Sacroilliac Pain and rheumy appointment

Mat48

Hi - firstly happy new year to you all. I haven't been here for a while - been too busy turning 50 on top of all the usual Christmas and New Year stuff. With new 50 year old status has come a really sore lower back. Mentioned it to my GP when I was having my Methotrexate blood test on Monday and he checked out the whereabouts and says it's Sacroilliac pain - which initially I was relieved about because I was thinking it might be my hips.

As well as this backache, which mainly hurts when I sit down for any length of time - I have been getting a return of surges of deep heat everywhere, but especially powerfully in my groin. I've asked on here about these some time ago and had a very helpful response - also asked elsewhere but never found anyone who was able to describe exactly the same.

I have a rheumatology appointment a week tomorrow - first in 6 months and it's with a different chap to the usual one who diagnosed and has been treating me at a distance. I'm now on 15mg injectable MTX and 200mg Hydroxichloraquine and my ESR has come down from high fifties in September (was higher still over the summer) to 26 this week so am I right to assume that this sacroilliac pain isn't likely to be inflammatory? I haven't got a lot to say to this consultant and the only thing really bothering me much just now is my back but I don't want to waste an appointment and then spend another six or eight months, or even a year - wishing I'd not played everything down and wondering if the pain in my back is arthritic or not.

I did have some really big babies 16/18 years ago and they did give me exactly this sort of pain in my back, both in labour and afterwards. Apart from that I've been fairly lucky with my back so am wondering whether to see a chiropractor now or wait to find out if the problem is OA, RA or just doing too much. Would be grateful for your experiences and advice on all of this. Mat48 (< wishful thinking now :roll:)

salamander

Hi Mat, I had sacroilliac pain once and it is excruitiating! I took anti inflammatories which settled it down after a couple of weeks. I hadn't been diagnosed with RA at this point so very hard to say whether it was related or not but, interestingly or not, I had a lot of 'joint' problems long before full blown RA. I'll be interested to hear what your consultant says. Good luck with your appointment.

frogmorton

Hi Mat

Lovely to see you Congratulations on your 50th .

In my opinion I wouldn't play it down at all. Say it as it is because it might or might not be relevant, but you will regret it if you don't and it carries on won't you?

You have my sympathy - sounds very very sore

I know I wouldn't risk any other treatment like chiro till l was sure what it is.

love

Toni xx

Mat48

Thanks both. Its not excruciating mostly although sometimes leads to cramp in my bum which is. Mostly its just there and especially if I sit down at 45 degrees if you know what I mean? I've had worse but it reminds me of pregnancy rather weirdly? I keep thinking I've got nothing to say to this rheumy but then I remember little things like cant lean on my wrists - especially not right wrist - and when I do push hands back I still get a nasty pain in my knuckles. I suspect all that is old hat and nothing meds can now improve on. Some may even be OA rather than RA - especially the sacrum because it doesn't seem to be an RA sort of thing - not in the early milder stages like mine anyway? Oh well - thanks for welcoming me back Frogmorton - I always feel a bit of a cad for my irregular appearances but I'm often elsewhere online - either doing art or on the RA site. Its great coming home sometimes as this was my lifeline when things were in horrible limbo pre diagnosis. Hope you are both okay? Mat x

salamander

Glad to hear the pain is not too bad. I remember I couldn't sit, stand or roll over or get in and out of bed. In fact, the latter was the question my gp asked that diagnosed it.

I'm ok thanks. Going along on Enbrel, half dose so not entirely effective but better than without!
x

Mat48

Why only half a dose? I've a friend who started Enbrel for his AS yesterday and already feels a whole lot better - no ibuprofen for first time in five years today - is this possible do you think? Mat xx

Ps I've a very high pain tolerance and tend to be more freaked out by drugs than RA pain but the cramps in bum are unreal!

salamander

I get too many nasty chest infections - had problems with Mtx, Cimzia and full dose Enbrel, so this is a compromise I need to make. Nurse completely supportive of this decision plus rheumy too. I have small dose of steroids too. Not perfect but not entirely dreadful either.

As for SIJ, I remember!

Mat48

Yes it's very particular isn't it re S1J? I'm sorry about the chest stuff you suffer from. I've been very lucky in that regard although liver doesn't like MTX much. But today I finally had my pneumacoccal jab having been on MTX for over a year so I'm feeling a bit tired and achy but less worried at prospect of working with kids all next week now at least! Mat x

stickywicket

I'm 100% with frog, Mat. Don't play it down. Give the rheumatologist the facts and let him/her decide what's important.

And don't worry about infrequent appearances. It's always nice to see you

Mat48

Okay thanks SW I will do as you suggest. I'm hoping he will say the back problems are non arthritic and agree that I'm in remission. I believe not being able to fully clench hands or put weight on wrists is just my new normal - a hangover from flares past so hopefully he will agree and my meds either reduce or stay the same. It's always nice seeing you again too. Mat x

LignumVitae

Not sure you want to hear this but I have inflammatory arthritis (25mg injectable MTX) and I do get inflammation of the SI joints when things are bad. It does hurt lots and spreads across the bum making it a bit tricky to rub or soothe when it public! Good luck and defo do not play it down.
LV

dreamdaisy

My sacro-iliacs hurt constantly and have done for years. Now the hips are starting to join in, what bliss. :roll: Just tell it as it is, mention everything (no matter how trivial you may feel it is) so that he has the best picture possible of you.

As for the heat surges I think that was mentioned in the Mail last Tuesday, it was their health day and they were covering the more unusual aspects of the menopause. If I could do the blue I would. :oops: DD

Mat48

Thanks DD - sometimes this really is the only place to come for an arthritic day out!

Yes well menopause... I started this RA journey on the Menopause Matters site where they pointed me to this forum because when I spoke of heat flashes in my wrists no one seemed to relate to it on there at all and as my knuckles were pretty inflamed and inflam markers high too the heat was deemed to be arthritic at source.

But I've never had a trad hot flash to compare it with and since all this started I actually seem to have got steadily chillier so no night sweats for me thankfully. I don't know why my body always has to be so contrary and do things differently to the norm though. I recall that throughout my first pregnancy I was covered from head to toe in eczema and every medic I saw from obstetrician to dermatologist treated this like a freak show "eczema almost invariably gets better in pregnancy?" - blinkin' typical!

Och well I'll look up last Tuesday's Mail and see if I find myself normalised under the unusual but not barking subheading for once! :roll:

elainebadknee

Mat

Im sorry to make light of your post but I read it all the way through till read end but about the big babies and i had just assumed with your username that you were a male...I had to do a double take/read! Sorry!

On a more serious note my mum hurt her sacroilliac joint after some energetic dancing in her late 70's...It wasnt as bad as yours but it did cause her a lot of pain and took a while to subside...Isnt it weird how the really bad things that cause us such pain have lovely, sweet sounding names for them?

Good luck and hope havent offended you...

Elainexx

Mat48

No I'm hard to really offend Elaine - rather excited to be thought a male Mat actually! Yes I do exercise regularly and tried a new yoga exercise so think that might have triggered it but also read that arthritis can affect Sacroilliac joints and cause problems for people who had difficult births in later life. So wondering if it might be OA or RA too. My GP said that these joints are ones that are like shock absorbers and can be affected by lifting or pulling hard or sudden impact. Hoping it just settles down soon as cant sit very easily just now. X

elainebadknee

Mat

Phew! Could've been a tricky one that...So ta!
Yeah i guess the back does take a whole lot of impact for the body as do the knees, hips and feet...I'll bet its really sore and dont suppose something as simple as heat on it may help? Probably not, think backs are one of worst problems to alleviate...

Good luck again!

Elainexx

Mat48 wrote:

No I'm hard to really offend Elaine - rather excited to be thought a male Mat actually! Yes I do exercise regularly and tried a new yoga exercise so think that might have triggered it but also read that arthritis can affect Sacroilliac joints and cause problems for people who had difficult births in later life. So wondering if it might be OA or RA too. My GP said that these joints are ones that are like shock absorbers and can be affected by lifting or pulling hard or sudden impact. Hoping it just settles down soon as cant sit very easily just now. X

dreamdaisy

I believe they are the joints that attach the hips to the pelvis so it's little wonder that the pain can spread to the hips. I know mine is caused by the PsA and nothing helps that deep, dull-yet-sharp ache. I hope you get an answer about the cause soon, Mat. DD

Mumof1

I do sympathise as these are the joints which affect me, and it is excruciating. I strongly believe that mine stems from falling down the stairs when I was around 19/20, I fell from top to bottom, bumping my back all the way down and I have never been the same from that day on, I did read that a trauma can affect these joints, so maybe giving birth to large babies could do some damage.

I hope that you are feeling better soon and I think it is still worth going to your hosp appointment otherwise you may regret it if you cant get another appointment for some months.

BABSE

Hi,
I have had sacroilliac pain for quite a number of years and tried various things and had a lot f physiotheraphy. However a couple of years ago I read an article about the Bowen Technique and found a practioner about 7miles from where I live and I have to say it has helped me immensely and also my neck pain from osteo-arthritis which had become quite debilitating. It's worth a try!
Good luck
Barbara

Mat48

Hi and thanks - the rheumy wasn't at all interested in my Sacroilliac pain - said it never usually goes with RA and the physio who attended my consultation said "just a bit of wear and tear dear" so that's it dismissed from rheumatology anyhow. :roll:

I will look out for the Bowen technique thanks Barbara.