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Pain that keeps spreading
Hoping someone has experienced something similar because I'm really getting frustrated.
In 2016 I started training and running 6 miles a day after losing almost 150 pounds. I was down to 160 and in the best health of my life. I maintained and everything was going great until may of 2019 I had my tubes tied and they also started me on the gardisil shot (I'm 36) . After that I became extremely fatigued and started having problems with my feet. After and during my runs they would be so painful I could barely walk. The rest of my body felt very achy all the time.
The pain in my left foot got to the point where I was limping around. After xrays showing there was no fractures ect , they sent me for a mri which showed inflamation and fluid. At this same time my toes , wrist and fingers were also so stiff it hurt to move them. They started me on a anti inflammatory which did nothing.
I have since switched doctors. The pain is now very bad in my feet , right knee , hips , lower back , shoulder and neck. Its constant stiffness and achy. I havent been able to run or exercise and even though I'm still eating right I've gained back almost all the weight quickly. I've since switched doctors and he ran blood test showing no inflamation,no diabetes and did a double stranded dna which was normal. I'm waiting to go to the rehemotologist but I've just so tired of dealing with this.
Symptoms:
Hair falling out , red rash on my cheeks and sometimes eyes , foot pain (swelling and fluid), knee pain (sweeling and fluid), hip pain , shoulder pain, back pain (especially lower), extreme fatigue, fever and flu like symptoms sometimes, I have frequent UTI's, nails are brittle, my teeth chip off easily, I get little white blisters on the inside of my mouth, I get random weird bruises they stay for a long time on diffrent parts of my body , my vision sometimes gets blurry, I have spells where my face and arms go numb and tingly. Also i have a burning sensation in my foot .Please anyone have any ideas as to what could be going on???? I'm 36 and at the rate this is going I cant imagine another 10 years .
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Hi @jlsmommie, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I can imagine that you are at your wit's end. That's a long and frustrating list of symptoms. First of all, congratulations on making changes to be healthier like losing weight and exercising. Don't give up.
Your symptoms could be everything and anything. It seems like your doctor is starting by ruling things out to determine which specialists to send you to. How soon will you see a rheumatologist? What tests or results led your doctor to suggesting rheumatology?
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2 ReactionsYes thank you , I just want the old me back !!! My old doctor made the appointment based off of the mri I had of my foot and the stiffness /pain in my hands and fingers. My new doctor wants me to keep the appointment because hes just a family doctor and he says that the rheumatologist may be able to steer me in the right direction if he cant help me.
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2 Reactions@jlsmommie if you don’t get a diagnosis locally I hope you will go to a major medical center, preferably one that is a teaching hospital. They see so much more than local hospitals do that they tend to know more. Obviously Mayo is an excellent choice if one is convenient for you but there are others throughout the country. I go to Mass General in Boston and they have been wonderful. I went quite a while locally without a diagnosis myself and I will never stay local again if that happens.
I believe the gold standard for hospital ratings is the one put out by US News. Maybe you can find a top hospital there that would not be too far from you. They also list best regional hospitals. The regional hospital section doesn’t rate many of the hospitals, it just lists them so be aware of that.
https://health.usnews.com/health-care/best-hospitals/articles/best-hospitals-honor-roll-and-overview
JK
I have generally found that Doctors, for all their terrific knowledge of medicines are less clued-up about backs (and nutrition). It is perfectly logical that you may still have residual tension in your feet which would, of course, spread upwards. I found great relief from a fairly new Australian therapy called BOWEN THERAPY. The therapist 'rolls' various muscles to instruct the brain that these are to be released in a particular order. I had an old injury to my knee which gradually spread until I suffered a prolapsed disc - muscle imbalance is the cause! It is incredible how one can be limping but hardly notice it. For ten years I had treatment on my left knee which would soon become so painful that I would have to stop even in the centre of town and just stand waiting for relief. Then, one day I noticed that because of my original injury which had cause stiffness on one side of my body I was moving differently on each leg. When I moved my right leg it moved normally but when I moved my left the movement came from the whole of my left side - I was twisting my knee every time I moved. By simply loosening my pelvis, consciously moving from each buttock, hey presto, no pain! So, apart from needing the Bowen Therapy I also needed to observe movement and tension!
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1 ReactionI agree completely with what you are saying! My fiance is a physical trainer and has been working with me , but I will look that up. He says all the time alignment is key to the body working correctly!
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1 ReactionI live in NC so none of them are very close !! I'm happy with my new doctor for the simple fact he's listening. I have found not many doctors do that anymore. I just want to be heard and not have them throw medicine at me without trying to figure out the root of the pain ect.
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1 Reaction@jlsmommie Are you too far from Duke or U of NC? Those are both highly rated too.
I completely understand the reasoning of why you are happy with your new doctor. The thing I like about my current PCP is that I can communicate well with him but I feel like he has dropped the ball twice and that's not good. I am very ambivalent about changing doctors because being able to communicate is important but in the end, getting an accurate diagnosis is the most important thing.
JK
I am sorry to hear of your setback. Has any doctor discussed the possibility you have fibromyalgia? Hoping you get the right care soon!
No but in my experience when I've went to the hospital here, they only do what's necessary at that moment then refer you out.
Would I still have normal inflamation test with that ?