Chronic joint pain worsening over course of 6-7 years. 21 yrs old.

Danish Deshmukh

New member
PLEASE HELP ME! Hi, I'm Jessica, 21 years old. I need help. I'm starting to feel as if I will never know what this pain is and as if it will never go away.

I have had joint pain for 6-7 years. I first noticed it playing high school soccer. It started in my left hip, I then felt it in my right hip, and soon both knees. I now have pain in both hips, both knees, both shoulders, both elbows, and both wrists and fingers. And recently am noticing pain in my back as well. I most commonly feel pain in my hips and knees. Sometimes when the pain is in both hips and knees it feels like both my legs hurt up and down the leg and into my feet. The pain gets worse with repeated motion, high impact activity(like running, jumping rope, etc.), rain, weather changes, and long periods of walking. I cannot run at all without major consequences of pain.

When I first went to the doctor (an orthopaedic doctor specializing in the treatment of deformities, diseases and injuries of the bones, joints and muscles; sports medicine) an x-ray was performed and he diagnosed me as having chronic bursitis which can affect the following joints: shoulder, elbow, hip joints, knees, heels, buttocks, and the base of your big toe. Bursitis can be either acute (lasting only a few days) or chronic (lasting several weeks, with many recurrences). If chronic bursitis is left untreated--especially in the shoulder--calcium deposits can form within the bursae.

One doctor tested me for Lupus but the results came back positive and negative. I was very young at the time and the doctor said I do not have Lupus because not enough came back positive but recommended I have follow up tests which my parents never followed through on.

My pain has lasted over 6 years so I am doubting that bursitis is the correct diagnosis. I also have pain in my wrists, fingers and back which are not affected by bursitis.

I have seen another MD about my pain and she basically felt my hips and knees and said I have tendonitis, bursitis, and torn ligaments. But this was all said without x-ray or further examining (besides her touching/feeling my hips and knees as they move). She prescribed me a strong anti-inflammatory that gave me headaches and did not help or improve my pain levels. She also said that I will have to deal with my pain for the rest of my life. She said physical therapy is an option, but will not take the pain away. I left her office very discouraged.

I'm starting to feel as if I will never know what this pain is and as if it will never go away.

If you have experienced this or know what it may be please help.

Jessica
 
Hi Jessica...I'm Jenny and I've had joint problems since about the same age as you started...12-14. Turned out to be "early onset osteoarthritis". And with it I developed chronic tendinitis and bursitis and I've had that since I was 25...I'm now 58. And just to add insult to injury, I got rheumatoid arthritis at 53 and they are now checking to see if I now have yet another type on top of those. So I understand your frustration.

Have you seen a rheumatologist yet? They are the arthritis specialists who treat all these bizarre disorders.....not orthopedic surgeons. I guess you could say they are the medical side of orthopedics but really they treat a whole lot of other stuff that is auto-immune. It can take years of watching you to finally figure out what you have as many of them can have no positive blood tests results. My RA is considered "sero-negative" meaning I have a classic case of it but my blood has no signs of the disorder except for some tests that are positive with all of the disorders. So rheumatologists just watch you and wait. Eventually you develop enough problems that they can diagnose what it is. But while waiting they can treat you and sometimes that treatment is diagnostic as well. My RA responded to a certain RA drug and that just about clinched the diagnosis as other disorders didn't get better with that drug.

But I want to ask you one question...you finger joints...which ones hurt? The hand knuckles? Middle of the finger joints? The tiny joints at the ends of your fingers? Believe it or not, each is diagnostic of a certain disorder.

But your best bet is to see a rheumatologist and find one you like and stick with them so they watch you over time. It's a tough profession as basically none of their patients get well...ever. Consequently, they can have some weird personalities so you may need to see more than 1 to find someone you like. But it's worth it.

So tell me about your finger joints and any other questions you have.

Jenny
 
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