Do any of you ever have joint pain and stiffness without swelling?

[Guest guest]

I was on DMARDS for arthritis and Sjogren's for 12 years. I have been on

Plaquenil all that time, on long term low dose steroids for five years until

this last January, and was on Methotrexate from June 08 to late July 09 when I

was hospitalized with an antibiotic resistant orbital and facial cellulitis.

Then I went off the MTX and have just been on the plaquenil until now. I

suddenly last week got the worse arthritis sympotms that I have had ever since I

started DMARDS. I have been having very bad joint pain not well controlled by

my Lortab and also bad stiffness lasting until 1-3 pm. My rheumatologist seemed

like he really didn't believe me about how bad is has suddenly become because my

hands weren't swollen and I guess my feet weren't either. Now I know that

sometimes in the past, I have had swollen and stiff joints but other times they

are just stiff and painful without swelling. I have had short periods of like a

day when I have had severe pain but this time I am having it for almost a week.

He did prescribe a short course of Medrol and told me to come back earlier than

my 6 week appointment if I didn't get better or if it came back again after the

Medrol course. Do any of you ever get joint pain and stiffness without swelling?

In Northern VA