anyone have osteoarthris or rheumatoid arthritis?

my joint pain starting to get horrendous. constant ache all the time mostly in my shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. my knees hurt all the time, even lying down.

i've been off Crestor, which can cause joint pain for about 2 weeks now. Had labwork at the oncologists to see if there's anything on the blood side, but i doubt labs will show anything. i think a bone biopsy would rule in or out a marrow issue.

i have a lingering suspicion of an auto-immune issue and wondering about something like RA. i'm going to push my doc for CTs of my knees. they, and my hips really got nailed when i was on Lyrica--which caused a discommunication of signals from my brain telling my body how to walk. extremely painful.

anyways, if you guys have some input, it would be appreciated.

PF

sorry, made an edit

I have a fairly high degree of all over body pain most days. Mine if from chronic Lyme disease and inflammation it causes. Mine is mostly in ligaments which often feels like joint pain. Its worst in wrists, ankles, knees. I take a small dose of narcotics daily to get through. I have refused to take any of the cholesterol lowering drugs because I could not tell if I was having a reaction to them. I know they are not optional for you, sorry.

I still think it would not hurt for you to seek out a Lyme literate Dr., since you had Lyme when you were younger. It is extremely common for people to have been undertreated, then be sick for the rest of their lives with multiple kinds of problems until it is discovered. Sorry, you did ask for opinions.

Go to one of the Lyme online support groups and read. You will be shocked at how varied the symptoms are. I really belive I would be dead now if I hadnt gotten diagnosed when I did. Yes, people are dying from Lyme. Its a dirty little secret the IDSA does not want you to know! Oops, another rant, Ill stop now.
Cindy

Cindy,

I'm going to talk to my doc and see what he says. I feel better off the statins. I have to do some exercise in the morning, and that will trigger off some serious soreness. I have a ton of labwork coming up this week, so I'll probably be back on a statin if my liver function has come back to a normal range. Ugh.

I know we checked for lyme, and it was negative--we did the high end tests. But with Lyme, it does its damage. I was never officially diagnosed with it, but I got bit by something when I was a little kid in my neighbor's sandbox. it made one of my knees swell up and i remember being wheeled out in a wheelchair with my knee bandaged up...i was about 4. my dad doesn't remember what knee it was.

i think some diagnostics might help. i know my local rheumatologists aren't that great so it's another out of town trip. ugh.

thanks!

Sorry, I thought I remembered you saying you did have Lyme when you were young. My brain isnt what it used to be! But, of course, Lyme testing is not all its cracked up to be. When I actually contracted Lyme I was in my 30's. The tests they did then were negative. I even had a bulls-eye rash, which most Dr.s now would consider positive for Lyme.

They did give me a week of antibiotics (just in case) because I was pregnant at the time with Zoe. Fast forward 15 years or so. Had 3 negative Lyme tests. It wasnt until an antibiotic challenge to kick start my antibody production that I got a positive test. That is why it takes an expert in Lyme to figure things out.

Regular Dr.'s do not want to diagnose Lyme because then they have to deal with it! I hope you dont feel worse when you restart the Statin. I hear you about the exercise. We have to load the POD again today. I am still not recovered from surgery and my Lyme is flaring up. But, we do what we gotta do, right?

gee, when i was bit by what my parents and the doc at the time tought was a tick. they didn't do much in ~1979 or 80 when this happened. if my system did get nailed, it's long done it's damage.

my family doc ran a bunch of tests at different times. i probably have the tests. if we look further, i'll find a lyme expert or at least a really good rheumatologist.

thanks.!

Did you know that Lyme is caused by the same type of bug that causes Syphillus(sp)? It is a spirochete and is infamous for being able to bury into most any kind of tissue. It can also change into 3 or 4 different forms to evade detection or drugs.That is why it is so hard to treat. Also, when you are bitten by a tick, you rarely get just Lyme. It is usually a combo of at least 2 or more other bacteria/virus/parasite.
Cindy