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Mary1234
Mary1234 Member Posts: 4
edited 31. Jan 2013, 13:34 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi all, I have been reading up on all your posts and just wanted to see if there is anyone there who started out like me... Sorry if it's long!
I woke up one morning last year with pain in all my joints - ankles, knees, hips, wrists, shoulders, fingers... pretty much everywhere! Had blood tests a week later and all ok. Things improved gradually until I was left with discomfort and aches mainly on the right side - very stiff ankles in the morning and pains in my right shoulder, aching wrist and carpel tunnel symptoms in my right hand (I had a carpel tunnel release in this hand a number of years before but all had been fine till now). Also my knees are intermittently sore. Over the last 2 months the pain has also started to appear in my left shoulder, wrist and thumb joint.
I was referred to a rheumatologist after a couple of months of this and after numerous tests he has diagnosed me with seronegative inflammatory arthritis. All blood tests still coming back normally. He thinks this was triggered by a virus I had (parvovirus B19 or slapped cheek syndrome). He started me on 15mg methotrexate and a reducing dose of deltacortril. I started taking these 6 weeks ago but had to reduce and come off the deltacortril due to the side effects - heart palpitations etc. I had been feeling a bit better while I was on the deltacortril but since stopping it I am aching everywhere again. I'm not in awful pain but I am constantly aware of various aches and pains eveywhere.
I'm wondering if there is anyone else on here who started out the same way and how they have got on with this illness. Also, how long it took the methotrexate to start having an effect! Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • shandy4greenday
    shandy4greenday Member Posts: 344
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi I am sorry to here of your pain,I also am quite new to this illness mine started in September and is mainly with my hands ad wrist mainly my right hand ,i also get cramps and aches in other parts of my body especially at night time with bad cramp in my right knee or in my lower back.I had my first appointment with a rhuematologist a week ago and have been diagnosed with Innflamatory arthritis but unsure which yet and also I am having my medication changed in 3 weeks time on my next appointment to Methotrexate and Hydroxychloroquine,I was informed they can take anything up to 12 weeks to get any effect from them.The doctors were shocked that my doc has left me since September like this so I am relieved to finally start getting some help.The lovely people on here have been great and have given me lots of advise and help for me to even get my appointment to the rhuematologist.I hope you also get some relief soon too. Best of luck Sharon x
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Mary123 and welcome to the forum. I think, if you read through posts on here, you’ll find every conceivable method of starting with arthritis :roll: Mine began in fingers, closely followed by ankles and wrists but then spread.

    There are quite a few people on here with sero-neg though I’m not one of them as mine is RA. However, the treatments for all of us auto-immune types is more or less the same. Methotrexate is the usual starting point and steroids are often given with it at first as they take away the worst of the symptoms while the meth is kicking in. All the DMARDS – of which meth is one – can take some time to work properly and I think 6 weeks isn't an unduly long time, though it may seem so to you.

    If you look at some of Arthritis Care’s booklets, you can read up on the various forms of arthritis. If yours was triggered by a virus it might be that you’re one of the lucky ones with Reactive Arthritis which, I believe, can go away again. I hope it does but, meanwhile, if the meth isn’t doing enough for you, you can either ask your GP for some pain relief or ring your rheumatology helpline and ask for advice there. And, of course, you can always chat to us :)
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • Mary1234
    Mary1234 Member Posts: 4
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi
    Thanks for the replies. I am making my way through the Arthritis Care booklets and they are very useful. It's just so frustrating to feel like this and it is a long wait for the medication to kick in. I really feel that at 40 I am too young for this but unfortunately I can see I'm not alone! Thanks again.
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,280
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello Mary123
    And a warm welcome from me.
    I am sorry I cant help but you have some to the right place there are lots on here on the same meds..
    So you stay with us , just talking to people that understand can be a big help.x
    Love
    Barbara
  • Mummyof3
    Mummyof3 Member Posts: 18
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hiya sorry to hear of your pains. If you look at my first post, I too have gone through this. Unfortunately it began in April after being diagnosed with parvovirus and I'm still having tests and scans to see why I'm still in pain. I had a isotope bone scan on monday and ill get the results in 2 wks. Then I'm hoping to get some answers but I'm not hopeful to be honest.
  • Mary1234
    Mary1234 Member Posts: 4
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Mummyof3, hopefully the scan will show up something and you will get some answers. It is very frustrating - I wish something would show in my bloods so I would have a definite diagnosis of something.
    With me, I tested weakly positive for parvovirus around 4 months after the joint pain started. My daughter had developed the telltale rash on her face a week after my joint pain started so I was hoping that that was what was wrong with me even though the joint pain was my only symptom. The rheumatologist seems to think that the inflammatory arthritis was something that would have happened to me at some time in the future and I got the impression that parvovirus is one of a number of viruses that can trigger it off early. I started treatment in December (6 months after the initial joint pain) but am still waiting to see any results.
    While initially all my joints were affected, it subsided over a couple of months and mainly affected my right side. However it then began to creep over to the left side again. My worst pains at the moment are my wrists, shoulders and ankles and my big toes!
    Hope you get some answers soon.