Posts by Bradley Martinez3

Nicholas Davis4 said:If you're dealing with reactive arthritis, it's actually a pretty good scenario because it can resolve completely!
http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/a...arthritis.aspx
http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/a...arthritis.aspx

Moving forward, to rule out RA (or something similar like other rheumatic diseases), you really need to check for antibodies. Usually, doctors run a whole panel of antibodies to rule out other autoimmune conditions like lupus or polymyositis.
CRP and sedimentation levels typically spike during acute phases of the illness—in the case of RA—so they might return to normal once those phases pass.
Regarding HLA B27, there are various forms—like seronegative arthritis where you don't test positive for rheumatoid factor... but there are also cross-reactions, so you might not have B27, but instead something like HLA B7, which is how it worked for me.
Rheumatological and autoimmune cases usually involve a series of antibody tests. If these pains persist for a long time, it might be worth scheduling an appointment with a rheumatologist.
(Like at Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins
http://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/rheumatology/overview/mc/, I would personally see someone like Dr. Mitrovic or Dr. Chuck...
http://www.mayoclinic.org/departments-centers/rheumatology/, perhaps Dr. Mayer)
If things don't improve quickly, I'd suspect it isn't just reactive... and the longer you wait, the worse it could get. It might settle down temporarily, but it will likely just wait for another flare-up.
Salazopyrin is used for RA, but it isn't particularly effective for it; while it might help some, I haven't heard of anyone finding significant relief from it for that specific condition.
)

My mother deals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and used to have extremely swollen knees. Now, since I have lupus (SLE), I'm experiencing swelling in one knee, but her rheumatologist noted that an ultrasound showed nothing significant other than some fatty tissue deposits (like little 😉 pads)... you really need to get a joint ultrasound to see what's going on underneath the surface.

Regarding RY, there are different diagnostic criteria compared to reactive arthritis, but just because you don't meet every single requirement right this second doesn't mean nothing is happening. For instance, morning stiffness is a key indicator for RA, but it isn't always present immediately; sometimes it only shows up after a few years.
If I recall correctly, you mentioned feeling muscle weakness earlier. Since joint pain, muscle aches, and weakness are common threads across most autoimmune rheumatic diseases—and yours has been persisting for quite a while—it’s definitely time to see a specialist. You'll need a more comprehensive workup than what a local clinic lab typically provides. It might be worth re-checking your ESR and CRP, testing for rheumatoid factor, Waller-Rose, CK, and LDH, and perhaps looking into antibodies like ANA, ENA-profile, or anti-ds-DNA. You won't necessarily need every single test, but a good rheumatologist will likely suggest them.
Good luck, and please let me know what you find out...

( And sorry if I sounded a bit intense! )

Do you guys know anyone who actually went through it and just moved on—like, it disappeared and never came back?

Charles Gomez2 said:I'm also taking Salazopyrin twice a day, specifically 2x2... 😢
Could you tell me how long you've been on this treatment and if you've noticed any actual progress? I'd love to know what your doctor thinks, or if you happen to know anyone else who has gone through this same thing... The only person I know is a woman whose husband deals with the exact same issues; his knee was incredibly swollen, and then his shoulder started acting up too, but the Salazopyrin eventually cleared everything for him, even though he did mention having some stomach troubles while taking it. Luckily, I haven't had those issues since I make sure to take them right after eating...

I've been on Decortin for about 8 months, and Salazopyrin for maybe two. They put me on Indomethacin two months ago since nothing else seemed to be working.
Things feel a bit easier now (considering they first gave me a 60 ml infusion, and then twice at 15 ml each), but that knee is still slightly swollen. It gets warm, too, and feels tight when I walk. Right now, they're trying to taper me off the Decortin, so I'm slowly lowering the dose. We'll see how that goes, I guess. The last two times I dropped down to 10 mg, my knee swelled up pretty badly, so they bumped me back up to 20. At this point, nothing really surprises me anymore.
I don't really know anyone else who's gone through this... :/

I managed to kick the E. coli pretty quickly, no real drama there. Just an antibiotic paired with some herbal teas, kept a close eye on my diet, and boom—done.
The joint issues, though... that’s been hanging over me for five months now. Usually, they say you can clear ReA in about six months, but it might just keep coming back. There's also that possibility where it turns into a chronic thing, I guess.

As for meds, I'm on Salazopyrin (2x2), Indometacin (2x15mg), and Decortin (20mg). My knee is the biggest headache; it's swollen, though maybe not as bad as five months ago when they had to drain 60 ml of fluid from it. Still, the swelling is there. My ankles and lower legs act up too, but it fluctuates—some days are better than others, I suppose.

I actually had E. coli show up in my tests too, and right around that same time, my knee started swelling up. The doctors mentioned it might be reactive arthritis triggered by the bacteria. My knee gets all swollen, red, and really warm to the touch—it usually settles down after I take some meds and wait an hour or two, I guess. Even with all the treatment, it’s still hanging on, and now my ankles and feet are starting to ache as well..
Based on those results you shared, things look okay. There isn't any sign of inflammation since the CRP and sedimentation 2 levels are normal, which matters quite a bit. You can probably take a breather until your next round of labs, though if the pain keeps acting up, you should definitely go see a specialist anyway.🙂

I decided to look into this because my knee was swelling up all summer—they had to drain 60ml from it the first time, then a bit less later on—and on top of that, I’ve been dealing with pains in my ankles and back.

My diagnosis is Rea, so that’s why. I wonder if that 35 is connected to that?
thanks for the reply 🙂

I was wondering what it actually means when an HLA typing report shows 35 ND under the HLA-B section?

Hey, does anyone here have experience dealing with Rea? How did it all start for you guys, and is there actually an end in sight?