Sudden Arthritis

[valliali]

i am wondering if this is a common symptom in dysautonomia?

about four months after i became sick, i developed really swollen finger joints, with these small subcutaneous, pink and EXTREMELY painful nodules on my fingers. this lasted for about two months, then i was left with some stiffness and fingers curled in for another month or so. then it seemed the problem went away.

this seems to be an unusual symptom to my doctors, which is why they keep saying i had or have a virus. i have tested negative for all herpes, epstein barr, cmv and others. i had not been sick for several months prior to the onset of all my symptoms. i also don't understand why, if the arthritis had been caused by a virus, it came on so much later than all my other symptoms, especially if i tested negative for the "chronic" type of viruses.

i am wondering if anyone else knows potential causes of this -- is it "normal" for autonomic dysfunction? i do not have fibromyalgia, and i honestly don't really know what i have. i was told i had POTS, but didn't have a positive tilt table test for it. but i definitely have autonomic nervous system problems. i got sick about a month after returning from africa, but my doctors feel that they have ruled out all those possibilities (?)

i feel the the arthritis i experienced could separate the cause of my illness from a genetic problem, for example, from a viral/bacterial issue, which i am inclined to think it is.

so i am wondering if this kind of arthritis could be a genetic/autoimmune issue, or is likely that something external caused it? and i am especially curious as to why, if a genetic problem (like methylation dysfunction) or autoimmune problem could have caused the arthritis, why it would come and go, and not progress???

thank you all so much for any feedback. it's been two years, and i feel like i have NO answers, not even a diagnosis.

[ramakentesh]

It actually sounds like Rh. Arthritis from the nodules you have described. I havent heard of many viruses that result in arthritic symptoms lilke you have described where there are actual nodules at the finger joints. You know that RA usually presents in this way? with nodular appearances on the joints of the fingers.

I have an arthritic condition as well that presented shortly after my POTS arrived.

[Guest brianala]

I have something similar. It started about a year ago. I have two areas that are affected: my left hand and my knees.

My hand is affected mostly at night and in the morning. I wake up feeling like the middle finger is broken at the last joint, and the finger swollen and is curled in. It hurts so bad I could swear it was broken, but within a few hours of waking up it's back to normal.

Also, my knees will randomly ache and get warm, sore, and stiff. I'll go through periods of several days where they hurt so bad I feel like my legs will collapse out from under me. Then, after a couple of days it goes away.

The symptoms will return every few weeks or so, and then go away again.

I have had blood tests for rheumatoid arthritis, rh factor, inflammation, and thyroid and they all came out normal.

[jdqm]

i am wondering if this is a common symptom in dysautonomia?

about four months after i became sick, i developed really swollen finger joints, with these small subcutaneous, pink and EXTREMELY painful nodules on my fingers. this lasted for about two months, then i was left with some stiffness and fingers curled in for another month or so. then it seemed the problem went away.

this seems to be an unusual symptom to my doctors, which is why they keep saying i had or have a virus. i have tested negative for all herpes, epstein barr, cmv and others. i had not been sick for several months prior to the onset of all my symptoms. i also don't understand why, if the arthritis had been caused by a virus, it came on so much later than all my other symptoms, especially if i tested negative for the "chronic" type of viruses.

i am wondering if anyone else knows potential causes of this -- is it "normal" for autonomic dysfunction? i do not have fibromyalgia, and i honestly don't really know what i have. i was told i had POTS, but didn't have a positive tilt table test for it. but i definitely have autonomic nervous system problems. i got sick about a month after returning from africa, but my doctors feel that they have ruled out all those possibilities (?)

i feel the the arthritis i experienced could separate the cause of my illness from a genetic problem, for example, from a viral/bacterial issue, which i am inclined to think it is.

so i am wondering if this kind of arthritis could be a genetic/autoimmune issue, or is likely that something external caused it? and i am especially curious as to why, if a genetic problem (like methylation dysfunction) or autoimmune problem could have caused the arthritis, why it would come and go, and not progress???

thank you all so much for any feedback. it's been two years, and i feel like i have NO answers, not even a diagnosis.

[jdqm]

this is not a diagnosis! when this happened to me, i had allergy testing done and found i was allergic to sugar.

when i stopped eating sugar the joint pain and swelling stopped. if i eat it by mistake( its in EVERYTHING) it happens again for sometimes up to a week.

you could try having food allergy testing. i would never have been able to guess my allergy was sugar, nor can you really do a food removal diet test for it, it is in too many things. I did a blood allergy test to find out that allergy and some other strange foods i am allergic to.

i am wondering if this is a common symptom in dysautonomia?

about four months after i became sick, i developed really swollen finger joints, with these small subcutaneous, pink and EXTREMELY painful nodules on my fingers. this lasted for about two months, then i was left with some stiffness and fingers curled in for another month or so. then it seemed the problem went away.

[valliali]

hi, thanks guys. the thing is, the joint swelling and nodules have gone away COMPLETELY. and it's been over a year since it occurred. even the way my fingers were all curled in is totally gone. my joints feel 100% normal now.

i have also read that the rheumatoid nodules are not painful. my nodules were intensely painful.

i have read some much on rheumatoid arthritis because my condition sounded so much like it, but never have i read that it just goes away as quickly as it came. has anyone else's????

the reason i am focusing so much on this symptom is because it is the one that makes the doctors certain that i had a virus. they say it doesn't fit autonomic dysfunction or POTS. my CFS specialist is even wanting to put me on antivirals, though i have never tested even close to positive for the viruses that can lead to chronic immune problems. in fact, i'm like one of the 4% of the population that doesn't even have antibodies to some of them. but i showed a picture of the swelling and nodules and all my doctors say it was from a virus. i just don't really understand how i could not have been sick with a virus prior to the onset of my symptoms, and if it was a virus from let's say my stint in africa, why the arthritis came on five months after the onset of my initial symptoms.

i would think that if i had a genetic or autoimmune issue going on, then the arthritis wouldn't just go away. or it may for a period of time, but come back. it's been over a year. and i don't even have a little residual swelling or pain. my fingers were all curled and bent, and now they are completely normal. but i haven't gotten better. so if this is autoimmune or some kind of prolonged immune response, it's still going on, and probably progressing. my autonomic symptoms are still present so if that triggered a rheumatoid problem, why would that be the only thing to go away while the other issues progress?

i know i may never know the cause to my illness, like many of us don't, but because i don't even fit into a proper diagnosis, i would at least like to know if this is an autoimmune or genetic issue, or something caused by an external agent, like bacteria, tick or virus. my POTS doctor was the one who did not think my original POTS diagnosis was correct, though she agreed i have obvious autonomic dysfunction. she too believes i had a virus in africa. but again, i just don't know what virus everyone is referring to!!!! i wasn't sick for MONTHS prior to the onset of my symptoms!

I have something similar. It started about a year ago. I have two areas that are affected: my left hand and my knees.

My hand is affected mostly at night and in the morning. I wake up feeling like the middle finger is broken at the last joint, and the finger swollen and is curled in. It hurts so bad I could swear it was broken, but within a few hours of waking up it's back to normal.

Also, my knees will randomly ache and get warm, sore, and stiff. I'll go through periods of several days where they hurt so bad I feel like my legs will collapse out from under me. Then, after a couple of days it goes away.

The symptoms will return every few weeks or so, and then go away again.

I have had blood tests for rheumatoid arthritis, rh factor, inflammation, and thyroid and they all came out normal.