Hot and itchy?

hippy
hippy Member Posts: 55
edited 29. Apr 2017, 11:19 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi,

Still waiting on appointment with rheumatologist but only two weeks to go. GP suspects PMR....but I am not typical. Another doc has suggested fybromyalgia.....but I am not typical of that either! I am just awkward!

Anyway, whatever it is, is getting worse or flaring up. My pain seems to have spread out from my knees, to my calves, my thighs and more recently, my inner ankles......so painful :-( Today I am in agony and pain relief isnt even touching it.....but I am also very tender to the touch and my muscles are not only hot but itchy too. I wondered if heat/itch/tenderness was something people related to?

Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I can't really relate to any of this. (I have RA and OA.) My pain has always been in my joints except when eg walking badly to 'spare' one bit has resulted in something else kicking in.

    I don't have fibro and know very little about it but, from what I've read on here, I wonder if the itchiness and muscle pain might be related to that?
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I have fibro, it's being a nuisance at the moment. My muscles are tender to the touch but I'm no more itchy than usual, just where the psoriasis is troublesome. I read somewhere that fibro can affect our body's temperature regulation, I certainly run hot and always have a fan to hand. I am also very tired, that could be the fibro, it could be the PsA flaring, quite honestly I don't give one damn about the cause, things are as they are and have to be lived with. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • hippy
    hippy Member Posts: 55
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks,

    It has settled down today. Muscles feel absolutely fine.

    I have a real need to know what is causing it. Without knowledge, I have no power. Without knowing what it is, I am unable to research ways and ideas of living with it. I am unable to accept that it will never get better. ..if that is the case. Or I am unable to have hope that it is something that will get better in time or with medication. Without knowing I don't have the advice to exercise or rest, I don't know if my current medication is causing or exacerbating it and I lack the advice what to do if this is the case.
    I have never been physically unfit. I am at a loss and tbh, it is quite frightening.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I understand the need to know a cause but you do know already that you have 'wear and tear' (ie OA). When you see the rheumatologist next month(?) you may well find that, like many others, you have another 'woolly term' – inflammatory arthritis. Things are often not very clear cut in the wonderful world of arthritis.

    It is unusual for any kind of arthritis to 'get better'. You may find that, with the right medication, you are better than you are now. Indeed, if you do have an inflammatory arthritis and are on the right DMARD for you, you may find you feel almost your old self. But the only people who talk of 'cures' are those peddling their snake oil treatments.

    I think the accepted advice, whatever kind of arthritis you have, is to exercise – gentle, range-of-movement exercises when things are flaring and the more energetic, strengthening ones when they're not. If the problems are from the waist downwards then exercises should be of the non-weight bearing kind ie cycling and swimming are good but anything involving running isn't. If we're doing too much, our joints soon let us know and we must listen to them. Or take the consequences which can sometimes be a perfectly acceptable choice.

    If you've 'never been physically unfit' this must be new territory for you and scarily so but remember you should have more answers after seeing the rheumatologist which isn't long by NHS standards. Unfortunately, stress isn't good for any kind of arthritis, and the inflammatory kinds just gobble it up and thrive on it. Chill out, if you can. Use distraction as a tool to get right away from it all. Yes, you need to keep a brief diary of pain and events for your first rheumatology appointment but the briefer the better. We can get so absorbed in what our bodies are / aren't doing that we forget to use them for living and enjoying. And there is a great deal of living to be done and enjoying to be had whatever type of arthritis you have.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • hippy
    hippy Member Posts: 55
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Yeah....thanks. What can I say?....I am a worrier :)

    I was told by a physio that I have OA....but then the GP said my x rays showed no sign of it. :?

    I totally get that seeing the rheumatologist might just give me a not very distinct 'reason'. I am just so frustrated because it is impacting on my mental health. Obviously, pain will do so.....but my psychiatrist has said that for now, he can do nothing else, medication wise, for me until he finds out what is "wrong" with me (His words) because treatments may well not be compatible. I still think that my current med regime may well have something to do with this. I take 3 different meds that can be associated with muscle pain....although it is not one of the more common side effects. IF I have to withdraw from any of these drugs, then that in itself is going to be a trial.

    I am keeping a diary to take along to appointment. Someone on here provided a very good one. I am cycling on exercise bike when my legs feel able and trying really hard to listen to my body....walk when it is fine, get the bus or a lift when it isn't. However, I confess to having pushed myself a few times, in the belief/hope that I can exercise my way out of this. It didn't help! Resting isn't something that comes easy to me.....I know I may have to re assess how I do things.

    I know none of you can give me the answers I seek......and I know I am very fortunate to be seeing a rheumatologist so quickly. I do appreciate replies and when I have a better understanding of the cause of my troubles, I can hopefully help someone else :-)
  • Airwave!
    Airwave! Member Posts: 2,458
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Due to wear and tear of my spine my cord gets agitated by pressure on it, one of the symptoms is hot flushes in my leg, others being numbness. Combined with dry itchy skin its just something else to put up with.

    Swimming lots has helped stabilise my back and relieve some of the problem.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hippy wrote:
    Resting isn't something that comes easy to me..


    We can always rest one bit while exercising another - even when the exercised bit is the brain :wink: The legs can be resting while the arms are doing something useful. We just have to adapt to circumstances. That way we can still get much of what we want out of life.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    A physio 'diagnosed' OA? :? Carpenters use drills but don't attempt dentistry and vice versa. Physios have a role to play but diagnosis isn't one of them, they do not have the requisite knowledge: they may have experience of dealing with osteo arthritic joints but that is not the same as being able to diagnose it. I've had a lot of physio over the years and it's all been reactive in that I've been referred by the GP or it was post-surgery. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • hippy
    hippy Member Posts: 55
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Yes DD, the physio told me I had OA. What happened is that I was having physio and everything seemed to be going well....and then it got worse. He said that people with OA can have flare ups and that is what was happening. I was surprised as I didn't think he had the qualifications to diagnose. I checked it out with him, asking if that is what I had and he replied it was. I assumed he had had a note from my GP. Anyway, when I saw the GP, he was really cross and said the physio had no right to say what he had....and that he was wrong. My X rays had looked fine and no real indication of wear and tear.
    I love your analogy....I hope my dentist never uses a Black and Decker on me! LOL!
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Some physios are qualified radiologists but not many. Your GP might have been angry because he knew yours wasn't.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright