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help...?

Posted , 7 users are following.

tia81074
tia81074

okay so, this is my first time doing something like this so please bear with me lol I am a 22 year old female and over the past year or so i have been noticing that i pick up every cough, cold and flu no matter what. I work in childcare so i thought that this was normal until i noticed that everyone else was hardly ever sick and even when the children weren't sick, i was. i had been to see my family doctor at one point because before i had even finished an antibiotic for something, i would end up with something else. whether it was the flu, a sinus infection or strep throat it was always something. when i went to see my family doctor she said it was normal due to the field of work i am in but did blood work anyways. it came back with low b12, low vitamin d and high cholesterol. was told to take some multivitamins and sent on my way. a couple months later, around the beginning of June of this year, i went back to a walk-in clinic for what i thought was an ear infection, with a sun rash on my feet and across my nose and cheeks. she put me on some azithromycin for 5 days and told me i was having an allergic reaction to advil for the rash. but as soon as i finished the antibiotic, the rash spread to my arms torso and my legs. the next day i was swollen in my feet, hands, arms and knees with extreme pain all over i couldn't move. when i made my way to the doctors, she looked completely frightened at the sight of me (which didnt help me much lol) she did blood work, put me on prednisone for 5 days and told me to check back within 2 days for the blood work. the prednisone got rid of most of the swelling and the rash on my body but the rash on my face stayed for quite a few weeks but im now stuck with swollen hands and feet sometimes and still having bad joint pain. the blood work came back normal ANA was negative, negative for lupus, negative for thyroid, nothing. i then went to the hospital after the 5 days of prednisone because i was still in extreme pain from my joints in my feet (ankles, toes, all over), my knees, my elbows, my shoulders and my hands (wrists, fingers and all). more blood work, more pain medication and still no answers. was sent to a rheumatologist through the hospital, and was told it may be fifths disease (parovirus) and was sent to do more blood work... another negative but was not called back by the rheumatologist. i had to go through my family doctor to get the results (such bs). now my doctor is stumped.. i currently am experiencing joint pain in all the same joints noted above, some swelling in my hands and feet in the morning, sun sensitivity (a rash appears where ever the sun is touching my skin), purple toes in the shower and im unable to handle hot or cold (like the air conditioning in the car on my feet is actually painful and even just taking toast out of the toaster is way too hot for my hands), as well as night sweats and bruising easily. my family doctor hasnt given me any answers, hasnt told me whats next and im not sure what else to do.. ive had to quit my job because i cant be running around with 24 children all day when i can hardly make it out of bed and its even more frustrating when no one has any answers for me.. so if anyone has any suggestions for my next steps or what you may think this is.. please send them my way.. im open to anything at this point sad thanks

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • nalia
    nalia tia81074

    Posted

    I hope that you resolve this and feel much better soon.

    Perhaps you could ask the doctor to screen for these- if you havent already done so; Diabetes. M.E. (CFS), Fibromyalgia, M.S. Raynaud's Disease, Lymphoma/Leukemia (soz to include the last on the list that are so serious, but wanted to be as comprehensive as possible).

    I came across this, but do not know if it is any good?

    https://www.nhs.uk/symptom-checker/joint-pain-and-swelling/start

    https://patient.info/symptom-checker

    Nalia~

    • steve36083
      steve36083 nalia

      Posted

      Hi sorry about your probs. reaction to hot and cold sounds like Reynauds. Common add on with polymyosotis and scleroderma. Having been diagnosed with one, then to have it changed to the other I know a little about both. Read about scleroderma. Can't understand the reunarighsr hasn't screened for it ( if indeed he hasn't)

      Good Luck

  • aveline
    aveline tia81074

    Posted

    How's your B12 now?  I have Raynaud's and what I thought were worsening symptoms were just my usual plus low B12... vitamins may not be enough to bring your levels up to what is normal/healthy. You may need injections. 

    I think the others gave great ideas and advice, but I also wonder about your current B12 levels.

    Good luck to you figuring this out and getting better!  The beginning of your post made sense to me - in my early 20s, I worked with children and got sick although even as a child I was never that sick (like strep throat - my first case was after college, I never took antibiotics as a child or had anything worse than mild stomach bug).  But, you shouldn't take antibiotics for Flu - that's viral. And, if you're taking antibiotics, are you also taking probiotics, like a good, healthy yoghurt?  Otherwise, you're knocking out "good" bacteria with the bad.

    Oh, and one other thought that came to mind for you to have ruled out is Mono (Mononucleosis)/Epstein Barr. 

    HUGS to you!

  • patti23776
    patti23776 tia81074

    Posted

    Tia Im so sorry that you have had to go through so much with diagnosing your health issues.Im not a Dr and cannot tell you what to do but I can tell you  my story sounds like yours.Im 63 yrs old,my symptoms started at 17 yrs old if not earlier,due to Drs not catching it sooner.At 17 yrs old I woke up and all my joints were so swollen I couldn't move.I also had a fever of 103*.The Drs did blood work and said I had juvinelle arthritis.Gave me medication sent me home.I also 2 months before that was at a pool party and I had a rash across my nose and on some body joints.The Drs said I was allergic to the sun tan lotion.Over my years of being married and having kids,I had continued infections,including an infection in my appendix that put me in the hospital for 30 days,it ruptured and I alsmost died.To this date I have had 35 surgeries,including 5 brain surgeries.I have heart disease,arthritis,pleursy of the lungs,severe headaches,grand-mal seizures,one in a pool and my 11 yr old son saved me from drowning,constant infections,oral ulcers which are like a canker sores but much deeper and have to be treated,sensitivity to the sun,spots on my scalp where hair will not grow,fevers daily,tiredness,constant fatigue,joint infections,trouble healing,daily sore throats,swellings under the skin that need to be drained,and more.I had to be told constantly I was "stressed,nothing was wrong"So I suffered...for years...I had 2 ANA's come back positive and some came back negative...I was told it wasn't Lupus by more than one Dr.I know there are some other autioimmune diseases that are similar to Lupus that give off alot of the same symptoms.One Dr put me on an antimalarial med it helped me so much...then I found out Lupus can be treated with this medication!All I can say is I had to fight fight and fight to be finally diagnosed with?What do you think?Lupus...It took about 18 yrs to nail it.Keep a Health journal daily.Write down all your symptoms,and how you feel.If you get rashes watch what triggers them,its usually the sun....and stress is bad for Lupus it brings on a "flare up"Get plenty of rest and eat right.Ive had alot of ANA's come back positive,but have had my share of negative ones also.Just because one is negative doesnt mean you don't have Lupus,and just because you have a positive one doesnt mean you are Lupus positive.Have the Lupus society send you literature,get educated,be your own advocate.I had to see Dr after Dr.I felt so depressed,no one believed me,I was told to see a shrink it was in my head....I knew something was wrong and if I wanted to be helped it was up to me.I went to John Hopkins with all my medical records in order many years ago and got dignosed.As you do your homework try not to get frustrated,its something some of us have to do along the way.Lupus can mimick other diseases too...do your home work on being Lupus educated,keep all medical records I get copies always when I am seen for my file,even tests or x rays,this way when you have it all together you can take your own and donot have to send for them...keep them in order by date and what kind of tests they are...ie like all blood work together,all x rays together etc...keep looking till you find a Dr one sometime will HEAR you...like they did me.For me a diagnose's of Lupus was sad,but at the same time now we had a diagnosis we could treat it...that equals closure.Good luck if you need to chat let me know.Also dont close your mind to other diseases,listen to the Drs and have them rule out other diseases along the way just dont stop.Blessings always... 
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