Wheres it come from?
Im 65. I was fit. Gym 3 times a week. Had a excellent job. Then wheels fell off. Retrenched 3 times. Covid collapsed economy. Never took vax only Ivermectin. Got mildly ill. My retirement is in tatters. Stress thru the roof. Exactly one year later. Bad diet, no gym, no income. Went to bed and woke up with my entire body inflamed. Thought a snake bit me. Gp says stress take Serotonin uptake inhibitors. It got worse. Ligaments and tendons in knees and groin seized. Left shoulder seized. Blood inflammation maker was at 65. All other tests are negative? Gp gave me cortisone injection. Switched everything off. Came back on 4 days later. There's no Rheumatologists where I live. Gp says its negative serum RA. Been on methotrexate for 6 months. Helps 90%. So with no family history of RA no pending signs at all. Is it possible I have Polymyalgia rheumatica? How can it be ruled out. I reckon this whole thing is driven by stress. Any ideas anyone.
I'm really sorry to hear everything you've been going through—it sounds incredibly tough. Have you had any formal testing to check for conditions like Polymyalgia Rheumatica? Since it can be tricky to diagnose, a combination of blood tests and clinical evaluation is usually needed. Stress alone doesn't directly cause rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but it can contribute to flare-ups or make symptoms worse in people who are already predisposed to the condition. It might be helpful to get a second opinion or see if a specialist can offer more insight. In the meantime, I want to share with you an article of a members' story with discovering they have PMR- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/stories/polymyalgia-rheumatica. You might find it helpful. Continue to hang in there, and keep advocating for yourself! I'm confident you will find a the answer to get you to relief soon! Kindly, Latoya (Team Member) Thanks Latoya, I'm in South Africa. Essentially 3rd world state medicine here. There are no Rheumatologists in 300 miles. I have no medical aid. It would be ideal , but I just have to rely on my GP for now.
Hi
. You certainly have been through a lot and it is great to hear that the methotrexate is helping. The shortage of rheumatologists is a real problem in many places, including some here in the U.S. Would it possible for your GP to arrange for a telehealth conference with a rheumatologist to assist with your case? I noticed that you mentioned mostly issues with your connective tissues, so I want to share with you these articles from our editorial team on connective tissue disorder: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/mixed-connective-tissue-disease and https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/undifferentiated-connective-tissue-disease. They are autoimmune, like RA, and can accompany RA or other autoimmune arthritic conditions or happen alone. Also, here is an article on other types of arthritis: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/types-of-arthritis. Of course, only a doctor can do the proper diagnostics.
As Latoya noted, the causes of autoimmune conditions is not completely know, but things such as stress can serve as a trigger. This article discusses potential causes and risk factors: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/causes. Hope this information is helpful and can further inform your discussions with your doctor. I do want to note that if your issues are caused by one of these autoimmune conditions, many of the treatments can overlap, which can explain the methotrexate helping. Hoping you can get more answers to ensure you continue to get the proper treatment. Best, Richard (Team Member)
Thanks RICHARD I will take it up with my GP
