OT? / Some info related to flares / Novel

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It seems as if I have more than one thing going on...The joint

involvement is in my ankles - which just started over the summer, I

may have actually injured the one by walking through some thick

sand. How would one know without an x-ray? If it is injured; will it

be harder to heal now after 6 months? It all started in my spine, I

have all kinds of junk wrong with it and ever changing including but

not limited to 3 bulged discs in the T-spine, scoliosis which makes

me a little concerned that maybe it is pressing on my liver? The

intracranial stuff is new, the soft tissue selling mass and foreign

body are new as well. I have been diagnoised with DDD and

spondyloarthropy tbd. I have bone spurs at C3-4 on the posterior end

plates. Hypertrophic changes the the facet joints and congentital

lumbarization of S1-L6 - yep 6! I had a bulged disc at L5-6 but it

resolved itself! Or so I am told? Then came the RF+ then negative

then positive, then the so called clubbing which is kinda ironic as

it seems to clear up with monostat! I have no discoloration of the

fingers or nails. Long ridges and cuticle involvement is all.

Sometimes it will get puffy around the skin by the cuticle. No

flattening of the nail or bigger ends to the fingers. Doesn't look

like any clubbing pictures that I have so far looked at. I have no

discoloration of my lower limbs! Thank God, literally - I'm not

quite ready to be anywhere near end-stage liver disease! Anyhow,

back to the flares...I have 2 different types. The arthritic one is

usually in more than one set of joints, I have low grade fever and

cannot no matter what I seem to do get warm. I literally freeze half

to death with them! My hair loss with it is minimal and the swelling

in the joints compared to RA pictures it very mild!!! However, the

inolved areas are extremely red! The joints involved are usually...

the big toes like I have cramps in them at their base - sometimes it

does radiate down the inner side to the ankle. Rarely my ankles are

involved - they would just be stiff more than anything and that all

started this summer. My thumbs at the base usually with like cysts

at the base as well. My index fingers from the base and sometimes it

radiates between there and my thumb base, my knuckles on my hand all

turn red - like when I say the joints turn red - it is like a maroon

color. I now have ulner deviation of my R ring finger at the mid

joint and my L middle finger as well. Both knees usually are the

1st. to act up. Both wrists, sometimes my shoulders, rarely - my

elbows and hips. I am usually nauseated with little or no

appetitie. I get fatigued but can rest and feel a bit better

afterwards. Then comes the eye gunk later. Movement alot of times

can aggravate symptoms and I usually get injured if doing such. It

improved signifigantly with exercise over time!!! I haven't been

since the end of May and now I am back to square one with stiffness.

Soon to change! The other type flares have a slightly higher grade

fever, alot of hair loss - I'm talking clumps!!! I get all wierd

emotionally prior and it seems to correlate with my cycle. I have

loss of appetite with no nausea only stomach aches. It only affects

my muscles not the joints. They will literally ache all over and I

get nothing out of resting with it! With the arthritic one I have

scarring plaques on my upper arms and it looks like I have black

eyes. The muscular one sometimes I have black eyes - sometimes -

not. With the muscular flares I have a non-scarring rash all over my

arms and upper trunk and do not get the gunky eyes with it. I also

have no redness in the joint areas and am really weak. The clubbing

acts up prior to the muscular one as well. With the arthritic one

sometimes I can't even open up toothpaste, etc... the muscular one

doesn't effect like that at all. I also seem to pee constantly with m

one. With the m- flare I have a red rash with it always it is on my

nose I look like rudolph! Sometimes it will extend across my cheeks

and some of my forehead. With the A - flares I'm pale as a ghost.

None of it makes any sense to me. All I know is I'm tired of

it!!!!! My hope is that the rheumy will try me on enbrel and that

will help with the arthritic stuff during interferon therapy if

needed! Thats where I'm at with it thus far. Sorry so long! Kim