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Shin pain

Posted , 3 users are following.

blazer61609
blazer61609

Dear all,

since about 3 years I have been having various health problems. Before that I was never ill. In the meantime I often veel extremely tired now, have concentration problems, can't tolerate light or the sun (my eyes burn and turn red), can't tolerate tv screens, have pain around my tonsils that radiates to the entire neck. After a lot of check-ups they were not able to find anything. But my symptoms never went away.

But since a few months ago I started having an extremely itchy feeling in my lower legs that then turned into pain. The itchy pain is the same I felt around my tonsils before the pain started. The pain is now almost persistent and I also noticed that I can feel the bones of my shins very sharply (both legs the same). It's really a strange feeling and I know that something has changed a lot. As soon as you touch my shins you can feel it's very sharp. It's like there's no muscle around it anymore. But I haven't lost any weight.

Does anyone know what this could be? It's driving me crazy.

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Nefret
    Nefret blazer61609

    Posted

    I really feel you are in the wrong place here.  This is for patients with PMR or GCA and you don't seem to have either? You could try the skin forums or just talk to your doctor?
  • blazer61609
    blazer61609

    Posted

    I see that the topic has been moved to general health, thanks to whoever did it!
  • mjaxx
    mjaxx blazer61609

    Posted

    A few possibilities:

    Rheumatic fever. This is an autoimmune disease that can arise after a strep throat infection. Joint pain, muscle pain, fever, weakness, and tiredness are major symptoms. Photophobia is possible with most systemic autoimmune diseases and infections, including rheumatic fever.

    Mononucleosis. The virus causing this usually results in glandular fever as the first signs of infection. Flu-like symptoms, neck pain, weakness, tiredness, and muscle and joint pains are common. After recovery, the virus remains in the body in latent form and can reactivate at any time to cause symptoms again. It is also possible to suffer from symptoms for long periods of time. Photophobia is common.

    Lyme disease. Most common in the US and areas where ticks are prevalent. This is an infection caused by a bacteria spread by a tick bite. Symptoms include joint pain, muscle pain, nerve damage, neurological symptoms, weakness, tiredness, and other issues. The bacteria gradually damage the nervous system, and this can result in nerve pain, and sensations of itchiness, heat, cold, and electric shock sensations as the nerves don't function properly. Damaged nerves can also lead to weakened muscles, which may explain why the area around your shin bones feels less 'full'.

    Vitamin B12 deficiency. Like lyme disease, a deficiency of vitamin B12 causes nerve damage over time and can result in similar and widespread symptoms.

    • blazer61609
      blazer61609 mjaxx

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply. But shouldn't all of this be visible in the blood? I did many tests and my values are always "normal"
    • mjaxx
      mjaxx blazer61609

      Posted

      It depends on what kinds of blood tests you've had. Mono and lyme disease may cause changes in white blood cell counts and such, but they don't affect most common blood tests in a way that can lead to diagnosis. Western blot or PCR are the only reliable tests for lyme disease. Antibody testing reveals Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis.

      Vitamin B12 levels should be tested directly if nerve issues are suspected. A blood count differential can diagnose it, because B12 deficiency leads to macrocytic red blood cells, but there are many situations where B12 deficiency can be present without this finding, such as a diet high in folate. Many doctors won't test B12 levels if there is no macrocytosis.

      Rheumatic fever, as an autoimmune disease, can be very difficult to diagnose. Diagnosis is based on linking the onset of symptoms to the occurence of strep throat, because the bacteria are believed to trigger the condition. Inflammatory markers like CRP and ESR can be slightly high, although tend to be normal or return to normal shortly after onset.

      I might add one more. Lupus is very hard to diagnose and can cause the sort of strange migratory pain and other symptoms you're experiencing. Most importantly, it can lead to sensitivity to light and the sun, with increased burning.

      If you have lupus, this may lead to increased CRP and ESR, but these tests can be normal in many people. Positive antibody tests like ANA and dsDNA are indicative of lupus, but can be normal.

  • blazer61609
    blazer61609

    Posted

    I did some testing that were sent to a labratory (stool test, urine test and blood test). I received the results today by mail but it will take some time before I can see my doctor. These were the abnormal values (what the normal values should be in brackets):

    Ammonia in serum 6,74 (0,28 - 3,03)

    Prostaglandine E2 - PGE2-m - 4,69 (0,30 - 2,06)

    Soluble CD14 - sCD14 -  2811 (1430,00 - 2800,00)

    IL-8 serum - IL-8S -  345 (0,00 - 15,00 pg/mL)

    MCP1 199 (0,00 - 165,00 pg/mL)

    Does anyone know what this means? Googling all of this just confuses me even more.

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