muscle/joint/fatigue/numbness?

I am tired of feeling not like myself. I have these random symptoms (listed below) and it has been really hard lately to do normal day-to-day activities that I would normally do with no problem. It is hard, but not impossible, which leads me to believe that I don't have CFS or post-viral fatigue syndrome. ANYWAYS, here are my symptoms:

joint pain (sporadic but symmetric--one day my knees a few days later my wrists, etc. major joints involved = knees, elbows, wrists, fingers, ankles, and hips)
muscle pain and aches
severe fatigue (no matter how much sleep/rest I get)
muscle twitching (constant-all over my body, even my tongue!, usually stops when I move the muscle affected, but occasionally continues no matter what I do)
Sometimes (recently mostly) my hands and occasionally feet have been falling asleep a lot--they get pins and needles feeling and my fingers come together. Lasts for a few minutes, then they are normal again.

I have had these symptoms since November 2008. Some days are worse than others. It just depends


I have had the following in the past 2 months:
2 cases of gastroentiritis (one which landed me in the hospital overnight)
oral candiasis
cold that lasted for 2 - 3 weeks
really bad heartburn/indegestion

Tests/bloodwork results:
ANA was negative in Nov, very high in Dec, then neg in Feb
ANA specific antibodies were neg in Feb
RF was neg in Nov
SED rate fluctuates, but in normal range
C-reactive protein is always slightly above the normal level, but nothing extremely  high


ANY THOUGHTS? I am frustrated and want to feel like myself again!!

[momtofourboys]

have you ever been bitten by a tick you could have lymes disease. and this has to be tested in a certain way.
I mean you have some symptoms. My sister in law never knew she got bite by a tick and she was complaining of joints hurting and just thought it was artheritis. then her daughter complain of leg pain and had a lump on her neck and my mom suggested testing her and she came back positive and so the 3 others on the house had to be tested and my SIL was positive and my brother is borderline. they had to take antibiotics for 3 weeks I think here is a thing on lymes
LD symptoms can imitate other diseases and can be misdiagnosed.

EARLY LOCALIZED DISEASE

    Signs and symptoms of Early Local Lyme Disease often starts with flu-like feelings of headache, stiff neck, fever, muscle aches, and fatigue. About 60% of light-skinned patients notice a unique enlarging rash, referred to as erythema migrans (EM), days to weeks after the bite. On dark-skinned people, this rash resembles a bruise.

    The rash may appear within a day of the bite or as late as a month later. This rash may start as a small, reddish bump about one-half inch in diameter. It may be slightly raised or flat. It soon expands outward, often leaving a clearing (normal flesh color) in the center. It can enlarge to the size of a thumb-print or cover a persons back.

    To be considered local disease the rash must be at the tick bite site with no other major organ system involvement. A rash occurring at other than the bite site in an indication of Disseminated Lyme Disease.

    Don't confuse a local reaction to a tick bite, with signs of infection. A small inflamed skin bump or discoloration that develops within hours of a bite and over the next day or two is not likely to be due to infection - but rather a local reaction to the disruption of the skin.

DISSEMINATED LYME DISEASE

    Some people do not notice these early indicators of infection. Early manifestations usually disappear, and disseminated (other organ system involvement) infection may occur. General symptoms alone do not indicate Lyme disease.

    GENERAL
    Profound fatigue, severe headache, fever(s), severe muscle aches/pain.

    BRAIN
    Nerve conduction defects (weakness/paralysis of limbs, loss of reflexes, tingling sensations of the extremities - peripheral neuropathy), severe headaches, stiff neck, meningitis, cranial nerve involvement (e.g. change in smell/taste; difficulty chewing, swallowing, or speaking; hoarseness or vocal cord problems; facial paralysis - Bell's palsy; dizziness/fainting; drooping shoulders; inability to turn head; light or sound sensitivity; change in hearing; deviation of eyeball [wandering or lazy eye], drooping eyelid), stroke, abnormal brain waves or seizures, sleep disorders, cognitive changes (memory problems, difficulty in word finding, confusion, decreased concentration, problems with numbers) and, behavioral changes (depression, personality changes).

    Other psychiatric manifestations that have been reported in the scientific literature include: panic attacks; disorientation; hallucinations; extreme agitation; impulsive violence, manic, or obsessive behavior; paranoia; schiziphrenic-like states, dementia, and eating disorders. Several patients have committed suicide.

    EYES
    Vision changes, including blindness, retinal damage, optic atrophy, red eye, conjunctivitis, "spots" before eyes, inflammation of various parts of the eye, pain, double vision.

    SKIN
    Rash not at the bite site (EM) - This skin discoloration varies in size and shape; usually has rings of varying shades, but can be uniformly discolored; may be hot to the touch or itch; ranges in color from reddish to purple to bruised-looking; and can be necrotic (crusty/oozy). The rash may develop a bull's-eye rash or target look. The shape my be circular, oval, triangular, or a long-thin ragged line.

    Other disseminated skin problems include:

        * lymphocytoma, which is a benign nodule or tumor, and
        * acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) which is discoloration/degeneration usually of the hands or feet.

    HEART and BLOOD VESSELS
    Irregular beats, heart block, myocarditis, chest pain, vasculitis.

    JOINTS
    Pain - intermittent or chronic, usually not symmetrical; sometimes swelling; TMJ-like pain in jaw.

    LIVER
    Mild liver function abnormalities.

    LUNGS
    Difficulty breathing, pneumonia.

    MUSCLE
    Pain, inflammation, cramps, loss of tone.

    STOMACH and INTESTINES
    Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, anorexia.

    SPLEEN
    Tenderness, enlargement.

    PREGNANCY
    Miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth, and neonatal deaths (rare). Congenital LD has been described in medical literature.

    It is possible for the bacterium to pass from mother to fetus across the placenta, resulting in congenitally acquired LD. A link between LD and adverse outcomes in pregnancy is under investigation. However, most studies show that mothers who are promptly diagnosed and treated appear to have perfectly normal babies.

    Nursing women with LD often call to ask us whether they should continue nursing. There has been no proved cases of transmission through human milk. There is research that demonstrates that Bb can be found in the colostrum of infected cows and mice. Animals studies have demonstrated that ingestion of Bb can result in infection. Some physicians recommend nursing mothers discard breast milk during active infection. Breast feeding can resume after treatment is completed and the woman becomes symptom-free. The decision to do so should be discussed with your physician.

    For more information obtain the following information from your local medical library: Klein (1995) Infectious Diseases of the Fetus and Newborn. Chapter by Dr. Tess Gardner, "Lyme disease". New York, NY. Remington-Saunders, p.447-528.

[justliveyalife]

I will definitely look into Lyme. I don't think I've been tested for it. I don't recall getting bit by a tick, or having any rash as mentioned above.

I forgot to add:
I have had 4 UTIs in the past 2 months
and incontinence, when I sneeze...a little comes out (never had this before now)

[Dr J Singh]

Hello,

Some of the conditions with widespread body and joint aches are fibromyalgia ,chronic fatigue syndrome,polymyositis (means 'many muscle inflammation') and polymyalgia rheumatica.Muscle twitchings and numbness can be due to acid-base imbalance in the body,low sodium,calcium and vit D,muscle fasciculation syndrome,motor neuron disease,chronic fatigue syndrome,hypothyroidism and hypoparathyroidism,diabetes or autoimmune diseases.
Complete physical examination along with investigations like ESR blood,blood sugar levels,thyroid and parathyroid hormones, platelet count Rheumatoid factor, creatine kinase,electromyography and muscle biopsy may be needed to make a diagnosis.Pls consult a physician for that.
Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted if you have any additional queries

[justliveyalife]

Can there be one thing that is causing ALL of my symptoms, or is it more likely that it is multiple issues? It comes and goes. The fatigue is present nearly all the time, but the joint pain, seems like bone pain, and muslce aches are on and off. Sometimes I also have sharp pains in strange locations, like the side of my thigh. And, is it normal for my hands to fall asleep often? Seems as if I have my hands on my hips---they fall asleep within a few minutes. This is relatively new

[ChickenFarmer]

Wow, this sounds a lot like me.  Tired all the time, aching joints (like with the flu), dont want to do anything, hands fall asleep easily.  I even get phantom sharp pains - quick, out of the blue, and then gone.  

I had 2 enlarged parathyroids removed last year.  My PTH and calcium were both high.  I was hoping my symptoms would go away after the surgery, and they seemed to lessen for a short time, but now it's back.

My PCP sent me to a rhuematologist because my brother has ankylosing spondylits, my nephew psoriatic arthritis, and all my siblings have this tired & achy thing going on.  Just went thru about a dozen autoimmune tests but haven't got the results back.  I'm so tired of feeling like this.

[UnderstandU]

A related discussion, Early vasculitis? was started.