Uninsured and worried about my symptoms

I ama 44 year old female and have the following symptoms: Weight gain (15 pds in 6 mos) Sudden onset of joint pain in knees and ankles and most recently heel pain w/ redness, burning an tingling. My menstrual cycle stopped about 6 months ago (my estrogen levels were in normal range a year ago) and I haven't had a normal bowel movement in 6 months (pencil thin stools) I also have fatigue. I've lost my health insurance and I'm worried. Has anyone experienced these symptoms?

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,
For multiple joint pains, arthritis should be ruled out but for heel pain main cause of heel pain is plantar fasciitis.It is due to irritation and inflammation of the tight tissue that forms the arch of the foot. The diagnosis of plantar fasciitis is based mainly on the medical history and clinical presentation of the patient.
Other causes of heel pain are heel spurs(is most commonly seen in patients who have long standing heel pain due to plantar fasciitis.),sciatica
(a result of pressure on the L5-S1 nerve root),tarsal tunnel syndrome(large nerve in the back of the foot becomes entrapped, or pinched), entrapment of the lateral plantar nerve, rupture of the plantar fascia,  Achilles tendonitis and retrocalcaneal bursitis. Stress fractures of the calcaneus are another cause of heel pain.
Diagnosis after physical examination has to be made first and then only treatment can be started as it is cause dependent.
It is very difficult to precisely confirm a diagnosis without examination and investigations and the answer is based on the medical information provided. For exact diagnosis, you are requested to consult your doctor. I sincerely hope that helps. Take care and please do keep me posted on how you are doing.