Has anyone else had issues with their joints deforming even though blood inflammatory markers are under control?

In my case (chronic reactive arthritis, for approx 18 months), I continue to have pain and so-far minor deforming of my fingers, hands, and wrists even though my blood indicators have been brought under control. Has anyone had experience of this? Any success stopping the issue?

I have RA in my knees and if I stand too long or sit too long, my knees get stiff and until I flex them several times, there’s horrible pain and I can’t even take a step! I’m taking 15 mg of meloxicam and it helps a little(I’ve run out before and I know it definitely helps), UMovy(an alternative to YMary), glucosamine and I just started Tylenol arthritis, in hopes of helping. I also use heat, TENS and rubs(biofeeeze, Advil and Voltaren). I feel like I’m just throwing everything at them and seeing if anything works. Anyone else have this issue and found anything that helps?

Can a bacterial infection cause joints pain?

Hi all -

I will skip over he challenges with getting my husband to be more proactive and seek out a specialist (he really doesn't like doctors until something becomes impossible to ignore) except to say I'm "working on him" and will be scheduling some appointments. Until then, I'd sincerely appreciate ideas and advice.

My husband doesn't have an official diagnosis yet, he needs some imaging and a diagnosis, but he has had two gout flare ups previously in his feet, so my gut says this issue is related to arthritis/gout. He is 40 but generally in good health and a normal weight. Recently, he has developed pretty sudden and severe knee pain, primarily affecting one knee. He doesn't seem to have an acute injury; I would be very surprised if this was a tear. He doesn't have a ton of visible inflammation but has pretty limited mobility and cannot completely straighten or bend his knee like he should be able to. At night it gets worse, to the point he isn't sleeping much at all. Sitting with his knee flexes becomes a problem after 20 minutes or so. He can't walk normally, is hobbling around the house and is in pretty obvious pain that ebbs and flows.

We're trying OTC NSAIDs/Tylenol, ice/heat compresses, topical creams, and I'm going to make him start doing some mobility work and stretching. I also convinced him to try some CBD oil. Does anyone have any other pain relief ideas or ways to manage this that we can try to get through the next few weeks?

About 1.5 years ago I started to get some swelling in my foot & ankle, sometimes up near the outer part of my knee. It was excruciating, waking me up in the middle of the night. I had both nerve pain and what felt like constant knot in my leg, ankle and foot.

I went to an ortho got 2 rounds of rays a couple weeks apart, no breaks. Started wearing a compression brace Tried dicloflenac which made me swell up more. By then the swelling started to calm down so 6-9 months later of it being just painful enough it got worse again so I saw ortho again Was put on piroxicam and got an mri. Mri showed tenosynovitis I get referred to rheumatologist who suspects reactive arthritis and hypermobility so puts me on plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) I started taking pilates and trying to build up my muscles. The Hydroxychloroquine seems to be helping, but does anyone know how long will i have to take it? How do you know when you can come off it? My doctor didn't have an answer or wouldn't give me an answer....

https://greenbergregen.com/wrists-hands/

I have been dealing with unmedicated psoriatic arthritis for half a year now, while working about 40hr weeks in retail. I can barely sleep because if I lay in one position for too long I get stiff and the pain wakes me up. I can’t do anything on my days off because I’m so sore from work. I take an ungodly amount of ibuprofen because that’s the only way I can get through a day of work, and I’ll still be hurting the entire time. I’m just constantly in pain and it’s such a shitty way to live. (I am working on getting medicated) Vent over

This week has been so bad for me in terms of pain that on Sunday and Tuesday morning, I woke up and wondered if I should go to the ER because of my pain level.

I was literally limping when I got out of bed, could hardly feel my left leg for a few minutes, and I just know that my hips are not properly aligned because of a pelvic tilt issue that I have. I'm curious if anyone has the same problem and has had a baby and how did you recover? Do you feel worse now after having the kid, even years down the line?

I'm sincerely afraid of ever even trying. I think my spine would break, as pregnancy alone causes a pelvic tilt that would vastly intensify this issue. I am in so much pain that I'm nauseous for the last 24 hours.

I just want to be knocked out cold so I can't feel anything.

Help ! I have servre ankle arthritis in the right ankle following breaking it on 2 separate occasions, i have steroid injections and the doctor is looking at key hole surgery to shave the bone callouses or maybe ankle fusion but hoping to delay that as much as possible. The crazy part of my brain that isn't going to allow this to affect my life booked us a family holiday to Disney world how can I train my ankle to prepare for this . I tried to increase my steps to 10k plus a day but that has not gone well and find that I am in more pain now more than ever . Any tips for making the best out of this situation or how to prepare ???

I recently had an MRI done and turns out that I have stage 3 knee arthritis. It's the result of a massive untreated leg length discrepancy over the years. Unfortunately the doctor didn't take any time explaining anything to me. He just said that it's really bad for my age (mid 40s), but gave me no options. I have been having pain for years, but could never get a referral to an orthopedic since I either had really bad medical coverage or because my primary doctor completely dismissed my complaints. My primary complaint was always my hip in the longer leg, but now it seems that my knee is even worse. I looked a little online, but there seems to be no way to reverse the damage. I have always had pain, but it became a part of life for me. Can anyone tell me what options I should be looking at now with stage 3 arthritis? As of what point can I have surgery and would that be a good idea?

I met with an orthopedic hand surgeon today. He looked at my x-rays & said my arthritis is really bad for my age (50/F). Said something is going on in there. Inflammation. That I could probably get a referral from my PCP to a university where they treat advanced cases like mine.

Anyone here have experience what could be causing this?

Rheumatologist thinks it’s caused by Hashimoto’s antibodies. I’m negative for Rheumatoid. I’m ANA positive. I’m going to ask tomorrow if rheumatologist can order more labwork & test for other suspected causes. 🤷‍♀️

Hello, I’m 18F and was diagnosed with JIA at the age of 3. I had an appointment today and it didn't go as well as I expected it to.

I informed the two doctors that I had my four wisdom teeth removed and after the removal, I wasn't able to open my mouth for 3 weeks. Even now it hurts to even open my mouth to eat, yawn, and even sneeze. Well, that raised some red flags because they both agreed that I must go and get an MRI scan of my jaw to make sure that my wisdom teeth removal didn't cause or speed up any arthritis in my jaw. She hopes that it's just my muscles but honestly, I’m terrified.

I’ve lived with JIA my whole and the two places I fear my arthritis to affect me are my jaw and hips. I’m scared of what the MRi is going to say. I can handle my arthritis everywhere but those two places. I also have to get another scan on my wrist because of reoccurring flare-ups but that's fine.

I want to see the upside of this but hearing that I might have arthritis in another area is not something you want to hear after years of having it in multiple other areas.

I have some type of rheumetoid arthritis (diagnosis waiting) and it's a few months before I can get surgery on both my wrists and thumbs. Put off medical treatment far too long and now I can't write legibly with a pencil or pull blankets off myself in the morning. I can no longer enjoy my hobbies either due to the pain, and the arthritis is traveling up to my elbows so any arm movement just hurts at this point.

OTC pain relief doesn't really cut it and obviously doesn't help the weakness. It's very difficult to find resources as a young person, as I still have to work a physically demanding job. How do you guys make it through daily life with far progressed arthritis? What has helped you with the pain?

I literally have had to pause just to wince. I want to cry. I wish I could leave my body and just feel okay.

Is this inflammation or something and how do I relive this

My wife (33F) got her lab work done and she has to wait 4 months to be seen by a specialist. Her rheumatoid factor is 330.1. Her mom got RA at the age of 30, so thanks genetics.

She’s taking more vitamins. She’s vegan, so a lot of the foods that are good for RA, she will incorporate more in her diet. She doesn’t drink or eat a lot of bread.

I currently got her heating pads, ice wraps, THC gummies, CBD balm, Voltaren balm, Paraflax cream, arthritis strength Tylenol, and she’s taking beet juice, beet gummies, and a general daily supplement.

We haven’t been physically active because of her joint pain. What can we do together?

She’s the love of my life, I’m sticking around with her through sickness and in health. Any information that I can use to help her and make her as comfortable as I can while I still have her, I’ll greatly appreciate it.

I've been experiencing bilateral lower leg pain. My symptoms consist of a burning sensation and aching pain. The doctor mentioned that I have peripheral spondyloarthritis. I don't have any skin conditions or psoriasis. He suggested that I start taking Apremilast/otezla. Has anyone had success with this medication? I doubt if it's the right medicine for me.

So recently i (22) found out i have the HLA-B27 gene, and it made me realize a lot of things, mainly that i want to do anything i can to not end up like my mother, she had spondylitis rheumatoid arthritis and im honestly kinda scared of having it all too, she was accepted for medical aid to die in 2023 at 52 and i was wondering what i can do before i get diagnosed to make sure i dont end like her. I've been having pains in my joints for years, mostly in my knees and lower back, but recently my hips started hurting really bad especially when sitting. I have to switch positions every 15-20 minutes because it feels like my hips start fusing together in real time.

Exercising is hard because i have heart issues as well and i suspect POTS, just walking up/down stairs makes my chest pound and makes me feel dizzy.

Pain management isn't much of an issue for now, im used to my bones hurting and smoking weed helps a lot with the constant pain, whenever it's too much i have advils on hand.

I was just wondering if anyone has any advice for how to cope, or how to articulate exactly what i need to the doctor whenever I'm able to see him. I have no idea what I'll tell him, he's been with me my whole life and has my and my mother's full medical history. Do i only mention the big hurts or should i mention the little things too? Like my hands lock up if I write by hand for too long, they've done that since I was about 16-17, I thought it was normal so I never mentioned it to anyone. And I don't want to overwhelm my doctor so do I mention the arthritis symptoms or the POTS symptoms first? Should i make a list of every symptom i have and let him decide what to do or should i research tests and treatments and suggest them to him?

I'm sorry this is so long, I just have been thinking about it a lot and I really don't know what to do. Any advice/comments would be appreciated.

Hello. I recently was diagnosed with stage two SLAC wrist arthritis. One of my options is Proximal row carpectomy surgery. (Removal of several bones in my hand). I’m worried about range of motion and overall hand use afterwards. Has anyone had this surgery and if so what were the results? Thank you!

Hey guys 24 M with full body joint pain, fatigue flares, red eyes, red knuckles, muscle pain, malaise, headaches, hot flashes, flushing, etc. rheumatoid factor is negative, all autoimmune that I’ve tested so far is negative (a lot) negative inflammatory markers, ANA is 1:80 speckled. I’ve noticed my flares happen mostly after eating certain foods (knuckles get red, extreme joint pain, extreme fatigue), back and neck stiffness, mostly flare at night, and lasts for about a couple of hours to several hours. No clue what is wrong but wondering why food triggers my pain and I’m almost in pain daily :/ To the point of bad depression and questioning life. My body hurts so bad and can’t lift or go bowling, golfing, etc. Almost unbearable at this point for a year and not sure what I have and my rheumatologist visit is soon. Not sure what she would put me on for the pain…

I'm going in this week for a visit with an orthopedic doctor for ongoing knee pain and elbow pain. One knee, both elbows. This has been going on for decades, since my bout with Lyme disease when I was a teen. In my 30's now. Knee is stiff, painful, doesn't bend completely as the other normal knee. Both elbows have slight stiffness and pain.

When the Lyme came on the pain, stiffness, and swelling of the knee and elbows were so bad I couldn't walk or bend my arms at all. I was in a wheelchair for a few weeks. Reason I'm going in to see orthopedic doctor now is because this has caused lingering pain for decades. EVERY SINGLE DOCTOR I mention Lyme to either doesn't know enough to treat it or flat out refuses to treat it.

Since that initial bout, I was treated with antibiotics and the worst went away. But I'm dealing with what can only be described as Lyme arthritis.

The visit this week will be my second visit with orthopedic. My first did not go well at all. X-rays were done: negative for arthritis in the knee. Exam was done, nothing was felt to be abnormal. Surgery not recommended. Doctor offered steroid injection, I declined. Doctor said nothing he could do for me, other than referring out to physical therapy and rheumatology.

I plan on doing physical therapy. I've been trying to get in with rheumatology, it is f*cking IMPOSSIBLE. They require a ton of labs, and office notes documenting condition. First rheumatology referral looked at my notes, my labs, told me would not see me because nothing qualifies me to be seen. Plus, two rheumatologists who looked at my referral specifically stated they do not, or do not know how, to treat Lyme arthritis. And that no rheumatologists within network treated that.

A referral to rheumatology from PCP also refuses to see me. Office notes and labs don't qualify me to see them.

I'm getting desperate. This orthopedic appointment is my chance to start fresh, start new with a different provider. Do I disclose my Lyme, or remain completely silent about it?

If I remain silent, I will tell them everything that happened, except the Lyme diagnosis decades ago. Why am I inclined to stay silent? Because multiple doctors have refused to treat me because I've mentioned Lyme. I've been asking around and I've found out that apparently "Chronic Lyme" or "Post Lyme disease syndrome" isn't a valid condition recognized by some medical organizations and all insurance companies. Great.

WHAT DO I DO?!?!?!?!? Your help is very much appreciated!

After years of problems I've finally been diagnosed with arthritis in my lumbar spine. I'm 35F, fit and well. This feels like a complete kick in the guts. Nothing is going to get better. Am I really just going to get worse and worse, depend on pain medication and eventually have trouble mobilizing? I'm after some hope

I'm looking for anyone who's had experience with a knee that's locked simply from arthritis? Could you tell me about your experience with it getting it to unlock and what it took to do so?

Quick background: bad knees thanks to genetics. Was told 3 years ago that I had substantial arthritis in both knees, particularly in my left thanks to a past injury, and they were like the knees of someone 20 years older than myself.

3 weeks ago, my kneecap felt weird from how I was laying on the couch, so I moved my leg, and that was it. Sudden weird pain, stiffness, and I haven't been able to straighten it since. The most any xray or MRI has said was "on top of bone spurs on your patellas, it's just arthritis, you need PT. Strengthen some muscles to help." A shot of Cortisone helped pain, but not movement. It feels like a band of tension is around my leg just below the knee, and like something is physically ( painfully ) in the way of my leg straightening.

Can anyone else relate? I've got family members who've had knees replaced, which I know is in my future, but no one else seems to understand my experience.

EDIT: thanks so much for your responses! I've been feeling a little crazy the past few weeks, but some internet strangers helped to calm my mental nerves, and it's appreciated.