Hi all, new guy here looking for some anecdotal help related to onset and progression rate of your symptoms. I'm in an allied health field and understand the human body fairly well, so feel free to get technical with your descriptions.
I'm a 32 yo male with a long history of sports injuries to my hands, feet, ankles, knees, back and shoulders, although none were really serious. Certainly not enough to cause arthritis I wouldn't think. It's difficult for me to differentiate and identify some things because they come and go quickly and most don't reach what I would consider to be a high level of pain. Max gets to maybe a 6 then settles down.
Over the last two years I have had a progressively expanding range of joint pains that come and go, sometimes only lasting a few hours in the morning. The next day something else will hurt and the prior joint will feel fine. I can go months at a time without significant issues too, it's all very unpredictable.
As the weather changed over the past two weeks I have felt the following: stiff thumbs and fingers with one thumb feeling nearly broken for one day. Unexplained knee pain that felt like ligament damage for 2 days then totally fine. Potential foot plantar surface neuropathy for a couple of hours - felt like I had been walking on hot sand and had irritated my burned the bottoms of both feet. Metatarsal heads ache on both feet randomly. One big toe joint felt extra painful for a couple of hours then has been fine. Plantar fasciitis pain, low level, for a couple of days now first thing in the morning.
I haven't noticed any joint swelling or redness lately. Only time I really have was two years ago when we had a stretch of sub-zero temperature days and an index finger swelled up and the soles of my feet were on fire. Went to my PCP that day and was told blood tests looked fine and x-ray showed mild arthritis in multiple fingers but they wouldn't do any other tests or imaging and didn't want to consider that I had anything unusual happening.
The thing that is really getting me right now is fatigue and brain fog. I've felt like a zombie more days than not over the past 3 weeks, and I'm usually very high energy and clear headed. Sleep patterns haven't changed, except that I feel the need to crash as soon as I'm home from work some days now. I'm definitely struggling to do my job well right now as it has both mental and physical components to it. My body, and my hands in particular, feel increasingly clumsy and uncoordinated lately.
Can anyone relate to this scenario or provide me with details of your own progression?
Thanks!