Sudden Onset Of Arthritis, Then Gone?

[valliali]

one of my doctors recently indicated to me that she thought my history of a sudden onset of arthritis is very important to understanding what is wrong with me, but she didn't know what. the arthritis came and went like a year ago and i have not had it since. it came on really suddenly, only in my finger joints. they were swollen, bent and curled inward. i also developed these small subcutaneous nodules on a few of the finger joints which were excruciatingly painful to the touch. this lasted for a couple of months, then went away. and like i said, that was a year ago and the arthritis hasn't come back.

so, the rheumatologist thought this was an interesting presentation, but didn't feel like there was much she could do since i no longer have the issue. but she did say that this is not something she would expect to see with an ANS dysfunction.

so i'm wondering if anyone has had this, or has any idea how this would fit with an ANS dysfunction? i do not have a diagnosis other than a "POTS-CFS-like syndrome." but, i don't have pots and i don't have cfs. so i'm continuing the quest to find a diagnosis, and i'm trying to now focus on the symptmos that seem inconsistent with an autonomic dysfunction. that's why i'm looking for any insight into this sudden, short lived arthritis...

thanks!

[lotsicker]

Hi,

I am new to this board and am still seeking an "offical" diagnosis....I will post story in another thread. For the past couple of years, the joints in my fingers would ache and burn, esspecially at night, with alot of stiffness and noduals. I noticed that this would come and go so I obviously thought, rhumatoid arthritis. This was one of the first Drs I started seeing when the Heart Palps began and all test came back negative. I have also noticed that the joint pain is much better when I am in the "better days" part of this disorder. I have the classic back pain as well.

I don't have an answer as yet but, I do have the terrible pain in the joints.

[HoudiniCat]

When I first was dx?d with POTS I started noticing a pain/stiffness in my lower back. I chalked it up to spending so much time in bed and/or laying down (due to my other POTS symptoms) and not running/doing Pilates anymore. It started to get really bad and I could barely get up out of bed in the morning. At the time I was seeing a neuro who ordered an MRI to rule out MS ? when he got the results it did, in fact, rule out MS but then he tells me it confirms the arthritis in my lower back. What??? On mentioning this to another of my docs, an osteopath, he said he didn?t believe it was arthritis at all, but yet another problem/symptom of POTS ? another part of the nervous system malfunctioning. He gave me a couple of treatments and the ?arthritis? ? or whatever it was ? went away. He mentioned that while the arthritis-like problems relating to POTS were not that common, that he had seen them before.

[ajw4790]

Hi,

From what I know and what you described if sounds the most like RA, but that it hasn't happened again etc. could mean it is something else. Other disorders and genetics can cause people to get the nodules in their joints. As far as how it would affect determining diagnosis or cause of POTS symptoms, I think it would lead towards that your POTS symptoms could be caused by an autoimmune issue. But, I am not sure that for most with this distinction that it has helped/changed their treatment any. Maybe try to find a specialty Rheumatologist that is more familiar with these kinds of things to do a more thorough workup?

I have a lot of joint issues that really have gone overlooked. I am trying to get in to see a Rheum. but it has so far been difficult. I do have EDS though to explain some of the joint pain etc...

[ramakentesh]

I have ankylosing spondalitis which came on within a month of developing POTS symptoms fairly abruptly (although I had milder symptoms in the past that I chalked up to various things).

I doubt that its coincidental that I got both in the same month out of the blue.