandular fever and all the symptoms are basically gone apart from these terrible joint/body aches

      It has been stressing me out a fair bit, I havent slept for more than a couple hours for the past couple of days and when I do I have to sit in bed for hours on hours with nothing to think about but my entire body aching which is really making me feel down the last couple of nights when I go to bed I start to feel really anxious about it and that is probably one of the reasons im having such a tough time sleeping I do hope it is infact glandular fever causing my aches and if thats the case im sure they cant hang around much longer as it has been around 13-14 weeks now since they started

      One of the worst parts about it is the joints in my toes that ache seem to make it really painful to walk even when theyre not aching aswell as my heels, so its making it incredibly difficult and painful to even walk 

      I really do appreciate your reply craig and I hope I get better soon as it is really starting to impact my life alot

    • Posted

      That also brings me to another question has anyone else suffered having difficulties walking because their toes and heels ache extremely bad on and off and then feel extremely sore to walk on I did a lot of digging around google and various forums looking for people experiencing the same symptoms as me and I never once seen anyone with this as a symptom It feels like my toes are swollen even though they look perfectly fine
    • Posted

      Yes,Joel..read about fibromyalgia. I have it because of glandular fever which activated it.
    • Posted

      I know how hard it is and doctors fon't know anything about it..but in the end, my doctor told me that fibromyalgia (which is in fact a chronic condition) is triggered by different viruses(especially from herpes family as Epstein Barr which is glandular fever). Check for it and tell your doctor and let me know about the treatment..because a cure for this doesn't exist..it's a neurological disease. Your body hurts and seems like an inflammation,stabbing and pins and needles +fatigue, weakness and head aches...Let me know how you can tret it and if you will be better. Hope you'll be fine. Wish u te best.

      Catalina.

    • Posted

      Hi Joel,

      Sorry to hear about the experience Catalina has had too, it's horrible when going through anything like this and just hoping you both feel better.

      Before you start worrying or thinking about anything else like fibromyalgia, I do believe that for the vast majority of people with glandular fever it is normal to have these terrible aches and pains and it doesn't mean that you have any other kind of condition like that. For me,

      I remember having terrible joint pains and muscle aches a good number of months after infection of the virus, I thought that was it I was just going to have to live that way, but I remember reading at the time that the glandular fever virus is capable of causing all sorts of awful pains like that, in fact it can almost cause like a temporary or reactive kind of arthritis which goes away when your body gets on top of the virus. I remember I bruised quite a lot and just didn't know where these aches and pains came from, but looking back that was actually the start of the healing process for me, after a number of weeks going through that I noticed improvement and felt that it was my body actually starting to get on top of the virus - just hoping and believing that can be the case for you too.

      Hopng you both feel better, Joel and Catalina, and remember there is still hope and recovery out there - try not to worry, so hard as that is I know, it's okay to accept that your body isn't on top form today but trust that it will recover in time, because it definitely will I truly believe!

      Take care and thinking of you

      Craig

  • Posted

    Hi Joel,

    some of what you are describing sounds like Psoriatic arthritis. Blood work is usually normal, though inflammatory markers may be elevated. Many times pain in feet and hands. It affects joints and tendons. Do you have any psoriasis or rashes? I was diagnosed with this disease this year but I don't have skin involvement. It can be diagnosed with symptoms, X-rays and MRI's.  I would do some research and see if the symptoms are similar to yours.

    I know that glandular fever can also cause many different aches and pains, but it sounds like you had the pains before the glandular fever.  Also, as someone else mentioned, fibromyalgia can cause a lot of pain. Sending you positive energy.

    • Posted

      Sending you positive energy too Joel, don't want you worrying just remember God can bring healing and put your troubles with Him, He won't let you down, even when it seems like doctors or whatever do.

      Thinking of you and hoping things can settle and just take it one day at a time and don't look too far ahead.

      Craig

    • Posted

      Yes, Joel, I agree with Craig. One day at a time and put yourself in God's hands. Sorry you are going through this. The pain and fatigue can seem overwhelming, but you will get better. Try not to worry, stress does not help with healing . Sending you peace and hugs.

    • Posted

      Great words Andrea, definitely agree and hang in there Joel - still believing in your recovery and that there is plenty of hope and healthier and happier times ahead, without any doubt. Thinking of you and just take things slowly and one day at a time.

      Craig

  • Posted

    Thanks for all the positivite responses everyone

    I've felt a little better mentally the last couple of days although today I have been getting some awful sharp aching pains in my finger joints 

    I appreciate all the responses thanks!

    • Posted

      Hang in there Joel, just hoping all the pains in your joints settle down, I know that must be such a difficult thing to deal with and I do still truly believe that you will make a full recovery - certainly worth seeing the doc to check things out, but of course it could just be the effects of the glandular fever which can cause lots of things, not sure but try not to worry God will help and has greater power than all the doctors.

      Craig

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