Diagnose me please! Joint problems

[QueenOfCats]

Of course, I'm not really after a diagnosis here but would like to know if anyone has any suggestion as to what my symptoms may be and what I can say to/ask the Gp for.

I've got joint pains. My left wrist and both ankles are quite bad at the moment. If I weight bear on my left ankle in a certain way it feels like a hot knife is jabbing upward into the joint. The outer sides of both feet are also painful. My right big toe joint feels achey too and it gets puffy, as does the top of my right foot. My left wrist and left big thumb joint are painful and puffy.

I have a lot of lower back pain and shoulder pain, though the shoulders aren't too bad at the minute. I'm getting upper back pain in the morning recently.

I generally feel very stiff all over for a bout half an hour or so when I get up.

Any ideas as to what might be going on or what I can do/take to ease it?

Thanks

[redannie118]

Bit of a guess but sounds like rhuematoid arthritis esp the whole pain/puffy/stiff thing. Can be easily diagnosed with symptom checker and routine bloods. Anti inflammitories are your best bet for pain relief till you see doc then if they confirm diagnosis they can send you to a rheumatologist who can give you steriod injections for the pain. Sounds nasty OP look after yourself

[hopelesslydevotedtoGu]

Do your joints swell?

It does sound like rheumatoid arthritis, or a related condition.

See your GP asap and emphasise the morning stiffness and your swollen joints. They will prob organise some blood tests and refer you to a rheumatologist.

[Floundering]

Queen sorry to be rude but what age are you?

Only I have had symptoms as you describe since the menopause & it turns out to be a chronic vit D deficiency.

Obvs get anything else checked for too but worth a mention.

Take anti-inflammatories regularly after meals for a week & see if that helps (if you can take them)

[BestIsWest]

Can you squat? Climb stairs? Get out of the bath, get up easily from a low chair? These can all be signs of low vit D. I was swimming miles every week and going to the gym but I couldn't get out of a chair r the bath. My vit D was 8.

I also had bone pain, especially the pain you describe in your ankles and It turned out to be Primary Hyperparathyroidism. Any other symptoms?

[MoreBeta]

I have very similar symptoms plus exhaustion and tiredness and was tested for Vit D deficiency as well as thyroid. You need to have the full battery of tests.

I was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Not saying you have that as there are a range of other symptoms I have that you don't mention.

Bottom line you need tests first then a visit to GP and possible a referral.

[BestIsWest]

MoreBeta, have you been tested for Parathyroid problems? I am on a mission to get this disease more widely known as most GPs seem unaware of it. High calcium and high parathyroid hormone are the indicators.

[QueenOfCats]

Thanks for the replies.

To answer your questions, I'm 36, don't have swelling as such, no heat or redness either.

Other symptoms - I feel constantly tired and can sleep for hours if I get the chance.

Getting out of the bath is difficult, as is getting out of a low chair - or any chair if I've been sat a while. Sometimes I'm bent right over until I take a good few steps.

I tend to avoid anti inflammatories as they can irritate my stomach, but had to give in and take some this evening. I'm taking either solpadol 30/500 or tramadol 100mg with 2 patacetamol and to be honest it doesn't make much difference. The ibuprofen I took earlier didn't really help either.

I didn't even think of a vitamin deficiency to be honest, though I have been low on B12 in the past.

Will try and get an appointment tomorrow and request blood tests including vitamin D

[ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

How long have you had it? Is there any chance you've been bitten by a tick in the last month or so? If so, ask your GP to test for Lyne Disease.

[ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

Lyme

[yellowsnownoteatwillyou]

You need referred to a rheumatologist for blood tests.

If it moves around it could be what I have which is pallindromic rheumatism.

Pain killers don't really do anything I now take a medication that's for malaria and now I've been on it for about 7 months and going from everyday being in agony to once or twice a month is fantastic.

It took 18months before I got a diagnosis, due to not being referred for the correct blood tests and des not listening to me.

[QueenOfCats]

I haven't had any bites at all that I've noticed, this has been going on for a long time, over 2 years, but it was always a niggle in one place at a time. Anything below the waist the Dr has always put down to my weight

But at the moment it's my wrist, thumb joint and ankles all flaring up at the same time - it's only the last couple of days that I've thought it could all be linked

[BeyondDoesBootcamp]

Sounds very much like how my psoriatic arthritis started (its basically another type of autoimmune arthritis like rheumatoid). Dont suppose you have psoriasis? Gp might do a few tests but will prob just refer over to the rheumatologist.

[BeyondDoesBootcamp]

Ah, hang on, no swelling... Are you hypermobile?

[ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

You're describing exactly what my mum described when she had Lyme. I've no idea of symptoms would last that long though.

[QueenOfCats]

Have had psoriasis in the past, have a patch on my elbow at the moment, elbow has been a bit achey recently.....

Don't think I'm hypermobile, will have a google now.....

[GuiltyAsAGirlCanBe]

How old are you? Do you smoke? Is the pain/stiffness worse in the morning or at night?

[QueenOfCats]

I'm 36, I do smoke (working on that though) and the stiffness is worse in the morning and then creeps back if I'm still during the day and in the evening if I've sat for a while. The pain is pretty much the same regardless of time of day.

[QueenOfCats]

I also have dry eyes, IBS and bladder problems too. I sound like such a catch!

[BestIsWest]

Definitely ask for your calcium to be tested then, those are all symptoms of hyperparathyroid.

[unweavedrainbow]

Who prescribed the strong painkillers? Surely no doctor would give you all those tablets without investigating what was causing the pain? Really your doctor should refer you to rheumatology ASAP.

[BestIsWest]

And an Endocrinologist.

[easterlywinds]

I had similar pains and fatigue. My inflammatory tests all came back normal but vitamin D was very low. I now take a daily supplement even in summer.

[QueenOfCats]

My Gp prescribed the strong painkillers. The solpadol for shoulder pain - I had an op a few years ago - and the tramadol for back pain.

So I'll ask for a rheumatology referral and bloods including calcium and vitamin D.

I feel a bit better knowing I'm not just being a hyperchondriac and these symptoms could all be linked, and with something specific to ask for, so thanks all.

Unfirtunately couldn't get an appointment for today so will try again tomorrow

[yellowsnownoteatwillyou]

A Rheumatologist should hopefully sort it, before that I got xrayed, sent for physio,cortisone injections and painkillers thrown at me, for 18 months and it took 2 appointments with a rheumatologist to get things in place that actually worked.

I had actually started to think it was all in my head.

Hope you get it sorted

[tinysleepy]

I am wondering if you have Fibromyalgia? I was diagnosed by a rheumatologist. Generally more muscle than joint pain, but mine has generally been around joints & mind-numbing fatigue. IBS & bladder pain can go hand in hand with Fibro. Google symptoms & see what you think?