leg aches and fatigue

[tbone623]

I am a 32 y/o male with complaints of leg aches more thighs feeling week and fatigue.  I have had this on and off for the past 2 years once it lasted for 10 days and once it accompanied a fever and entire body aches but usually it is just the thigh weakness/achy feeling and fatigue.  I get home from work (desk job) and feel like I have to go to bed.  sometimes this lasts for a couple days to a couple weeks.  most times I can work through it but this last bout was difficult.  In july of this year blood work came back normal but last week blood work came back ANA positive with RNP Antibody 1.2 positive.  Dr. says it is an autoimune disorder.  I cannot see a specialist until the end of February and I am concerned.  I also tested positive for HlA-B27 antigen, however do not have any other symptoms of AS.  Any ideas???

[Joni686]

What tests would we ask our doctor for by name?  Thank you for that information.
Joni

[Garth L Nicolson, PhD]

When fever, fatigue, weakness and other signs/symptoms are present, we usually recommend a panel of tests for chronic infections.  Most physicians don't bother to test for chronic viral and bacterial infections, but most patients with chronic problems have infections that underly their conditions.  I even wrote a recent two-part review on this for the British Journal of Medical Practitioners.  If such infections are causing much of the morbidity, then appropriate treatments should allow recovery to a more "normal" state.

However, that may not be the entire problem, and other toxic exposures have to be considered as well as changes in diet, appropriate supplements, etc.

[TrudieC]

I'm seeing that some people are more susceptible to auto-immune disorders, me included.  AS runs in my family although I haven't been tested as yet.  I do have Lupus which comes with fevers and aches and fatigue as you described.  Many different disorders have similar symptoms.  Do educate yourself on the different types of arthritis and auto-immune disorders - there is a lot of good info here on MedHelp.  Try taking ibuprofen, aspirin or naproxen around the clock to help with the pain.  Try taking 2,000 iu's of vitamin D, and up your intake of foods with magnesium and potassium.  They can help with some of your issues.  Stop the meds the day you go to the specialist as you want the inflammation to show up in your bloodwork.  Good luck and let us know what they find.

[chickamin]

Seems its like that, after a while I think you begin to realize no one really gives a damn, well I hope it is different for you but I have been suffering from stuff like you for years now and even when I did get into a specialist I was'nt rich enough to get the help I needed. I am on medicare and they just don't care anymore, all they want is the big bucks so it is hard knowing that there is alot of help out there and good help But- I just am not rich enough to get it so its get lost, go ahead and suffer, we don't care, just don't bother me anymore. Its hard, real hard esp. since I have always been healthy and able to work, As long as I had everything to give of myself to a job or society and did'nt ask for help it was all ok but now I feel if I keep trying to get help or ask someone for it I am a cancer to society and I just better get lost because they don't want me to waste their time.Sorry to seem so down but after almost 4 years of hope and trying I am beginning to feel I must be dirt or trash to society because I am not well. So I have committed a crime to society they think. I even was told by my primary care doctor that I still had 10 years to give to society even if I had to sit on a stool somewhere answering a phone. I was covered by L&I and even though my knee doctor told them I could not go back to the job I had nor any other past job they just said I damn well better get use to the pain and change my life style. I can't drive a clutch and have great difficulty with the other but their comment was I had just better be finding a car I could drive, Like who cares if you can't take the pain or bend your leg just figure it out and oh ya , go back to your job your doctor says no, never but we say you can, case closed and oh ya we don't give a damn if your other knee has given out, not our fault your injured knee couldn'.t support you and all that stress from all the pain and worry and all the harrazement from us, so what if it has caused you more problems like that autoammune problem graves desease, ya extream stress causes that and you were ok before so we don't care, not our fault. And the specialist, well, I don't take medicare and don't want to deal with all of the paper work from L&I. so just go take some over the counter stuff, but don't bother me. Get the drift.  Good luck