Good morning, I'm your body, I can hurt you. Have a nice day.

[IChoose]

This was yesterday:

Feeling good about how busy I've been. Am 55, asthmatic, no car, Friday did 2 interviews by bus, Saturday pushed and pulled heavy shopping cart full of groceries including water. Out and about or at least productive for about 24 hours in two days .

8 am take asthma pills. 9 am take nebulizer. Have had hot flashes lately, seemingly from menopause likely started mid December. However I'm cold, a little stiff, and quickly am ice cold shivering sweats. As I'm taking nebulizer treatment get light-headed and nauseated. Have to lie down in between completing treatment.

Noonish still feeling whatever it is, with stiffness and pain from neck to toes. Call nurse helpline and she says call 911 get ambulance. So I called 911 and paramedics came. Heart and oxygen ok and they recommended warm bath.

Took warm bath as I was hoping to feel better. Said "my aches and pains have aches and pains".

The symptoms localized and really showed theselves. Stiffness and pain all finger hand joints. Left wrist jointstiff, painful, hot. Big toes both left feet major joint stiff and painful so hard to walk. Left foot stiff and painful . Neck, shoulders stiff and very very painful. Left shoulder feels like shoulder separation but isn't. Held left arm like it was in a sling. Excrutiating Muscle spasm right side of back. Muscles tight and sore around chest which makes it hard to take deep breaths (which is why nurse said ambulance). Fatigue was remarkable, I have never had such a cluster of symptoms in my55 years, and I never get dizzy taking meds and I'm never sore after groceries.

Symptoms so bad last night after finding ok position in bed could not really move 2-3 feet in bed to turn off my lamp.left hand so stiff and painful hard to use it to take pill medicine.

Then symptoms showed some improvement and I decided to take two ibuprofen. Stayed on it every 6 hours.

Today I'm better but not all better.

Mom has Lupus, my father now deceased once thought he had gout. I have had two x Ray's that diagnosed arthritic conditions - 2 years ago chest x Ray showed ddd and September after toe fracture x Ray showed osteoarthritis of big left toe.

My question is, what say you?? Could I have underlying autoimmune like rheumatoid arthritis, is it clear menopause related, am I just old and tired.

[gtate1914]

Sounds like my pmr symptoms before taking being diagnosed and put on prednisone.

[IChoose in reply to gtate1914]

May I ask what is pmr?

I know from my lifelong asthma history since four years old Prednisone and medrol and I don't mix well. I actually take stearoid inhaler twice a day for asthma. I do have heart disease including heart muscle hypertrophy as of about 2 years ago and was prescribed cardizem but it interfered with my asthma so had to stop it per cardiologist.

One of my concerns is if I've got something I may have difficulty treating it with Western medicine due to the drug side effects and interactions with asthma drugs I already take.

My asthma has been moving towards nearly COPD since 2008. Now I'm wondering if I'm showing signs of a disease similar to yours, could that be why I have been getting so sick for the past 11 years or so.

I waited a full 7 hours and took two more ibuprofen 30 minutes ago. I feel so different after I take it but it all comes back.

Thank you so much for responding!!

[gtate1914 in reply to IChoose]

Polymyalgia rheumatica, a form of rheumatoid arthritis that affects the muscles. Prednisone is the only medications that takes the pain away. I'm so sorry to hear of your struggles. I've managed to only take the one prescription, prednisone. I changed my diet and started taking cbd oil 5 months ago. It seems to be helping. I also have gca, a vasculitis disease both inflammatory diseases.

[IChoose in reply to gtate1914]

Very very interesting. I've been reading about cbd oil but didn't think of it.

I'm also thinking diet and supplements. I hadnt been taking vitamins for a while but today made sure to take magnesium, d, calcium, and multi.

Everyone seems to think turmeric treats everything, which I find hard to believe.

If I have a condition like this, it must be part of why I've been so sick for years, so I would need to get it under control and learn to live my life with it.

[daisychains58 in reply to IChoose]

Sorry for you pain, it’s horrid and unbearable. I had huge inflammatory response last year out of no where or so I thought. All immune related. You could try probiotics and a good digestive enzyme each day to help heal the gut and avoid processed food. Research is showing that gut health is the root cause of immune problems. Keep warm and don’t overdo anything if you start to feel a bit better else it can come back and bite you worse. Have a full blood count to see what’s going on. I only take prednisone now and pain relief, don’t do much tho. Sending 🤗 hugs and healing 🙏

[sylvi]

I suggest you ask for a blood to confirm your thoughts(i can't remember how to spell the word i want to use,but i am sure you or others on here know what i am trying to say) You think it could be RA as you know all about Lupus and you are not showing those signs. So ring your dr or your mums rheumy and see about a blood test darling.xxx

[IChoose in reply to sylvi]

I'm on Medicaid. Will push for referral to rheumatologist and blood work. I read up that there are markers that can show up in blood work, but even if they don't, it does not mean I'm not in early stages of something. This was absolutely freaky.

Wondering if a diagnosis is automatic disability in the U.S.. It sounds like prevailing wisdom among doctors is that we work through it. My asthma mostly has kept me out of work much of the past few years as it is.

[IChoose in reply to sylvi]

Just now I finished up taking my asthma meds and did some stretches and and i stayed with it and I could touch my toes. I can't believe last night at this time I could not move 2-3 feet in bed to turn off my lamp.

I still have pain in main points - left shoulder, right back spasms. Feet are better but big toes especially still off and on stiff and painful. Neck not totally back to normal yet.

I've basically been in bed all day yesterday and today. I don't know if this is normal for a flair.

[sylvi in reply to IChoose]

Now that sounds like a flare to me and you must rest until the flare passes.xxxx

[IChoose in reply to sylvi]

OK. Mom get flares with Lupus and she's also prone to shingles. Rest is really the best medicine in her case too.

Thank you so much.

[sylvi in reply to IChoose]

Rest is best darling.xx

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to sylvi]

Agree with that Sylvi , rest is best and have blood tests to find out what your autoimmune system is up to. The warm baths recommended by the paramedics are my favourite for when my body feels bad.

[calamityjane1971]

It could even be something as simple as a viral infection that you’ve had. Although I would definitely get some blood tests done to see if there’s anything lurking. Good luck

[house77]

HI Ichoose,

I think you over done it with carrying the heavy shopping love, I sometimes need bits from the shop, I know about it pain wise if it to heavy to. I am always In terrible pain after , mainly we my osteoarthritis back and knees.

I do a shop online every fortnight now.So it only when i run out of items,i will go to my local shop.. And the pain in your big toe sure sounds like Gout to me,my mate suffers with it terribly too..

Ibuprofen is good for inflammation so should help, my dr told me not to take to many though..Hope your pain improves.

wishing you all the best .xx

[IChoose in reply to house77]

A huge good morning to everyone who has been so kind to respond. It is about 6:45 am Tuesday morning here in the u.s. for my new Brit friends. It looks like another day in bed, and I am already 1 day behind in things I needed to do yesterday. Woke up 5:55 am with noise and have not gotten out of bed yet, but had been dreaming, so was in rem sleep.

Am likely much better after sleeping maybe 5 hours. Last ibuprofen I took was 5 pm yesterday, so it's over 12 hours since last dosage. Points still impacted : left shoulder, left wrist joint still inflamed painful, felt stiff right wrist too but right thumb joint stiff and painful. Right index pointing fingers I'm using on my tablet to write to you is getting painful as I'm using it. Felt the pain mild spasm and tightness in right back muscle still. Am wiggling my toesies but right big toe had pain a couple of times. Fingers are still stiff with emphasis on thumb main joint both hands.

I plan to take asthma pills 8am / 8 pm today and take vitamin d, calcium, magnesium, multi 1 pm, 2 pm to keep minerals spaced . Inhalers 9 am / 9 pm. Will likely pick up fresh vitamins this week, but I wonder how much our bodies really absorb.

I'm very grateful the warning from my body to please slow down and watch the lifting together with the usual decrease stress came like this and not a stroke or heart attack, which can also run in my family.

Sending peace to all.xx

[Angels54]

Yes sounds like RA, the main problem is stiffness, you need to ask about blood tests .

Sandie

[IChoose in reply to Angels54]

Yep, it's Wednesday morning and recovering but still stiff all over with tolerabl aches and pains. It's like it moves through the body to new places.

Usually I build muscle after a shopping workout. But this time it's nearly like my arms may have some muscle atrophy. Hard to know for certain though.

Thought I would add for whoevers interested that I'm prone to cysts, nodules. One very large on my forehead since age 19, one small since a couple of years ago on my left forearm below elbow. I'm not sure I read those are symptoms too.