joint pain

hi everyone
could you shed some light on why there is so much joint and bone pain associated with hep c.? my complaints to my doc. 10 years ago lead to tests that said i had r.a. been on treatment for that for 8 years. low and behold after testing pos.for hepc last summer i went to new r.a. specialist and he said i don't have r.a. after all. go figure!! i am going to a hep. doc in june to do some more testing.
but what causes all the pain?

[snowbyrd]

I too suffered from alot of pain and was sent to a RA they thought it could be fibramyalgia, but now that i know i have hep c and have been tx it is the hepc that was causing most of my pain. When i starting reading about other peoples experiences i knew it was Hepc. I will be finished tx in 3 weeks, so we will see if after tx some of these problems go away. So Crazycunuck are you also from Canada?

[traveler65]

Don't know what causes the pain, but I went from doctor to doctor and therapist to accupuncturist for years due to pain in shoulders, back, hips, knees, feet, and lots odf other places. Since going on tx, most of the pain has disappeared.
Good Luck, read and ask lots of questions here before going to see your doctor and you will be better equipped to get through it.

[crazycanuck]

yes i am from southern ontario. and i am still waiting patiently for spring!

[snowbyrd]

I'm just east of Toronto. Ya a little sign of spring would be nice. I'm originally from Niagara Falls, but i moved up here about 15 years ago.

[Cheesegrater]

Hip pain when lying down on my side for more than 15 minutes, pain in the knees when climbing stairs, lower back pain, sometimes shoulder pain when lying on my side, pain in my finger joints...
Hep C.
I think it causes all sorts of immune reactions throughout the body. Probably got antibody-virus complexes all over the place causing swelling, my guess.

[ladybug52]

Hence you went for arthritis trial! Hey I don't know how old youare but I haven't beenable to get up w/o pain for some time. I'm always on the floor for work and I don't get up very gracefully anymore!
Bug

[rosebud57]

before tx i often experienced bone pain, sometimes feet, knees, hip, hands, would get these weird flare-ups that would last weeks, then for the most part disappear - for a time then return.  eventually hips get stuck when sitting more than 15 mins. don't get the flare ups  lately don't know if anything to do with hep c.  still get pain in hip deep inside if i sit too long or lay on it.

[ladybug52]

Have the hip pain more than any other spot. When people c/o bone pain I ask where is it, but no one ever answers. I have had so much difficulty sleeping on my right side and when I roll to the left I need a pillow to support the right hip. Sorry you have it , but so glad to find someone else with this pain. BTW, my PA thinks it was caused by tx, and it is getting better now that I stopped.
Bug

[Happyhungry]

Appreciate if you guys let me know where you are being treated in (around) Toronto area and what you think of the kind of care you are receiving. Do either of you have experience with use of EPO to treat anemia while under INF/RBV treatment? If so, at what point in your anemia was this prescribed and what was dosage?

[crazycanuck]

i for one have not treated yet. still waiting for my appointment with the heptacologist in london, i go in june. i'm sure snowbyrd is treating thoughand she is closer to your area.

[Jakied]

I believe the hcv causes swelling or inflamation (inflammation) in the bones and joints, hence the pain.