Afternoon , hope I am on the right page . Basically I am 50 yrs old .
Been getting pain and stiffness in neck (and when I walk or move certain ways I get dizzy not like stars appearing or anything but a unbalanced feeling also bad when walking and pins and needles in hands and sometimes go numb . I am also having hormone tests tomo as not sure if I am in menopause ! Had lots of issues lately with the neck , night sweats , anxiety , and vision seems blurry too . I have health anxiety which doesn’t help . Also had private bloods done for vit d and folate and b12 only folate came out low but only borderline . Hope some one can reassure me . She said my neck sounds like cervical arthritis.. scared the life out of me .
Hiya Sweetdaisey124, welcome. I guess you googled your neck symptoms & it lead you here. Whilst it is primarily for those who have Rheumatoid Arthritis/Disease & associated autoimmune conditions many of us do also have Osteoarthritis as a secondary condition, or even only OA. Whilst both are joint related the two conditions are different, OA being a degenerative condition, generally age related. I have both, the OA as a secondary condition. It's mainly in my hands (DIP joints) but also in my neck (cervical spondylosis) & lower back (lumbar spondylosis). This link explains the differences nras.org.uk/resource/rheuma... Part of my treatment includes an antidepressant (amitriptyline), in my case though as an alternative use, pain relief, it relaxes the muscles. Maybe this is what your GP has discussed with you? Have you had the X-ray yet? Until it is a proper diagnosis can't be given. But don't worry, it's not painful & it's over quickly. Unlike RD there aren't specialist meds used in treating OA, so your GP can often manage it with pain relief & NSAIDs, plus meds like anti depressants & neurological meds (if required) such as pregabalin or gabapentin. Sometimes though a Rheumatology appointment is required, see what your GP suggests.
The pins & needles may be related to nerve entrapment, it's common I’m afraid as the narrowing worsens. But there is treatment that can help (as above) so don't worry.
Your other symptoms could well be menopause or peri menopause related, you are the right age, but the FSH test will confirm. I was 53 when I was checked, just to confirm my levels, no other reason really as I was fortunate in only having night sweats really so chose not to have any medical intervention.
The blurry eye problem is probably as it was with me & oestrogen related. The cornea stiffens & changes the light refraction resulting in the blurriness. It can affect your tear making too & cause dry eyes. I'd recommend you see your optician, just check on your eye health generally as changes do happen during & after the menopause as I found. Never needing them before always being short sighted I have reading glasses now but can drive without the need for glasses any more. Baffling until it was explained to me.
I know it all seems a worry, even more if you have health anxieties. Was there something happened previously which caused this? If so you may ask your GP if therapy may help you, if you feel that it would help. Also if you find it helpful keep talking here, as I say some do have OA on top of RD so we can share our experiences & maybe this will help you with your worries too. 😊
Thank you sooo much for fantastic explanation and kindness . You’ve really made me feel better . Yes I am awaiting a letter for X-ray . Two yrs ago I had frozen shoulder . I had physio and the guy did say it could be osterperousis , soz can’t spell it .
I am currently on diazapam,been on them for 3 years now so I am prob dependant on them . I take 6 mg a day sometimes 7 mg . I only take paracetamol with my neck but I do find that some days it’s not as bad and the unbalanced feeling isn’t as bad . That’s y I got private bloods on my vits as wasn’t sure if was vit related . But it did come back low folate so dr has given me some folic acid . I wasn’t sure if low in this can cause my problems . X
I would be very grateful to keep in touch as I do fell isolated within myself bout all this not helping my anxiety issues .
Thank you sooo much .
My hormone blood test is tomo .
Re optitions , yes dr asked me to take a test as I get visual issues .
Osteoporosis (if that is what you mean) is quite different, it's a weakening of the bones, they become less dense & at risk of fracture, but maybe you meant osteoarthritis. A physio would be able to detect that from your range of movement & any inflammation etc. The osteo prefix means that they both relate to bones.
Obviously I’m not au fait with antidepressants in their original use but when you say you're probably dependent on them do you mean your body has got used to them, that the diazepam may not be working as well as it could? What made me wonder is you saying you increase the dose, as in the extra milligram will help more. If so please do talk with your GP, it may be a tweak in dose is needed or you'd benefit from an alternate antidepressant to help control your anxiety further. A new brush & all that.
At the same time you could ask advice about controlling your neck symptoms with the paracetamol. It may be taking an anti-inflammatory (NSAID) alongside would be helpful (even an over the counter one such as ibuprofen). It's a normal combination with pain & inflammation, I took them together when I had cervical spasms in my early thirties way before RD.
I hope all goes well with the FSH (or hormone) test today. It's a blood test so nothing, a few minute no more so not too much to worry about. You shouldn't have a long wait for the result as it is a quick test, within a few days, though your GP may suggest a week. Keep us updated so we know how you're doing & what the result shows. Til then take care… & stop googling! x
Also read that unbalanced feeling and muscle pains and eyes could be hormones but also ties in with anxiety symptoms too . I have sent off a throid test too lol as I panic as read symptoms of my issues . I can’t help worrying as said I have high health anxiety .
Step away from Dr Google! 😱😂Seriously though, nothing worse when you're worried as you'll end up thinking that you've got every disease going.
It's possible that everything you're experiencing is due to peri-menopause; I had "silent migraines" where I had the visual disturbances without a headache. An optician confirmed that's what it was and said that it was stress but I researched and found that it's often hormonal and low and behold, it disappeared once I was on HRT.
Thank u so much for kind support xI’ve had 3 hormones test in the last two yrs and it came back borderline as that’s all I ever hear .
As my monthly’s were horrific like every two weeks then brown for ages then on again it was horrible . I must admit all my symptoms started around 2-3 yrs ago if I think back as at that time I was a happy go lucky person .
Yes I am on the balance app from Louise newson . I am always on there complaining lol x
Just want this dizzy stuff to go away . I get palpitations too but was all checked and was ok.
I just feel odd 24/7
Never feel at ease .
I have suffered anxiety since my 20s and have been on anti depressants but two yrs ago they suddenly stopped working . Then all these symptoms came . I am kinda scared to go on hrt tbh . I cannot deal with any more worries but if my test tomo comes back that I am in menopause then I think I may just try something . As cannot go on every day like this . I just feel joyless and so tired and anxious all rolled into one .
What doesn’t help is that my dad passed this July at home with me as I was his full time carer .
That didn’t help my situation either as caring for dad was soo demanding plus so sad .
The trouble is that tests are notoriously unreliable during peri-menopause as your hormone levels change hourly let alone daily! You've obviously had an awful lot to deal with - so sorry to hear about your Dad 😢 Have you given up on the antidepressants? I think that some people do find that one type can stop working after a certain amount of time and that they need to try something different. I only developed anxiety when I became peri-menopausal (at about 47) so turned to HRT as in my case it was definitely hormonal. Later on (at about 54) I had various extra stress factors (aging Mum and ill husband) so started Mirtazapine when my anxiety ramped up which helped my mood and enabled me to sleep - bliss! I'm now 61 (definitely post-menopausal!) and much better now that my hormones are stable (although obviously low) and came off HRT last year with no obvious issues. I get some hot flushes/night sweats but no return of anxiety but then my life is calmer and happier these days. I've stayed on a half dose of Mirtazapine simply because it gives me a really good night's sleep but felt that I was ready to stop the HRT if only because I'm now on various medications for RA (diagnosed in 2019)I remember how desperate I was in my late 40s so you have my sympathy. 💐
Thank you for sharing with me . I will defo keep u all updated . It’s so lovely for you all to care and support me with this . I am praying hormones show at last some change so can put my brain at rest and X-ray hopefully will be ok . I might start a anti depressant while I go through al this stuff .
I might try mitazapine
Can I ask if there’s any side effects as I take diazapam too ? . We these work together x
Due for my bloods today and woke up with deep thoughts not nice ones! Have butterfly’s in tummy as I have white coat syndrome and as soon as I enter any health place my panic sets in we’re I can’t breath properly and feel palps . But I need to face all these tests to get well .
I was taking an occasional low dose of diazepam when I started Mirtazapine and I always have some in the cupboard (with my GP's blessing) but never take more than 2mg a day and a packet lasts me for 2 years! It's just reassuring to have it available but I was keen not to take it regularly as I didn't want to become dependent on it. That's something for you to discuss with your GP 😉
I have been on these for 3 yrs , started on 2 mg a day but over the 3 yrs I have crept up to 6-7 mg a day . Scares the hell out of me , the drs are aware and said I need to come off slowly but they said while I am being investigated on my issues to stay on them and when I feel bit more stable I will recieve help to come off x
Definitely go with your doctor's advice 😊 My GP was great throughout; supported me, explained her thinking re various medications and planned with me a schedule for phasing out different things but was flexible and delayed things when I had too much going on in my life to cope with the original plans. I'm now in a really good place despite my RA so try to stay positive 😊
Don’t know y I feel soo damn anxious bout blood test today x I used to be soo care free. Now I am kinda housebound tbh , don’t really like going out as Get panicky and seem to walk fast to shop and back , it’s awful . Wish this anxiety would go away
Anxiety is horrible but you can learn to live with it - it can a hard path but it's worth the journey. Have you tried thinks like mindfulness as well medication? It can sometimes be worth trying a combination of things.
Just got back from bloods They did a full blood count and fsh hormones too as last blood count my white cell count was 11.5 should be 11
So she wanted to do a full blood count too .
This was done 3 wks ago . Anyway I had bad sweating waiting to be seen and felt my stomach go tight and felt dizzy . Is this anxiety . I sweated all the way home and felt woozy . Bloody hell hate it x
I have both OA and RA in my neck and was having numbness / pins and needles in my fingers / dizziness on bending over / pain....A course of physio exercises has helped relieve the symptoms considerably, although all the symptoms are still there, they are much more manageable. It might be worthwhile asking your GP for a referral to the physio dept.
I also take NSAIDs which help my neck issues too (alongside RA medication).
There is help out there so do ask, as it is not always offered.
Don't want to panic you but maybe ask to see a neurologist who hopefully would order an MRI of spine. I had what I would call mild neuro symptoms in 2002 which GPs ignored but when I asked to see a neurologist within 2 minutes he told me I had a spinal cord lesion and might need surgery that weekend! I had MRIs and it revealed subluxed vertebrae C3 onto C4 which did not show up on x rays and spinal cord compression. Had neurosurgery to decompress cervical spine and fuse it from C3-C6. Please don't ignore this, ask for a neuro referral as symptoms can be quite mild.
God that sounds scary stuff . I am hoping mine isn’t that . I did hormone fsh test today and X-ray due so will go from there . Also started folic acid tabs today . Wat was ur symptoms actually like . Mine is unbalanced when walking and dizzy eyes kinda thing . Some days it’s ok . But somedays it’s awful . Also I feel kinda drunk but obviously not . I can actaually cracking in neck x
My symptoms were mild to start with - intermittent numbness and tingling down arms but over a period of weeks increased to feeling out of breath, dizziness, extremely tired and falling asleep every time I sat down to legs shaking as if shivering, but not cold. No loss of bladder or bowel control.
We all have some form of arthritis and pain is pain so welcome to the site. I am not a medical person so this is just my opinion but it sounds like a trapped nerve to me and maybe physio would help. Wait and see what your xray shows up and you will be given the correct treatment. Good luck
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X-Ray's of hands & feet with RA
Chest X-ray?
