No RA until 4th Covid-19 vaccination
On 4/2/22 I received my 4th Covid-19 injection. One week later I started experiencing arthritic symptoms in both of my hands and wrists. Quite painful for someone with NO RA symptoms prior. The odd thing is the pain would resolve move to my elbows, then resolve in my wrists and hands. Then it would move to my knees and then resolve in my elbows. This would continue for months, with occasional breaks in the pain where it would all disappear then reappear at intervals. In the fall of 2022 it started to affect my hands and wrists, all the time. Occasionally it would pull in my elbows and knees to give me the trifecta of pain to the point I found it very painful to rise from a seated position or to put on or remove my clothing. I thought perhaps it was a food allergy, so I completed a 9 day "water only" fast just to see if it was causing the issue. The pain resolved most of my joints, however the pain in my hands did not resolve but lessened to some degree. Refeeding with juice after the fast blew up the AR symptom tremendously. This is when I sought medical care. My RA doctor dismissed my Covid-19 vaccine theory of when my RA started. At this point I was having pain in my hips, knees, elbows, hands and wrists daily. He put me on 7.5 mg Prednisone and 15 mg Methotrexate(once every 7 days). The pain subsided except my hands and wrists. After 2 weeks he dropped the Prednisone to 10 mg and continued the 15 mg Methotrexate. At 30 days the Rheumatoid factor, nephelometry dropped from 2.4 to 1.8 mg/dL. At this point he dropped the Prednisone to 2.5 mg and upped the Methotrexate to 20 mg. One week in the pain still persists in my hands and wrists. I'm considering going to True North to complete as much as a 40 water only fast to resolve this. I'm at my wits end. I seriously believe this was brought on by the vaccine but there is no way to prove it. I'm hoping someone else has dealt with this. If it was not brought on by the vaccine it is a very, very strange coincidence. I have other test results but all where normal except one which has not been repeated since starting meds but he didn't seemed concerned. Rheumatoid factor, nephelometry 43 IU/mL. I'm going on Medicare Nov 1 and hope to find someone with expertise who can resolve this situation.
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Yes I’ve had a similar experience. Last vaccine end of November 2021, mid December started getting joint pain and stiffness. By first week in January 2022 my feet and wrists started burning and pain worsening in my hips, back and neck. February I had muscle wasting, fatigue, pain and stiffness in my neck, shoulders, arms, back, hips, legs and joints and the burning pain in my hands and feet was so bad that I became house and bed bound.(Before this I was very active, went to the gym and exercised daily, even built my own gym when Covid hit and shut everything down). Mid February had tests done and my CRP levels were dangerously high so they put me on 50mg prednisone daily tapering biweekly and was able to see a rheumatologist mid March who determined that I have an autoimmune disease and looking like RA so he put me on 20mg methotrexate weekly as well. This definitely helped me regain my mobility and although I still have flairups and some burning in my hands and feet, I was able to taper off prednisone completely and taper down to 7.5mgs weekly on the methotrexate. Still not anywhere near what I was 2 years ago but at least I’m able to function now and hoping someone can find a solution soon! (hopefully as quick as they were able to create the vaccine)
@alexmemphis This article from NIH, talks about 3 cases of PMR following covid vaccines.
You may want to show this to your doctor.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9259323/#:~:text=One%20case%20of%20PMR%20relapse,of%20the%20COVID%2D19%20vaccine.
Are you currently being treated adequately?
Sounds very familiar in many respects. Hoping for reversal if possible. It definitely needs more research into it.
My see my RA doc again June 1. Mostly now it’s just my hands and wrist that are still tight but slowly getting better at 20 mg Methotrexate and 5 mg steroid. More tests prior to meeting. Last C-reactive was 1.8 but still can’t make a fist. Frustrating. Occasionally jaw issues and shoulder but more rare. I guess I don’t know what adequate is or what I should expect.
I wonder if you have tinnitus too. I have and my ent doc says no cure. Have you heard of any cures or is my doc correct that there are none. I have this and swollen hands and wrists. I am taking 5mg prednezone, 2,5 mg times 4 once a wk of methotrexate, 400mg Plaquenil. 1mg folic acid and a low dose heart pill because my BP is high. My hands are swollen in am still and swelling subsides into evening. My docs want me to have surgery for carpal tunnel but I think if swelling goes down I won't need surgery. I have developed tendon swelling and tears. There are also lumps on top of my hands over tendon based because of tears to tendon covers not tendons. Docs want me to get bilateral carpal tunnel surgery and cut out bumps that are spongy. I am wearing braces which help. I was unable to hold a fork before braces. Docs do not wante to wait to long for carpal tunnel surgery because I may get irreversable damage to median nerve and bumps may eat into tendons and I will not be able to move fingers.
Read my prior text about bumps and docs suggesting carpal tunnel surgery to both hands. Braces seem to help. Should I do carpal tunnel surgery with RA symptoms?
A lot of people have had pain issues after covid vaccinations or infection. I know i've had covid twice, documented by blood analysis. My doctor suspects possibly 3 times. My first antibody test negative in sept 21. But then in fall 22, was tested for covid antibodies,and they were there. Then 3 weeks later, I was infected again, dec 22. Never got to my lungs. I never got vaccinated. My father was scared to death of covid. Him and his wife got most of the vaccines. My father then a started experiencing pain. This will keep coming about in many discussions before and after this.
Research long covid symptoms.
I truly feel sorry for anybody that got the vaccines. I hate my parents got them.
I've heard countless stories of pain and inflammation after covid infections and shots. There is definitely truth to it. Even though I have dish, It was obviously there along before covid. But I never experienced pain and tinnitus Until my first suspected infection october of 20. I feel there's truth to it. Who knows if will ever get answers. I definitely feel sorry for people that got shots.
The vaccines were sold as the wonder vaccine. For me I have fibromyalgia. After the 4th a half hour my nerves burned off the chart for a month. There is a protocol to detox the vaccine. Fronline Alliance for covid tells you what to take if you have long haul or vaccine injury. Took the flu shot and had burning with that in Sept. So the other 3 vaccines stayed and built up. My body is not good at detoxing especially covid vaccine. Got acupuncture since the Dec vaccine and taking the protocol. Really the vaccine also was not good for people with pre existing conditions.