reactive arthritis -salmonella poisioning

If you are asking me ... I still have reactive arthritis since being diagnosed when I was 32. Now I'm 70 so 38 years with reactive arthritis.

Prednisone worked well when I was initially diagnosed. The goal of Prednisone is to get the inflammation under control and hopefully reactive arthritis will go into remission and permanently stay in remission.

I was able to get into remission when I took Prednisone but it would only be a temporary remission. My first remission lasted about 5 years but after that I had recurring flares of reactive arthritis every year on average. I needed high dose prednisone for a month for each and every flare to reestablish remission. I could always taper off Prednisone again in about a month.

I treated myself with Prednisone whenever the pain was too severe. Most of the time I would also have a flare of uveitis. The uveitis flares were treated by an ophthalmologist. We developed a routine where I took anywhere between 60 to 100 mg of prednisone each time I had a flare of uveitis. Remission of uveitis was reestablished and I tapered off Prednisone again usually within 1 month. I've had more than 30 flares of uveitis that occurred each time I had a flare of reactive arthritis.

Sometimes I only had reactive arthritis pain without uveitis. That was when I treated myself with prednisone and didn't bother to tell anyone about the pain. When a primary care doctor found out what I had been doing for 20 years ... I was urgently referred to a rheumatologist. That was the first I learned that prednisone was NOT a primary or long-term treatment for reactive arthritis. The rheumatologist wasn't happy with me! Eventually she diagnosed multiple autoimmune conditions and I needed prednisone daily for another 12 years.

Some of my other autoimmune disorders took precedence over reactive arthritis. My rheumatologist lumped them all together and everything was called "widespread systemic inflammation."

I'm off Prednisone now. A biologic that was started for another autoimmune condition is working well for all my autoimmune conditions. Biologics that are considered to be "optimal" and probably work better for reactive arthritis and uveitis are TNF inhibitors. NAIDS like celebrex and then methotrexate and other medications are usually tried before resorting to biologics
https://rheumatology.org/patients/reactive-arthritis
and
https://rheumatology.org/patients/tumor-necrosis-factor-tnf-inhibitors

I know this thread is old, but are you better now? I've had reactive arthritis for 6 weeks now after food poisoning and NOTHING has worked for me. Actually, NSAIDS and prednisone seemed to make it worse. I can't work, I'm terrified this is just how my middle and old age will go... pain all the time 😞

I'm 50 yr old, female, got food poisoning March 18th of this year that lasted 5 days. Literally 7 days after getting sick, March 25th, my left knee swelled and I had agonizing pain. Still in pain now but not as crazy severe. Pain is still in knee but it's not hot and swollen anymore. Now also have pain in right foot and both wrists. I too am wondering when this might end. I haven't been referred to a rheumatologist yet. I have and appt with my PCP tomorrow talk about what else I can do since NSAIDS and prednisone didn't help. I have a sons and I'm afraid I have the HLA B27 gene and I passed onto them. I'd hate for them to deal with this. It's awful! My job let me switch to full remote until I heal. Otherwise, I'd have a lot more stress! 😩

Sorry you are going thru this. My son is now tapering to 10 mg prednisone and is taking celebrex 100 mg once a day. The worst part of the reactive arthritis for him is every time he has some good days in a row and thinks he is getting better, the pain and stiffness in his knees comes back. Today he is in a lot of pain. He had an MRI for right knee and waiting on results. He sees rheumatologist Friday and he was hoping to not have to go on Methotrexate or Humira so we will see what doc recommends. Hope you are having a good day!

I was diagnosed with reactive arthritis (ReA) about 30 years ago. I was HLA-B27+ and now I have a syndrome.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551523/.
---------------------
At the time ReA was diagnosed, I was told there were 3 possibilities.
1) ReA could go away and only happen once.
2) ReA could start to recur and have a recurring pattern of flares
3) ReA could become chronic.

My first bout of ReA did go away and stayed away for about 5 years. Then ReA started to recur and I had a flare every year. Then the flares stopped but I had pain all the time.

Prednisone will make things worse which is why ReA is not treated with long term Prednisone.

Yes! I have been tricked by good days too. I think it's a one step forward, two steps back recovery until you slowly start having more tolerable days than bad. I've read that it can be typical for it to last as long as six months to a year. But some people may only suffer a few weeks or months. Today was a good day for me, so I'll take it for now!

I’ve had it for 10 years. HLA-B27 positive. Mine was triggered by Human Parvovirus. Acute joint swelling at first - so painful I couldn’t walk or lift a fork - that lasted for a couple of months. Prednisone and Cymbalta and Celebrex helped a little. Gradually went into remission with flare ups.
Destroyed my knees and spine over time. Very debilitating. Every case is different, hope yours is easier!

I’m on Percocet now for pain management after 10 years of chronic pain. ReA has been a difficult adjustment in my life - but it’s the reality. I’m 70 and still find ways to active and happy.

My primary care Dr seems not to believe me, but I do think I’ve had reactive arthritis in the past 3 years and am experiencing it again now. Three years ago, I awoke with a painful charley horse (painful, tight muscles) in my left hip. As I’ve had fibro for 30 years, I assumed this was a flare up and took my muscle relaxer (I use generic Parafon Forte, Flexeril doesn’t work for me). But the cramp didn’t let up - I went to a scheduled meeting and out to lunch, realizing my situation was worsening. I had to be helped to the car, the stiffness in my hip was near-incapacitating. After arriving home, I was no better and could walk in my home only if I used two canes. The pain and stiffness in my hip was incapacitating, I essentially lost functional mobility in a matter of hours.

I went to our emergency ortho the next day for an x-ray. They found nothing, told me to take anti-inflammatory meds and referred me to a rheumatologist. I can’t take anti-inflammatory drugs any longer, as I’m older and have had a spontaneous bleed while on baby aspirin.

Two weeks later I developed UTI symptoms and was diagnosed with my first UTI and took Cipro, which cleared the infection up, but the hip issue persisted. I was 74 at the time.

The earliest rheumatologist app’t was four months later - I kept the appointment, but by that time the left hip stiffness had resolved. The Dr didnt connect the hip issue with the UTI. He was just happy I didn’t need pain meds and sent me on my way.

Fast forward 3 years - 6 weeks ago, I noticed persistent left side flank soreness/tenderness as if the internal tissues/muscles were inflamed. I’ve had costochrondritis, but this wasn’t the same. One evening, my temperature started to rise from my normal 96.5, and I felt flushed. I realized I’d been having mild symptoms of a UTI and because it was a Friday night, I went to the ER. Figured if it was a UTI, I needed to start on antibiotics, as I’m nearing 77. They diagnosed a UTI, but because of the flank pain, put me on Cipro because they thought my kidneys might be involved. No one thought of reactive arthritis.

The UTI has cleared. It’s been two weeks out and I’m still dealing with left side flank pain it’s been about 6 weeks since the pain started. If it were a kidney stone, it should’ve passed by now. As long as I’m sitting still, I’m OK - but if I do any twisting or driving, the pain and inflammation ramps up - last night, I couldn’t turn my body at my waist without real pain (tight, inflamed muscles). I’d gone out for the first time in a week, feeling flank pain with the movement required to turn the steering wheel. By the evening, the pain was flaring up - obviously, rest keeps it at bay.

I’m thinking this is a left side reactive arthritis pattern where my first symptom of a UTI is left side hip or flank muscle stiffness, tenderness, inflammation. With the hip, it was acute and incapacitating when it first developed. With this episode, I’m basically having to rest to avoid aggravating pain and inflammation with those left mid-flank muscles. Hoping it will eventually resolve just as my hip did.

I see my dr this week - am thinking this is reactive arthritis and will suggest this. (I actually correctly guessed I had costochrondritis a few years ago - felt like a heart attack with rib cage pain and my last doctor confirmed it two days later - I’ve since moved and switched doctors).

Wondering what are others’ thoughts? I’m scheduled for a CT scan with dye this week, but I’m thinking of canceling. I have stage 3 chronic kidney disease, and the contrast dye is hard on kidneys. I’m really thinking this is reactive arthritis, which can sometimes precede a diagnosis of bacterial infection in gut, urinary tract, etc, and not a kidney stone.

Thoughts, anyone?