(no subject)

[serene]

Every joint hurts. Every last one. Neckbones, knuckles, all the way down to the toes. Worst spots are the pelvis and the feet, but every. single. joint. hurts. Besides being painful and annoying, it's so MYSTERIOUS. I wish I could figure out what's up with it. Really could not bear to stand today, it was so bad. I could walk (slowly and carefully) and I could sit, but standing was just excruciating.

Comments

[wild_irises]

Ouch!

[vito_excalibur]

Wow. That's not good. Is this new?

[serene]

No, it just happens randomly, and my doc's response to "buh-why?" is "Wish I knew."

[loracs]

How awful. Remember I get off at 4 pm now, so if you need anything, please give me a call.

[serene]

Thanks, honey. I gave in and started the Ibuprofen regimen the doc wanted me on, and I'm feeling a bit better today. *hugs*

[redbird]

My sympathies.

[kalmn]

i got some medical advice for you. if you want it. if you don't want it, i'll be over here.

last night i had a dream where i ran up to you and said "hi! i'm looking for someone to rub my fat ass up against!" and you said "oooh!" so i did.

my brain. what can you do.

[serene]

I would love some medical advice. (I should mention that finally, last night, I stopped resisting my doctor's advice, which was "take 600 of ibuprofen 4 times a day". I've been resisting it because of side-effect-phobia, but when the pain is worse than I can imagine the side effect might be...)

[vito_excalibur]

Yeah, they raised the bar on how much ibuprofen you can take dramatically. Hope it helps. I love the stuff, myself.

[kalmn]

oh, sweetie.

is it bilaterally symmetric? and are your joints hot and/or swollen? if both of those things are true, i would very much like to recommend that you go to your doctor and say that your friend with rheumatoid arthritis says that she thinks you should get the ra blood test.

even if that's positive, 600 of ibu four times a day will likely be the treatment for a while going forward. but i am a fan of having a diagnosis.

if the ibu gives you side effects, it will likely be stomach related, fyi. stomach pain is the most common one. it doesn't tend to make people's heads fall off or anything, even at the higher doses.

[serene]

I'm more worried about stuff like kidney/liver damage and so on, but that's encouraging.

He's tested me for lupus, RA, and a zillion other things, but I'm going for MORE tests this week. Blood, urine, chest x-ray, even a mammogram. He's nothing if not trying to be thorough.

(If this means anything to you, lots of things that measure inflammation (C-reactive protein, sedimentary rate, some other thing I've forgotten, but it has the word "antibody" in it) are high or stupidly high.)

[kalmn]

sed rate is the standard ra test, so that's, uh, useful.

he might want to send you to a rheumatologist next-- i say if that's offered, jump on it.

[serene]

He is a rheumatologist. That's why I picked him. You're helping me a lot, by the way. Thanks.

[kalmn]

you're doing all the right stuff! i got nothin! :)

[serene]

No, no, you're my total native guide, sweetness! Sanka. (That's coffee for thank you.)

[serene]

Oh, and to answer your questions, yes on the symmetry, no on the swollenness.

from inflectionpoint

[(Anonymous)]

when considering ibuprofen and side effects, one thing that is good news is being a non-drinker. ibu and the other NSAIDS (non steroidal anti inflammatories) tend to promote stomach ulcers in folks who drink alcohol. more alcohol means more chance of ulcer. more ibu means more chance of ulcer.) as a non drinker, you're rather well shielded from this.

the stomach pain can be an ulcer, so it's good to evaluate other parts of your lifestyle before starting on high amounts of ibu, especially if it will be long term in use.

Re: from inflectionpoint

[serene]

Happily, no stomach issues at all so far. Yay.

[ailbhe]

Oh, you poor love, I hope you get a diagnosis and effective treatment soon.