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Viral arthritis? Why is it persistant?
I am a 33 year old female HCW living in the tropics. About 4 months ago I noticed enlarged submandibular nodes, 3-4 on each side, 1-3cm size.There was an on-off tingling in the parotid region but no pain.There was no sore throat, cough or nasal congestion at this time.
4 weeks later, I developed a low grade fever and sudden onset severe pain in my knee joint and muscle aches in legs. It was quite severe and though i managed to walk about, was unable to stand for long. There were also pains in smaller joints of my toes and fingers.
On movement there were clicking sounds, but no pain in shoulder and wrist joints. I also had pain in the skin of my soles and fingers, a left side tinnitus and weakness in the muscles of my left hand. On day 10 of illness, my TLC had fallen from my baseline 5000 to 4000/mm3.
The symptoms more or less subsided in about 2 weeks but i continued to have joint pains in small joints off and on. I also had on and off muscle aches in my thigh upto 2 mths after symptoms began.
My ASO titres were borderline at the time of illness. There was no significant change when repeated 4 weeks later.
A few weeks after the illness, the lymph nodes had subsided.
The pain in my knee still persists.I am unable to bear weight on it for long without discomfort. I dont know whether this is due to the initial process or additional mechanical damage to the knee since I had physically strained the joint during the first few days of illness.
Should this be investigated, or should I just presume that this was a viral process and let it take its time? How much longer will my knee take to regain function? Could my symptoms be a reactive arthritis?
4 weeks later, I developed a low grade fever and sudden onset severe pain in my knee joint and muscle aches in legs. It was quite severe and though i managed to walk about, was unable to stand for long. There were also pains in smaller joints of my toes and fingers.
On movement there were clicking sounds, but no pain in shoulder and wrist joints. I also had pain in the skin of my soles and fingers, a left side tinnitus and weakness in the muscles of my left hand. On day 10 of illness, my TLC had fallen from my baseline 5000 to 4000/mm3.
The symptoms more or less subsided in about 2 weeks but i continued to have joint pains in small joints off and on. I also had on and off muscle aches in my thigh upto 2 mths after symptoms began.
My ASO titres were borderline at the time of illness. There was no significant change when repeated 4 weeks later.
A few weeks after the illness, the lymph nodes had subsided.
The pain in my knee still persists.I am unable to bear weight on it for long without discomfort. I dont know whether this is due to the initial process or additional mechanical damage to the knee since I had physically strained the joint during the first few days of illness.
Should this be investigated, or should I just presume that this was a viral process and let it take its time? How much longer will my knee take to regain function? Could my symptoms be a reactive arthritis?
I have had CFS/FMS (I believe them to be different phases of the-same illness) for 11 yrs.. My illness journey also started out with symptoms similar to what you describe, with small differences, but I had the fever, the swollen lymph nodes, raw throat, tinnitis in the left ear, bone-crushing fatigue, etc. I believe those symptoms are all due to some type of nasty virus which the medical community knows nothing about dealing with. (They can't even cure the common cold virus.) So, you have to be your own advocate. I have found natural supplements which have helped with pain like a miracle. Diet changes like eliminating carbs and sugars help prevent flares in symptoms and pain, and exercise, though difficult at times, is important to keep the body navigating and retaining long-term strengh and flexibility. Drs. will only offer pain meds with serious side effects if taken long term. I take a partial sleep med each night for my insomnia but that's it for meds. They are unnatural to the body. I realize in some cases, they may be necessary. Blessings
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