Sharp pains

[carolBF]

Hi

does anyone suffer with pains in their knees, top of their toes and hands a feeling of broken shattered glass when leaning on them, this is slowly getting more painful

[SheffieldJane]

That is so specific. I would be fairly confident of a good doctor/ Rheumatologist diagnosing what this is ( or PMRPro, who is very clued up).

Do you have Psoriasis? Just a thought about Psoriatic Arthritis. That pattern of pain really rings a bell.

[carolBF in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thank you for your reply, it seems that once you start with one autoimmune condition you steadily get more.

I have Hashimoto, am diabetic, PMR now my skin is so itchy.

Think I may go back to my GP for advice

X

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Yes, I did as part of PMR. It is most likely tendinitis or tenosynovitis. It took a few months after starting on pred for it to fade and it recurrs now if I start to flare or as overuse injury.

What's your diagnosis/dose of pred?

[carolBF in reply to PMRpro]

I first was diagnosed at the end of October last year and went straight onto 20mg pred however I came off them a little fast in July this year to try a 5 day water fasting to try and reset my gut/immune system, the whole experience was amazing and all my pains disappeared, however as soon as I started to eat my PMR Pains returned everywhere.

I went to the GP and had some blood test my CRP levels came back at 27 which was high for me.

I went back into 5mg of preds last week however I still could hardly walk so now I am on 6mg.

I travel to Australia on the 15th November and would really like to be out of pain not sure how high I need to go

X

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to carolBF]

A study done some years ago found that a strict vegan diet resulted in the relief of joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis in half of patients. As soon as even a tiny amount of animal protein was reintroduced the pain was back. The conclusion was that there were (at least) two different mechanisms and one had some relationship to animal protein. Even the people who gained so much relief struggled to maintain the diet outside the trial where they were pretty much waited on! Given it is so much easier to be strictly vegan these days it might be worth a trial? Though such a short time would also be typical for a return of symptoms after 1mg had been enough to manage symptoms, which is quite common, so coincidence.

For Oz - only you can find out what you need. Where were you painfree before you did the too fast taper?

[carolBF in reply to PMRpro]

Hi Did you get this glass like feeling in your fingers and toes?

I am on 8mg of preds now but it’s getting worse, I have no stiffness or bone pain,

X

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to carolBF]

Not in the same way. More sharp tendonitis pains in fingers, especially if I moved them in certain directions. It hurt to shake hands - also a pressure thing but you don't walk on hands and that was what caused the foot pain!

The main reason for pain that is getting worse after having been relieved by pred is having gone to too low a dose.

[carolBF]

Will this carry on getting worse do you think,

Before my diagnosis My fingers used to spasm against my will for a few seconds, I don’t get that now.

If I feel the top of my fingers or toes it feels like they are sore on the skin

X

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to carolBF]

It may do if the reason it is there is because the pred dose is currently too low and inflammation is building up again. The underlying cause of PMR does appear to cycle, the activity rising and falling over time so you can flare because of increasing activity as well as trying to cope with too low a dose. And it isn't unusual for forcing a reduction for any reason to result in a flare that is more difficult to get under control again.

You have mentioned it to your doctors I assume? I get the sensation the tip of my fingers are burnt at times - but it isn't all the time I don;t think.