Joint pain- suggestions?

[4horses]

I’ve been having night sweats, fatigue, and joint pain. I went to my primary care nurse who was no help at all and just said “it’s probably autoimmune” and here is a referral to rheumatology but they are backed up for 6 months.

We did do a lupus panel previously and that was negative.

Any other suggestions? The pain is primarily in my hands/fingers. Trying to text on my cellphone is painful so I’m avoiding that, but other then resting my hands is there anything I can do in the meantime?

I’m thinking of finding a new primary care doctor, as my current one hasn’t been very helpful.

[luvmyhackney]

Try red light therapy and BOT products.

@Jackie_Cochran might have some suggestions.

[Scribbler]

Specialists can be a long wait but that’s what you need. Also perhaps a primary care doctor rather than nurse?

In the interim I would do some Google on reliable medical sites like Mayo clinic. I don’t know if fever and sweats are in the autoimmune category. Other kinds of infections can also trigger arthritis flares too. It sounds like you have had previous issues to do a lupus workup.

On the off chance it might help, you could also try an elimination diet. Some people claim to be reactive to the nightshade family (tomatoes, peppers). Other people sugar. Other people swear by losing significant amounts of weight.

I have osteoarthritis. Unfortunately typing on my cell phone has remodeled my pointer finger in an ugly way! Reducing this at least temporarily could be good.

You can also try pain relief, topical or oral, or warm soaks for your hands.

Googled, and night sweats have a variety of causes, but don’t seem especially linked to the autoimmune cluster.

Night sweats Causes

[jherold]

Try accupuncture. Worst that can happen is that it won’t work. But I bet it does.

[Simkie]

Reddit offers me all sorts of weird stuff, and this popped up earlier this week. Night sweats can be tied to so much and apparently should be triggering a pretty extensive workup. Maybe this will give you a jumping off point with your doctor to push for more care?

https://www.reddit.com/r/FamilyMedicine/s/H6jz6XnZiE

[McGurk]

Do you mind asking me how old you are? Could it be perimenopause?

That would certainly cause the night sweats and fatigue, and the reduction in your estrogen levels can absolutely cause joint pain and exacerbate existing arthritis.

Auto immune makes me think RA. Your symptoms absolutely fit RA, including the night sweats. Maybe ask for a referral to a rheumatologist?

[Jackie_Cochran]

I do not know if this will help your fingers as much as it did my fingers, but it probably won’t hurt you to try this.

Evening Primrose Oil. This helped the osteoarthritis in my hands after 2 decades of doing a lot of 10-key work at my job. This oil has the one and only Omega-6 fatty acid that acts as an anti-inflammatory (GLA).

It is available at Walmart, usually in the women’s herbal/remedy section. Sometimes my DH has to hunt for it.

[RMJacobs]

You can have a rheumatoid panel done. It measures rheumatoid factor (which is not a 100% guarantee you have or will have RA) and various inflammation markers. Your PCP can order it. They might be hesitating because you can have RA and have no rheumatoid factor (called seronegative RA), and I know you can have normal inflammation markers and still have active RA as that is what happens to me. If all are positive, it might help get you into a rheumatologist sooner. You can also ask to be on their cancellation list, if they have one.

If you haven’t had one, I strongly recommend a thyroid panel. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can present with your symptoms. So can menopause.

As for how to deal with pain in the meantime, heat usually helps, and CBD cream (with THC if it’s legal where you live) are noninvasive ways. Your PCP could prescribe an anti inflammatory such as ibuprophen and naprosyn, which you can get over the counter but the prescription version is more powerful. Aspirin might help.

Some people like warm wax treatments on their hands. I’ve never tried it as I just wrap a heating pad around my hands when I need it.

Best of luck, and I’d be glad to answer any other questions you have. I had Hashimoto’s diagnosed in 1992 and rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed in 1998. So I’ve been around the block on the autoimmune stuff.

[Bluey]

@4horses

I’ve been having night sweats, fatigue, and joint pain. I went to my primary care nurse who was no help at all and just said “it’s probably autoimmune” and here is a referral to rheumatology but they are backed up for 6 months.

We did do a lupus panel previously and that was negative.

Any other suggestions? The pain is primarily in my hands/fingers. Trying to text on my cellphone is painful so I’m avoiding that, but other then resting my hands is there anything I can do in the meantime?

I’m thinking of finding a new primary care doctor, as my current one hasn’t been very helpful.

I had something similar, deadly fatigue, worse ever and strange joint pain and blood work was showing I had practically 0 vitamin D3.
Started at 1000 units, blood still showing too low, now at 5000 am feeling fine again.
Made a mistake, took pills from the 1000 bottle for some 10 days and was feeling bad again when I realized that and went back to 5000 and pains gone.

Maybe just to cover all bases, have they checked your D3?
If not, ask for it, may be what is wrong.

[iberianfan]

I can’t address your overall symptoms, but I will say this: I had extreme foot pain (I have osteoarthritis everywhere) and all MD’s, even podiatrist, blew me off. Then, my new PCP suggested Valtoren, or equivalent, 3-4 times a day. After just a few days, it made a remarkable difference and I have very little foot pain now after several weeks.

However, it has not been as effective on my very arthritic hands… But it helps.

[McGurk]

@iberianfan

Valtoren,

Voltaren? The gel? Or the oral medication?

[RMJacobs]

Be very careful with anti inflammatories. I was on them nonstop for many years, and they contributed to my kidney failure. My doctors didn’t speak up until it was too late. I don’t find being on dialysis as the worst thing ever, but I sure would have avoided it if I could.

[McGurk]

I have to get labs drawn several times a year because of my long term reliance on anti-inflammatories; my doctor won’t refill my scrip without looking at my blood work.

So far, so good, but the day my kidney numbers aren’t good and I have to cut back or stop taking them will be a very bad day indeed.

[GreyDes]

If you’re in the right age range (as early as your 30s) I’ll add to the suggestions to test your hormone levels to see if you are in perimenopause. I had all three of those symptoms when it started for me, and it took a while to figure out what was going on.

Sneaky symptoms of perimenopause

Another thing to evaluate is Candida which can cause fatigue and joint pain - https://www.thecandidadiet.com/candida-symptoms/

Also, is there any possibility of a Lyme infection? That’s another cause of fatigue and joint pain.

[RMJacobs]

My numbers were OK until suddenly they weren’t, and then it was too late. My kidneys just kept getting worse even after I stopped anti inflammatories, until my kidneys completely failed.

[Moss]

I can share my experience getting diagnosed-- autoimmune diseases are quite strange-- but your symptoms could indicate perimenopause. I would cross my fingers and toes that it’s perimenopause. That said, autoimmune diseases 10000% have a mind of their own and like to wreck the human body at will, so you never know. Symptoms definitely vary illness to illness and person to person.

Sending a big hug to you! Let me know if you would like me to share what I know and my own personal experience.

[4horses]

This could very well be autoimmune but it could be related to the tick bite that gave me alpha gal syndrome. I did test negative for Lyme but no one I’ve spoken with will run a full tick borne disease panel which was what I wanted. I’ve been searching for a doctor familiar with tick borne illness but the only ones I have found are out of network.

My D3 is good. B12 has been low in the past but was better on my last bloodwork.

I’m going to switch primary care doctors. My current doctor isn’t very helpful. My family doctor is accepting new patients so I’m going back to her. She might have some ideas on what testing we can do while I wait to see the specialist.

Things go so slowly in medicine. Wait a couple months for an appointment, just to get canceled the day before, then they reschedule for a couple more months…

I wonder if the orthopaedics can get me in, as they would certainly be faster then waiting for Rheumatology? Might be worth a try…

[iberianfan]

Sorry, the gel. I had to stop NSAIDs completely because of my kidneys. Fortunately, for me, my numbers recovered. But the topical gel does not have the impact on kidneys that oral meds do.

I get my numbers checked regularly, believe me. So sorry that some of you have to deal with that.

[anonevent]

Have you been tested for Tick Born Diseases?

[Pico_Banana]

Following this with interest as I have been experiencing fatigue, joint pain (elbows and knees), insomnia caused by overheating. Am definitely in menopause. Am doing PT as the first step but it’s not helping much. Tested rheumatoid factors and they came back fine.

A friend has suggested low dose naltrexone, which the nurse poo-poohed. But this joint pain is serious. One elbow has gotten so bad it keeps me up at night sometimes.

Voltaren kinda helped one knee, but then made it feels like the skin was swollen so I stopped that. I might try it again on the bad elbow.