Inflammation and joint pain that moves
Hi my name is Sally,
I am 60 and live on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. I woke up one day in October with burning, aching and swollen ball of my right foot. It was so painful I had to take painkillers and bath my feet in cold water. I put it down to working all day in my garage lifting heavy stuff and hard leather shoes with no support. The inflammation persisted and moved to a painful swelling in my knee. It was red hot and felt like a bruise where I had walked into something. The severe pain had left my foot though it still felt inflamed. My right hip which had been an ongoing problem from sitting studying gave way on me where I could not stand or put weight on my leg. I went to the osteopath who manipulated my lower back and the next morning my knees were so swollen I could not bend either of them or walk down the stairs. I went to the Dr and had a blood test. My rheumatoid factors were up. I told the Dr I had a similar condition 15 years ago which started with a urinary tract infection where the inflammation moved from one joint to the other. I saw a rheumatologist who was not sympathetic but put me on Salazopyrin. I think 3 years later it settled down. Now I have it back! I do not think it ever really went away as I often woke up with aching joints especially between my shoulder blades and right hip. I do not feel as though I have ever had a proper diagnosis. I am seeing the same old rheumatologist EVENTUALLY it is a 4 month wait. In the meantime the GP has increased my Salazopyrin to 6 tablets a day (500mg). On Monday the pain moved to my left shoulder where it was so painful it was frozen I could not sleep or move it. I felt the inflammation leave my shoulder after 48 hours where i have no pain in my shoulder anymore but I knew it was moving to my neck where I have had a stiff neck for 3 days. I felt as though my head was a bowling bowl and I had no muscles or inflamed connective tissue that could not support my head. The stiffness is still in my neck but the pain in my foot is back. It is so frustrating I am usually such an active person. I wish I could find some answers. I wonder if it is like a chronic virus that is dormant in my body and flares up like the flu. Perhaps Epstein Barr or PID. Hope someone can help me make sense of this debilitating illness and pain. I just want to get better and have the energy and motivation I used to have. Many Thanks for any help Sally
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