Has anybody got or know about Arthritis???Any advice?
My bofreind has been suffering with pains in his hands, feet, elbows and knees for about 6 weeks.
He was referred to the hospital for x-rays and a blood test , the blood test came back fine but there was signs of swelling in his joints on his hands and feet. The doctor advised him that he has arthritis but as he is only 27 they will treat him for gout before they consider Rheumatoid. We researched on internet and his symptoms do not seem to represent gout as he has had it for a long spell and it is not just in one place i.e. the toe. His joints are also cracking very loud, so much so they wake him up at night. He has been prescribed Naproxen for the pain and a strong anti inflammatory and told to come back in 1 month, which is a long time to wait.
His job is physical and he is worried this will stop him from working and change his lifestyle dramatically, it is really getting him down, I am trying to keep him positive but having read about rheumatoid its scaryand im worried for him
Public Comments
1. gout is a form of arthritus as well. i know i have gout, osteoarthritus, chronic fatigue, polymasia rumatica, sinus asthma,hay fever, and food allergies to corn and wheat. you can get arthritus at any age. you should find you another dr and try for another opinion. both of my knees need to be replaced. i have osteoarthritus in them. i work in the hospility industry in texas. i work at night and i can sit down a lot. i am an older female who spent my entire life working at some job that required me to be on my feet.2. Does he have any signs of psoriasis - scaly itchy patches on his skin? Very often just on the scalp, hidden in the hair - may mistake it for having dandruff. Does he have little pits in his fingernails? Is the arthritis bilateral - equal on both sides, same joint areas affected?
If so, get them to consider psoriatic arthritis. It doesn't show up in blood tests like rheumatoid would.
This is usually more manageable than rheumatoid.
And lots of tropical sun / UV light makes it go away. All sorts of things out there that will help with this.
Good luck.
3. Gout is NOT polyarticular (affects many joints). It usually affects the big toe & is very painful. If the affected joints are polyarticular (fingers, knees, etc.) & symmetrical (both sides of the body) & usually the joints are very "stiff" in the morning then it might be Rheumatoid Arthritis & deifnitely NOT Gout! I suggest that you go see a specialist, a Rheumatologist, so he can be managed properly. I hope this helps. -dennisMD
4. Hi, I can well understand your concern as well as your boyfriends. It's frightening when you have pains and no real answers.
I live with Rheumatoid Arthritis, have for 10 years now and I can honestly tell you that although it is a very aggressive and frightening disease, there are many things we can do that improve our chances at living a healthy, active life.
One of the things I would recommend, even before he gets definite answers on what is causing this pain is to take cod liver oil capsules or fish oil capsules. These provide the body with the essential fatty acids and help ease the pain in joints.
I have written about my experiences with RA at http://www.LivingWithRheumatoidArthritis.com and invite you to read about it, hopefully help you understand that there is much that can be done outside of medication to help improve life.
5. Well if it is gout then take organic apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons mixed in a cup of cranberry or any liquid. If it really is gout then this will help stop the pain and prevent gout flareups. My father suffered for about 2 years from gout and my in my internet research I found many people use organic ACV and it really helps. Get the "Braggs" brand buy it at any health food store like "Henry's" for under about $3. BTW my father started drinking ACV 2 years ago and still hasn't had any flareups :) If your bf has pain in his joints but don't think it's gout then take glucosamine chondriton it's over the counter and can be bought at any drug store it helps with joint lubrication. Check this site earthclinic.com lot of natural cures and testimonies. :)
