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Worried and confused

Posted , 6 users are following.

clare32950
clare32950

Hello I've been having odd pains in my body that are moving around. Started about November time. I went out for a walk. Fairly long one. The next day I felt foot pain. It felt as though I had a large pebble under foot. I assumed I'd injured my foot some how and soldiered on for a few days. Then the same appeared in the opposite foot which I found odd. Carried on and put it down to age I'm 47 btw.This continued right through to new year but I was still working so although uncomfortable it was bearable. In January I woke one morning to terrible shoulder pain. I couldn't lift my arm and struggled all day with pain. I assumed I pulled something.The next day it was worse..third day I felt improvement. Forth day the opposite arm began hurting and this progressively got worse than the first arm/shoulder.This lasted approx one week. I still had the foot pains waxing and waneing.The sides of my big toes became sore and one small toe and the front top of my foot felt hot looked red and a sort of itch sensation. Finally I went to Gp who seemed a bit uninterested. Maybe he's had a bad day. He said he'd do a blood test. I week later I had a follow up. He said my results pointed to rheumatoid arthritis. Can't remember what the test was called. I was shocked. He said I'd get an appointment to see a Rheumatologist . That was a week ago. Since then all these symptoms have lessened. My feet are slightly sore but not too bad. My shoulder is fine. My hands look a little sore red on three knuckles but only a slight ache. I'm confused??? I would of expected the pains to get worse not almost disappear. I keep thinking it's a mistake. Also I've lost a little weight but not too much. I've been tired but then again I've been worrying. Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.???

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • timothy11402
    timothy11402 clare32950

    Posted

    I had a similar start to my RA. I noticed when I sat down and then stood to walk that the bottoms of my feet hurt. My foot doctor could not figure it out. He gave me orthotics and sent me for physical therapy. Nothing worked. Then one day the large knuckles on both hands hurt like heck. My GP got me into a rheumatologics within the hour (wow!) and he diagnosed me right away with RA. He is a great doctor by the way. As the years went on, I began to experience pains that traveled around my body just like you. This month might be the right knee, next month my left ankle, etc,. and all the time with unexpected, shart pains just about anywhere. The pattern was becoming clearer......he called it palindromic RA (Google it). Sometimes it could cause tendonitis on one side of my body, other times joint pain somewhere else. Right now I have had chondritis for the last two months at the lower right and left tips of my ribcage which is an inflammation of the cartiledge where it meets the bone. Like you, I would have relatively mild symptoms and other times much more severe. So hang in there.........it takes years to get the drugs and dosages right, and it takes years to get a real handle on the nature of the RA that you have. It took ten years to finally realize the palindromic aspect of my RA because there is no magic test to diagnose that. It is all based on experience over time.

    Anyway, I hope this helps and I wish you the best.

    • clare32950
      clare32950 timothy11402

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply.I think I remember twelve months before my foot problem I had similar foot pains. Which I just put down to one of those things. I'm wondering now if it was the onset of winter that had something to do with it. Also for a long time I've had sore hands knuckles.Some knuckles are red and puffy and there is achy feeling running down the little bones.I've always put it down to my job (hairdresser). Again it's seemed sporadic with maybe a couple of weeks or months before it bothers me again. I can't shake this feeling it's a mistake. Maybe I'm in denial. You hear people describe such pain. Apart from the shoulder pain I had which was awful. The other pains have been bearable and gaps with just dull pain. Does this fit with your experience?

    • timothy11402
      timothy11402 clare32950

      Posted

      Well, the pain is bearable but wears me down when it is constant. I have had sudden sharp pains along long bones, tendons, etc. and sometimes it is so sudden that I actually let out a yelp. The red and puffy knuckles are familiar to me and tells me you are smart to get to a rheumatologist as quickly as you can to avoid damage. I started treatment immediately and have so far avoided joint damage.  An old friend of mine, a man, totally ignored the pain of RA and his hands became very deformed with huge knuckles. When he went to the practice I go to they told him he could have avoided all the damage and most of the pain.

      BTW, sometimes when I go to bed, my ankles are in just enough pain to make it hard to go to sleep. I have found a brief application of an ice pack around the ankles makes the pain go away quickly.

  • shirlee86000
    shirlee86000 clare32950

    Posted

    Hi Clare

    Mine started too very similar to yours, before I knew what it was I was so worried, my imagination is terrible and I was thinking I was dying I really did, like you my shoulders were so painful then my fingers, the bottom of my feet hurt too at times, especially when I have been sitting for a while and when I get out of bed. I am on methotrexate I take 6 a week and a folic acid 5mg for the other 6 days. I have been pain free since the beginning of October now and so happy, I have learnt to take one day at a time, let me know how you get on x

    • clare32950
      clare32950 shirlee86000

      Posted

      Its good to know I'm not going bonkers.I'm glad things are looking up for you

  • jo66120
    jo66120 clare32950

    Posted

    Hi Claire, sounds just like me.  I am into my 4 yr. of being diagnosed with RA.  I had the foot pain, felt like a marble under the ball of my foot.  Saw a foot doctor and he xrayed and said I had arthritis in my foot plus 2 toes. Told me to wear good arch support.  My pain also moves around, one hand will swell not the other, shoulder will be painful, not the other, knuckles are red and so on.  At first I could look at myself

    and know where the arthritis was because my joints would be slightly pink.  But today with my doctors help things have settled down and life is good.  I am on MTX and Oriencia.  My RA started in my big toe, thought I had gout, not so.

  • elle09679
    elle09679 clare32950

    Posted

    Hi Clare

    It sounds a little bit like palendromic rheumatism- look it up on NRAS website. I have that and the pain moves around and lasts for a few days or a week and then completely disappears. The consultant says i have RA as well but i get the worst pain from the palendromic. My blood tests all point to RA.

  • clare32950
    clare32950

    Posted

    Thanks all. Feels like I'm Woolworths plot. People's faces say it all when you say well my pain was here but now it's moved!! I'm getting some very puzzled looks. It almost makes you doubt yourself. Until you feel the latest ache burn or pebble under foot feeling

    • timothy11402
      timothy11402 clare32950

      Posted

      Reading all the replies to your inquiry, it seems we form a club! But it is one that perhaps we would rather not belong to. 

      To all of you, keep on keeping on. Best wishes.

  • clare32950
    clare32950

    Posted

    Sorry meant to say losing the plot....that's if I ever had it!

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