Severe Sudden Onset of Multiple Joint Pain

[PTGuysWife]

I am a 29yo healthy female.  I am suffering from severe sudden joint pain.  I am going through my third episode in two years.  The pain starts in my hips around my lower back the first day.  The second day the joint pain reaches my knees, shoulders, elbows, ankles and wrists.  By the third day the pain is all over to include my shoulder blades, jaw, fingers and toes.  The pain gets worse if I sit up or lay down and it's hurts to do anything.  I went to my primary care manager and he had no idea what was causing my problems.  He ran some tests and it came up negative for RA but my C-reactive proteins were at an 11 when the should hae been less than 3...?  I have no idea what that meant but he told me to take 800mg Motrin until the pain went away.  I would truly appreciate any answers that I can take back to my doctor.  Each time gets worse and I'm fearful for what this episode will bring me.

[TrudieC]

You need to see a rheumatologist.  Your PCP is not doing what's best for you.  Insist on a referral or else get a new doctor.  A rheumatologist can run more sensitive tests and is best at diagnosing and treating these kind of things.  Good luck.

[gymdandee]

New hope for RA patients
taking multiple drugs
Scientists found that one common vitamin might help reduce inflammation and lighten the drug burden for RA patients.
But according to a new study, drugs aren't the only answer. In fact, scientists from Taiwan have found that RA patients who took B6 improved the markers of their disease.
Taiwanese scientists recruited 35 men and women with rheumatoid arthritis and divided them into two groups. One group received 5 mg of folic acid each day for 12 weeks. The other group received 5 mg of folic acid plus 100 mg of B6.
After 12-weeks, the scientists ran tests on each of the patients. They found that men and women taking folic acid plus B6 significantly reduced their levels of TNF-alpha. The folic acid group didn't experience any reduction in TNF-alpha.
Vitamin lowers inflammation without side effects
The patients taking folic acid plus B6 also lowered their IL-6 levels. IL-6  is another protein--similar to TNF-alpha--that causes joint damage in RA patients. In fact, the latest RA drug called Actemra works by blocking IL-6 in the body. But Actemra is given to RA patients as a last resort, when all the other drugs have failed...and for good reason too, because the side effects.
On the other hand, in this small, but significant study B6 lowered IL-6 levels in RA patients without any serious side effects. In fact, you don't get much safer than vitamin B, especially at this dosage. Plus, it's water-soluble. So anything your body can't use just gets flushed out at the end of each day.
If you've got RA, definitely consider adding a B-complex vitamin (that contains at least 100 mg of B6) to your regimen.
Give it three months of steady supplementation though to see if you notice any improvements. And make sure to keep your rheumatologist apprised of your progress. If you feel markedly better, ask to have your markers re-tested.  

Source: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2010.107
“Vitamin B6 supplementation improves pro-inflammatory responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis”
Authors: S-C Huang, J C-C Wei, D J Wu and Y-C Huang

[CDucat]

I'm dealing with the same issues, however this is my first time ever feeling this way. Have you had any luck figuring this out? I'm yet to see a doctor, but every joint on my body is now hurting and this is the second day. I'm used to muscle pains, as I work out often and have for years. Joint pain is a whole new experience for me.

[Gatorgirl2002]

Have you had any tests run?  I am a 30 y/o F who is experiencing this for the first time in my life also.  I work out regularly, and could tell you that I have stressed knee joints before with squats and lunges.  This is not like that type of joint pain.  It is a sudden onset severe joint pain that is like no other pain I have ever felt before.  Please let me know if you have gotten any results.  I am going to be seeing the doctor tomorrow.