Pain in my fingers, toes and joints

[AngeloA]

I have been experiencing since three weeks pain mostly in my hand and fingers and also in my toes. I went to my doctor and he made my take a CRP test. My CRP was 0.65 which for him was high. He gave me some anti-inflammatory meds and I felt ok afterwards. But the pain came back again and this time I'm also feeling some pain in my shoulders, lower arms, knees and left lower leg, which except for the knees, lasts only a few seconds.
The pain in my hands, fingers and toes are like a stabbing pain followed by stiffness or numbness.
I went back to the doctor, and this time he made me take an insulin and vitamin 12 test, because according to him maybe the cause of these pains lies in that, since the CRP 0.65 is not enough to cause all that. I'll get my results this Tuesday, but these pains are really irritating me.
What could be the cause? I remember I got these pains three weeks ago, when I was under tremendous emotional stress and was also having depression symptoms, could there be a relation?

[AngeloA]

Hello, Tuck

I went to the doctor this morning to get my test results. As he suspected I have vitamine B12 and folate came low. I have to get Vitamine B12 injections.

I do not have pain in my shoulder, lower arms and lower legs anymore, but I still feel pain and stiffness in my wrists, fingers and toes.

Let's see how things get after the injections.

[AngeloA]

Thank you, Tuck.

No, my doctor did not prescribe me more anti-inflammatory drugs, but I've been taking aspirins for a few days. My knees feels more relaxed now, but I still get pain in my thumb, my big toes, palm of my hands and sole of my feet..
Thanks anyways, I'll be getting my results tomorrow and I'll let you know.

[Tuckamore]

Hello Angelo,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. Your symptoms sound painful and I am sorry that they have returned.

A C-reactive protein (CRP) test is a blood test that measures the amount of a protein called C-reactive protein in your blood. C-reactive protein measures general levels of inflammation in your body. It can also indicate an infection that is causing inflammation. There are many reasons that this can be elevated. I would think that more testing would will be done to determine the cause of this abnormal elevation in your CRP.

I see that you are from Aruba and maybe physicians treat differently in your country. He is correct that vitamin deficiencies can cause pain in joints and muscles. It is always a good idea to check your glucose levels (insulin test).

I am not an expert but I doubt that depression and stress would raise the CRP significantly if at all. Are you still taking the anti-inflammatory medications? If not you may want to request another prescription until they have found the source of your pain.

I am sorry that I cannot be of more help. In my opinion it is important to control your pain at this point until a definitive diagnosis can be made. You may want to see a rheumatologist if your physician is unable to find the cause of your symptoms.

Best of luck to you and please let us know how you are doing.

Take Care,
Tuck