11 posts shown.
velvetmoose9 said:Of course a milder version is totally possible, and yeah, it could just stick to your knees.
Then again, things can also take a turn for the worse at any given moment, too.
The best move is really just sticking strictly to whatever your doctors tell you to do; if you follow their lead, you've got a much better shot at a smoother road ahead. 😉
Thanks! Honestly, I’m already spiraling a little bit with paranoia here. I’m really crossing my fingers that my knees feel better once the synovectomy is done. I’d love to connect with anyone who’s dealt with something similar or actually gone through this specific surgery—it would be great to swap stories and see what worked. I swear, sometimes it feels like I’m the only one out there dealing with these freaking inflamed knees.
velvetmoose9 said:That isn't necessarily the case, and it doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes you hit these "phases" where the inflammation just goes quiet or stays dormant for a bit.
And when you're dealing with reactive arthritis triggered by things like Chlamydia or Ureaplasma... relatively often, your CRP will look perfectly fine.
What does my future look like? Is there any chance the inflammation stays localized just in my knees? I’m still not feeling that heavy, debilitating rheumatoid pain—and man, those people suffer, waking up in the middle of the night from the agony... is it possible I just have a milder version of this?
melloworca6 said:Are your blood work results—like CRP, ESR, and all that—looking normal too? Usually, those markers flag if there’s some kind of inflammation going on, though not always with this kind of stuff.
I've been through the ringer with testing more times than I can count, and everything always comes back normal. Doctors told me there are tons of different types of arthritis out there, and mine—which is likely reactive to some old infection—falls under the spondyloarthritis umbrella or something similar. But here’s the kicker: from what I’ve read, people with these issues usually have elevated CRP levels, yet mine stays perfectly steady. The real headache is that I’m also dealing with an orthopedic issue—basically, my kneecaps track outward, which is called lateral patellar compression. It’s probably like a perfect storm; that structural weakness likely made it way easier for the inflammation to settle right in my most vulnerable spot...
Arthur Smith56 said:In principle, it doesn't even have to show up in your blood... Are you on any medication right now?
I'm not taking anything, and honestly, I don't want to touch heavy-duty meds just because one joint is acting up. My orthopedic surgeon mentioned doing a synovectomy to help with the swelling. I'm just not convinced this is actually some kind of rheumatological issue, though the pain is brutal and my joints swell up like crazy...
How does it not show up in your blood? There’s gotta be some inflammatory markers or something, right?
The rheumatologist had me getting MRIs of all my joints, and they come back totally clean—no changes at all...
Arthur Smith56 said:Has anyone actually gone through the ringer with ANA and RF testing... maybe even AST-O?
I’ve been through the ringer with blood work and all those different tests more times than I can count, and honestly? Everything comes back negative. My rheumatologist mentioned it might just be caught in the early stages, which is why it isn't showing up in my labs yet. On the flip side, every single orthopedic specialist I've seen says there's definitely inflammation present—specifically synovitis in my knee..
Hey everyone,
Is there anyone else dealing with reactive arthritis? I feel like I’ve only been finding posts about rheumatoid arthritis on here. For five years now, my knees have been chronically swollen, and honestly, none of the orthopedists could figure out what was going on until one finally sent me to a rheumatologist. Even then, we're still hitting walls. My labs come back totally normal, but they did find Ureaplasma on my cervical swabs. On top of that, my HLA-B27 typing came back negative, so the doctors basically ruled out reactive arthritis altogether. Now, I’m seeing a different rheumatologist who actually thinks it *is* reactive arthritis after all. It’s super confusing. Does anyone here have this specific diagnosis? How are you guys managing the joint swelling? Most of my other joints are fine—I had one episode where an index finger swelled up, but that was it. My inflammatory markers and MRIs for all my joints look okay, except for my knees, which show significant synovitis. I’ll probably have to go in for a synovectomy on my knee soon, so I’d really love to hear from anyone who has gone through something similar. I haven't found much info on these specific issues on the forum yet. Peace.
rapidrider43 said:Hey there... here’s the situation: my left knee starts acting up whenever I’m standing for too long or when I drop down into a squat—it's this sharp, pinching sensation. My right knee isn't quite as bad yet, but it feels like it's heading down that same path. As for my left shoulder, it constantly clicks and pops; it doesn't really hurt, but I feel like it tires out way too fast and I'm losing strength there, while the right one just gives a little skip here and there. I actually went to see a private physical therapist yesterday, and he told me everything still looks pretty much okay... he did a bit of manual adjustment on it, so we'll just have to wait a few days to see if there's any actual improvement, though honestly, I'm a bit skeptical about that part.🤷
You should get into swimming. Stick to freestyle or backstroke. Definitely stay away from breaststroke—I've heard that frog kick can be a nightmare for your knees.
Look, my advice? Hit up an orthopedic surgeon first. If they can't figure out what's going on, then go see an internist... I mean, does it actually hurt, is there swelling, or is it just making clicking noises?
I also wanted to ask about deleting that one post where I accidentally left my email address—the one about cat fostering. Which moderator should I reach out to about getting that taken down?
Look, I really need to scrub some old posts from my history, and it’s kind of an emergency!
Who should I reach out to? Which moderator can actually help me out here?
I tried to delete them before, but by then it was already too late. Here’s the deal: I just posted my email address over on the cat adoption subforum, and now anyone who Googles me is going to see my username tied right to it. I need a mod to get in touch with me ASAP because I seriously need to wipe some older posts off the board!
They’re all about some old relationship drama—super private stuff that I definitely don't want being public knowledge!!!
Vess said:That person needs to be YOU. So go out there and make it happen.
Vess,
I'm right there with you on this. I get what you're saying, I really do, but I'm just stuck on the "how." How do you actually build that? That rock-solid sense of inner security? Honestly, I feel like even talking to a therapist in Manhattan wouldn't touch that kind of deep-seated stuff. It feels like the only way left is to find that one person who’s actually going to stick by my side through everything...