Hi
Please share how was the joints pain onset?
1. Sudden or gradual?
2. Unilateral or bilateral?
3. Mild or severe?
4. Anything else that you may want to share that can help future patients.
Thanks
Hi happy life,
Wow, That is a good question, made me think back to when I started having joint pain and all the incorrect diagnoses I have received over the years.
For me I think the joint pain started about 5 years ago after I had a terrible strep throat infection, I went to urgent care for treatment which didn?t work and I ended up in the er for IV antibiotics. I was severely ill and after the infection was give I had joint pain and stiffness. I went to my first rheumatologist, and after every test was negative, he diagnosed me with reactive arthritis and told me I would recover fully, which as we all know just evolved into something else. . The pain was sudden onset but over the years has sometimes been severe sometimes mild. It was always unilateral for me.
The swelling in my joints has mainly actually been tendons and ligaments. My actual joints are not damaged and my current and 4th rheumatologist says I will not have joint deformity. Although my ACL in my right knee spontaneously tore and I have a large joint effusion with knee cap damage. The cartilage in my knee is destroyed and to the surprise of the 2 surgeons I have seen it was not a traumatic massive injury. It just happened on its own. They say it?s from severe inflammation. Like I said before I have issues with my tendons and ligaments. They get these huge painful knots and I suppose that happened in my knee.
My second and third rheumatologist diagnosed me with RA even though I never had a positive RF but mainly because my mother has RA and they assumed that my problems must be from that. Fast forward to my forth rheumatologist, he tested me for Sj?gren?s which I tested positive to and believes I don?t really have RA but lupus instead because my joints show no signs of damage but I do have swelling and pain especially during a flare. It seems to be progressive with each flare. My joint pain is worse each time and more debilitating now that I have trouble walking. It feels like my whole body needs to be oiled like he tin man and it hurts to move anything from my fingers to my toes. It especially affects my hips, back, knee, and shoulder, now I have swelling in my toes, wrists and fingers. I hope my long story answered your question. It just made me think back to how this has all unfolded.
Thank you.
Thanks Kristina.
Hope your joints pain reduces soon.