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Anyone have any ideas on what this might be or potential solutions?
Ongoing with gradual worsening over 30 years. Muscle pain and stiffness. Losing muscle strength even with working out and aqua therapy. I was an active horsewoman so was very fit.
Intermittent rashes chest and upper back. Dry, itchy patches on elbow, knee and forehead. Intermittent non-stationary ligament and joint pain. Sometimes a knee or a shoulder, or where the front of my thigh meets my pelvis or finger or hand swelling with sharp broken bone type pain. To the point I cannot bend the joint. Swelling is obvious to naked eye. Some days I lift my arm over my head and others can hear an audible snap with a sharp pain in my shoulder or I start to take a step forward and my leg joint feels like someone is stabbing it.
Rarely lymph node under right arm pain. Long term cough. Palms of hands will turn bright red and itch. Sometimes my face or the fronts of my thighs turn bright red also.
ANA 1:80 high abnormal
High Complement C3
Thyroid tests normal although sometimes throat there occasionally has swelling and pain.
Lymes tests all negative.
I was treated years ago with IV Colchicine and Myers cocktail. Within 3 days muscle pain and stiffness was completely gone. Went for 6 treatments. Seemed to be ok for a couple years gradually symptoms returned. FDA took IV colchicine off the available treatment list now so I cannot try again.
rheumatology Jefferson was clueless, worse she had zero curiosity and a I don't give a damn attitude. Said I don't have an auto immune. John's Hopkins head of rheumatology years ago said I have some unknown auto-immune disease but he didn't know which one. All he did was put me on prednisone which caused 100 pound weight gain and I felt miserable all the time. Wanted me to join his 'research study'.
I did get the weight back off.
Anyone have any clue or similar symptoms?
Tried low dose naltrexone. Made me dizzy with bad headaches.
Allergic to all NSAI's
Refuse to take any narcotics now. Tried that for almost 5 years. Not much in the way of pain relief for me so I quit taking. Doc looked shocked when I said oh that doesn't work so I quit taking it. Luckily I somehow dodged the addicted bullet.
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@susanlf
I've been blown off by PCP's, specialists, rheumy's, everyone I've seen for the last 19 years. It's led to cervical spine surgery, 3 back surgeries, a spontaneously torn long bicep muscle and 4 torn rotator cuff surgeries (I take credit for one of those! Fell off a stool straight armed!) Three were spontaneous tears. I couldn't groom my horses for the last 10 years because I couldn't grip a brush or raise my arms over their backs.
All my bloodtests were clean for RA factors and x-rays showed nothing at all. Finally, my part time Rheumy suggested an MRI on my right hand that looks like a claw. It came back definitively RA. If my hand hadn't flared into a claw after using my cane for a weekend, I would never have been diagnosed. I looked back on years of medical records and I've had CT's and x-rays but they showed nothing. The MRI did the trick.
I start back on prednisone 5mg tomorrow, and Leflunomide 10mg. Have to have bloodtests in 7 days and every 30 days after that. I'm reluctant with the pred, it screwed my body something horrible. But, that is the ONLY pain relief she can give me.
Terri
@llmartin I will leave you with one last tip that you can further research. Our bones, joints and tendons are impacted by psoriatic arthritis and need to be strengthen with calcium. You may be taking D3, but all of us also need vitamin K2.
Vitamin K2 takes the calcium out of the arteries and to our bones and reduces the plaque build up in the arteries. Our ancestors had plenty of K2 when animals were on pasture and they could get the helpful bacteria from the soil. Today, we get very little K2 in our food, such as dairy, since animals are fed in factories and not on pasture.
The natto I make has plenty of K2 so I do not need to supplement. My wife does take a K2 supplement, the MK-7 form that is derived from natto. ( I need to caution anyone on blood thinners with the interaction with K2. Consult your Doc before taking K2 if you are on blood thinners.)
There has been much research on K2 with the bones. They are beginning to research K2 with the tendons. I could tell a difference in joint pain and with having tendon flares when I do not have the natto. I buy fresh black soybean natto from NYrture that is in the Bronx and use it as my natto starter or backup supply.
The point is: Taking just D3 and calcium will get the calcium to the arteries, but only a small amount to the bones. K2 is needed to get calcium to the bones. Everyone needs strong bones, especially those with psoriatic arthritis. Also, research how our bones are in a constant state of rebuilding. Our bones rebuild about every 7 years. If they do not receive sufficient new calcium, they become brittle.
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