Rheumatoid Arthritis (and its variants) :

PLEASE HELP - Rhemotoid Arthritis - - Posted by nadali (nadali), 14 November 2003

I am 26 year old female. I have sacroilliac joint dysfuction for the last 16 months, because of that I have problems in my right hip, have been diagnosed with piriformis syndrome and bursitis. Just last month after I cleaned the bath tub sitting in the tub with both legs on the side of my body, when I got up my knees and my hip hurt so bad that I have trouble walking and was limping. My knees were soo sore and there was inflamation on them. When I went to the doctor he moved my knees in different directions and said my liagaments were fine and then ordered for x-ray which came out fine too. My blood work for checking for inflamation in body like RA,CRP, ESR were all fine. I took anti-anflamatory drugs like MOBIC and CELEBREX it helped, but now when I stopped using that the pain and swelling is comming back. 1st my right knee with swelling (looks like sac filled with fluid) on the outside under the knee and now its the left knee with the same problem. I went to the Rhemotologist she suspects its arthritis, which I don't believe that. She ordered for a bone scan and the results were as follows,

"Increased uptake over the medial aspect of the hip and incresed activity on the wrists"  

I need to know if your x-ray for knee, X-ray for Pelvis (SI joint), MRI for hip area and all possible blood work was normal how can I have arthritis just by looking at the bone scan results ??

I beleive it is because of my pelvic is out of aligned for 16 months cuz of the sacroiliac joint dysfunction, (this dysfuction is obvious as when I lie down with my knees bent my right knee seems shorter than other and when the Physical theripist did physical manupilation to fix this problem it aligned for a while and then when I came back home it went back to the old way, she said it will take a while for the liagaments to get adjusted back to teh correct position.) It might be that it was putting more strain on the knees when I walk. Can it be that if a knee joint is put with more strain for like 16 months can there be some sort of wear and tear in knee bones and form arthritis, or simply the position I sat in the tub must have irritated some soft tissue on the knee area. But my question is does the inflamtion of soft tissue last for 5 weeks, if not then is the swelling comming from some sort of arthritis. Please anyone help and advice, I am so scared to even think I have arthritis, I am so young my doctor think its might be Rhemotiod arthritis ?    
Posted by sheepful (sheepful), 15 November 2003

Hi nadali,

I am about your age (25) and I suffer from Psoriasis Arthritis, which is similar to RA, but part of a skin condition that can affect the joints as well.
It can well be that the bone skan shows inflammation and the x-rays don't show anything yet. That is a good sign, because the scan shows inflammation which will lead to bone damage visible in x-rays later on. This means your RA is still at an early stage
I know it's a shock at first. RA (as well as PSA) is not curable. But there are a lot of things that can be done to modify the disease.
I was diagnosed quite recently and have been started on sulfasalazine as long term treatment which has got my inflammation and pain under control a bit.

Hope this helps,

sheepful
Posted by lam651 (lam651), 15 November 2003

I also have reasons to suspect I have rhuematoid arthritis or some other autoimmune desease. I've had blood tests done which come back as negative, which means inconclusive, I've been told.

I've also been told that diagnosing RA isn't easy. If your current rheumatologist leaves you with unanswered questions maybe an appointment with another one might be called for. It's always amazed me how different doctors can approach and handle patients and their problems so differently. I hope you find the answers and help you need.

I have an appointment with a rheumatologist on Mon. I was refered to him by a friend who has RA. Luckily my insurance lets me pick my own doctors. Good luck, Larry
Posted by bigcrazywoman (bigcrazywoman), 30 April 2004

I am a 42 year old woman...at first i just started breaking out with hives...then they sent me to a Great Allergist...he couldnt figure out what was the problem...my RA factor came back positive but was not active...it was still a zero...which meant i didnt have RA...but i had a positive factor...so they never did know what was wrong with me...then he broke my dna down and found i had a Collagen Vascular Disease somewhere...which includes lupas, RA, and many other auto immune diseases which of course has no cure....just treat the symptoms....then all of the sudden i stopped breaking out with the hives...the allergist had told me at the beginning that it would probably disappear as quickly as it appeared....i broke out for about 4 years...it was terrible....lots of steroids...if anything put pressure on anyplace on my body then the next day i would wake up with a big welt and hives around the area....so i had to start wearing big clothes....couldnt even wear the right size bra cause the straps would cause big welts....major inflammation....then all of the sudden it stopped just like he said....but then i was in lots of pain in my knees and feet and hands and back...to make a long story shorter....what had happened was my RA factor climbed up which ended up being rheumatoid arthritis...and it is still climbing higher and higher...but now.....i also had swelling behind my knee....they did a venous doppler on my leg.....it shows a Bakers Cyst....which did start on the back of my knee...and you are right....it is a sac of fluid that is full...they said usually they can rupture on their own....but of course mine is not that simple...mine is under my knee cap now....it is unlikely it will take care of itself....if yours is still on just the back of your knee you need to try and stay off of it as much as possible and put ice....like i said they told me they will usually rupture and then your body will absorb the extra fluid....according to things i have read if it ruptures it will make the calf of your leg swell up for a few days then you just stay off of it for a bit...and your body will aborb it....hope yours stays on back of knee unlike mine....cause i have no insurance and i cant stay on mine long because it is putting pressure on all my nerves including the sciatic nerve which makes my whole leg hurt so i can only be on it for brief periods...i have to have mine surgically removed.....Wish you well...but just check into the bakers cyst forum...and you will see....
Posted by grizelda (grizelda), 24 September 2004

i had a very similar situation to yours and a rheumatologist diagnosed me with spondyloarthopathy...an inflammatory autoimmune disorder that affects the spine and joints...i used sulfasalazine for three years but it seems to have stopped being helpful...i take mobic now and i must say it doensn;t do much for my chronic pain.  but, then, i have chronic pain too!  actually i have four autoimmune disorders, all of an inflamatory nature....i am having knee surgery in a month and i am headed for neck surgery, to relieve compressed nerves that are compressed as a result of the cervical spine disease i have.  yup, i'm a mess!   run the word "spondyloarthopathy" by your rheum doc.....it's sort of an all-encompassing term, like "chondromalacia patellae" for knee pain, but it's a name, it's a set of symptoms, and it's a starting place.   actually i am only a couple symptoms "short" of R.A.    

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