joint pain

[kuriyez]

i have been suffering from joint pain for over a year now. i get that in my whole arms and legs, its like a constant throbing pain and it never goes away unless i take pain relief. i have seen an rheumatologist and she said she could not find anything, i also have had a bone scan and nothing has come up. the rheumatologist said that my vitamin D was low and i need vitamin D injection an that might help. apart from that they dont know what is causing it. i suffere from chrons and i have had that for over 10 years and never had joint pains with that so it cant be related to that. can you help and tell me what i can do please.

[carolanivey]

From what I understand, at least some of the meds used to treat RA are the same as are used to treat Crohn's. I assume you have rheumatoid arthritis, not osteoarthritis, which is a completely different animal and not autoimmune-related by RA and Crohn's.

Your gastroenterologist and rheumatologist will need to keep the lines of communication open to make sure your meds are coordinated. There are many different meds for RA now, and no one size fits all. I suspect it's the same for Crohn's. It may take time to find the right combination for you. The newest drugs are supposed to slow the progression of the disease, so if you get treated early and aggressively, you may not need joint surgery down the road. Again, it's hard to predict, as everyone who has RA is different. Some meds for RA are pills, others are injected, still others are infused through IV. The first-line treatments are generally oral pills like placquenil, methotrexate, prednisone, anti-inflammatories.

Read up on both your conditions and arm yourself with information. The arthritis foundation, arthritis.org, might be a good place to start; so is the mayo clinic web site. Good luck!

[flyrodtraveler]

I just found out today I have the Trifecta of pain conditions: Chrons ( 2re-sections) Gout and as of today the answer to my ankle, knee and wrist pain is Arthritis!
there ought to be a booby prize for this trifecta!
Never thought the reason I can't climb stairs, walk my dogs pain free was arthritis. I'm active and do alot of out door activity- not pain free - but I wont let pain stop me from enjoying life! I recently particaitated in a 90 mile kayak event in the Adirondack mountains of NY. 3 days of paddling with 5.5 miles of carrying my boat up and over rocks and hills. So- now i know why I was experiencing the ankle pain. What a fool  I was for not connectng the dots!
So now what am I in for? Shots? more pills, surgery... Anyone know?
Will these Arthritis meds that are used to treat this new condition  cause havoc with my Chrons? after 2 resections I don't have much to play with!

[txsilver]

Crohns disease is one type of enteropathic arthritis.  Limb pain can be associated with this condition.  What medications are they using to treat your crohns?

[kuriyez]

hi, i went to my rheumatologist and had myself reexamined again as i was not happy the first time. she said that i had no visible signs of joint pain and any symptoms but my problems sound like limb pain and that could be down to a number of reasons. i do suffer from chrons disease and wonder if that might be related and f medication can play a part in the pain. i also had a bone scan done and this will tell me the density of the bone and my last one showd that my bone density was lower than normal, so i dont know why this is and the doctors dont, any ideas? since they say my problem sounds like limb pain now , what test and what things can i do, to get myself tested. i mean i have seen so many doctors i have lost track and the number of test i have had done, can you please help or suggest any ideas , thanks.

[Cindee56]

You can have RA or an autoimmune arthritis, or even lupus, without anything showing up in blood tests.  I had to try 3 rhematologists before I got one to even take my pain seriously.  Get another opinion.  I also had low Vit. D. but the supplements didn't stop my pains.

You also could have a mixture of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid.

Just my thoughts.  I know what it's like to live with constant pain.

[TrudieC]

Low vitamin D can definitely cause that kind of pain and joint pain can go in hand with Crohn's.  I would suggest you solve the Vitamin D issue first so you know whether it is the culprit.  Then, if it is not solved, do see your gastroenterologist to ensure all is OK with your Crohn's.  After that I would then head back to the rheumatologist as some kinds of arthritis can take time to show up in the blood and perhaps by now the blood work will reveal itself.  Good luck with everything.