Dear Friend,
Many thanks for writing via my forum.
Well you have asked me about the basic problem of all these suffering.
It's really unfortunate that you have auto-immune disease which is a showing it's ill-effects in many ways.
It has all started with IBS (Idiopathic Bowel Syndrome). And you have HLAb27 positive.
This type of disease affects various organs of the body (Gastro tract, Eyes, Joints, Skin, kidneys,etc). And the behavioral pattern of this disease is unpredictable. Hence we can't be able to decide the course of the disease.
A general physician or a rheumatologist will be able to help you only as the medicines for controlling the flare up pattern of this disease has to be prescribed by him only.
I would suggest you to meet him as soon as possible and try to figure out a way out.
If it's not controlled, joint involvement can also happen.
And please don't think that you are loosing out your mind. It's the disease progression which is causing all these things.
Please feel free to discuss more as a new post, if you still have more queries.
Onto my 40's. I would go through periods of fatigue, and started to have specific joint pains. I was told that I have tendonitis in my elbow (2003), but it has never settled down and now I have nodules in my elbow, and can not sleep on that side, nor rest my arm on anything, sometimes just touching fabric will send a shrill pain through my elbow and lower arm. I have also noticed that I will get numbness in my two outside fingers if I crochet, or paddle in my boat for very long. I also had neck surgery in 2003-2005, due to a car wreck. At that time I was told that my neck looked like that of a 70 year old woman (arthritis) and that I would never be able to have complete relief. I had two levels fused, and due to complications, ended up with 3 major surgeries. Also to note I was born with birth defects, like a hip out of place, weird bone structure in my feet, abnormalities in my back etc..During my 30's and again in my forties, I developed a dermoid cyst on my ovary, The first time they were able to remove it, but the second time I lost and ovary. Other diagnosis in my 40's: Cysts on my kidneys, high blood pressure and fibroids. I have a lot of brain fog days, and now I have days where I will get up and feel like all my major joints and muscles are being attacked. Some days I can hardly walk up the stairs, as I feel pain (and muscle exhaustion at the top of my legs and hips. Last trip to the family doctor he said he believes I have bursitis in my hip. I am totally worn out. We from the US to Canada at the end of 2006, as my husband was raised in Canada (and had been previously diagnosed with MS) health was deterorating and he could not get health insurance in the states. He is confined to a wheelchair and is no longer able to stand. We adopted a child from Ukraine in 2003 who has been diagnosed with Insecure Attachment, Sensory problems and anxiety. I am still awating my immigration so I do not have access to Canadian health insurance. My family doctor in Canada would like to do a MRI but I can not afford that at this time. Do you have any idea what I might be suffering from? Or am I loosing my mind? Thank you