Hi, i have Emphysema and TB Granuloma and have had persistent chest infections for some time now. I am also on Methotrexate to treat psoriatic arthritis. in the past i have had chest x-rays and have not shown anything new except those as stated above. i have an extensive family history of lung cancer caused by cigarette smoking and I am a smoker myself. I have had a bronchoscopy which didn’t show anything but at the moment i have persistent pleuritic pain in my right side of my chest for nearly 9 weeks now and my GP has just advised to monitor this. I have a persistent cough and in the past hace coughed up a little blood stained sputum. As you can imagine i am extremely worried if i have something sinister going on and its being missed, what can i do?

For the last 2.5 months, I have had general fatigue and weakness in both arms and hands. Also, both wrists and all of my 10 fingers hurt – 24×7. Some days the pain is worse than other days. There is a lot of stiffness after I type for sometime. Also, I feel like popping my fingers all the time…to feel some relief.

All blood tests (ESR, Mono, Lyme, Rheumatoid Factor) came negative. X-rays show nothing abnormal. MRI shows a tear in TFCC in the right wrist, a small cyst in the right wrist, and some fluid build up in the left wrist.

The Ortho surgeon said that the tear is most likely due to overuse (I have an 18-month old who I lift etc). Otherwise, he did not know what to conclude regarding the pain in ALL fingers. He said I should see if the pain level changes in the next couple of months, and then come back.

I am a 30 year old female, and Arthritis runs in my mother’s side of the family. A cousin got diagnosed of Psoriatic Arthritis at the age of 30 (she had a long history of Psoriasis, I don’t have any).

Can these issues that MRI showed cause all this pain? Do you think I could have Arthritis? What else (other than blood tests, X-rays and MRI) is required to diagnose Arthritis? Please share similar stories if any….

Here’s the back story. I became dependent on Fioracet with Codeine, which was prescribed to me for nearly 3 years (stress induced headaches). Anyway, I quit taking them because I moved to a different state, thus ending my relationship with the doctor that prescribed them. At the same time, I had two separate dental procedures within a 2 week period and was prescribed Percocet on each occasion. After recovering from the oral surgeries, and going through the prescribed pain pills, I began to feel the effects of opiate withdrawal. It was HELL. A friend of mine told me about Suboxone and how it could ease my withdrawal pain. So, after the fourth day of misery, I went to a licensed Suboxone doctor and got a prescription. It worked great, and I felt back to my old self. I didn’t want to be on the drug very long, but a week later I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis by my primary care physician.

On my next trip back to the Sub-Doc, I told her about my new diagnosis and she told me to stay on the Suboxone because it also helps with pain. So I stayed on it for 21 months until I could no longer afford it. IRONY – the withdrawal from Suboxone lasted 4x’s as long and was at least 2x’s as intense as my previous withdrawal.

So, now that I’m off of everything (except for Humira injections for my arthritis), and in constant pain, I wonder if the stigma of Suboxone will prevent a doctor from prescribing me pain relief, which I feel I need. Keep in mind, I didn’t tell the doctor that I was ever on Suboxone, but they knew (Big Brother?). When the doc brought it up, I felt like I was instantly scrutinized. I also felt shame for the first time. Any one have any advice, suggestions?

I have the darvocet for my psoriatic arthritis and the codeine for kidney stones. I forgot tot mention to my kidney doc about the darvocet. Is it safe to take both, because I’m in a lot of pain.

I found out today that I had this in my lower back.

I have had chronic rib pain for two years and need a diagnosis and treatment? While playing basketball about 18 months ago I received a sharp blow to my lower left back (ribs) which seemingly caused some sort of soft/connective tissue damage to the ribs but on the front side (I am guessing they protruded forward from the force of the blow, causing the damage). X-rays and CT were both clear but the pain still persists 28 months later! Anti-inflammatories have helped at times (I’ve take mobic with some fleeting success and taking Advil now), but the pain isn’t really subsiding much and has stayed fairly constant for the past year (though it only hurts when I am seated). The other complicating factor is that I have psoriasis, which raises the question as to whether this could be Psoriatic Arthritis.

The chiropractor I have worked with says I have intercostal neuritis and said that a few treatments should be able to address the problem but I don’t see much about intercostal neuritis from the MD world. Potential therapies I’ve read about include nerve blocks, anti-inflammatories, remicade).

Does anyone have a recommendation as to what type of health care professional I should see next (in order of likelihood of successful treatment)? My options are: Rheumatologist, Orthopaedist, physiatrist, acupuncturist. Aside from intercostal nueritis or psoriatic arthritis, I suppose I could have Forestier’s disease. Further thoughts?
6 months ago (Tiebreaker)

Additional Details
The pain is in the lowest two sets of ribs on the front left side. It probably isn’t costochondritis since that is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum) which is in the middle of the best.

at xmas i took really not well my back went then i felt pain in my finger joints and my knees i was totally freaked out went to the doctors he told me id be out of work for 3 months. Anyways i ended up being reffered to rhematology doctors who asked lots of past medical questions like do i get rashes in the sun i said well in the last few years i have been getting prickly heat and have become allergic to the sun and i also developed asthma over the past 2 years. He also told me that every year at winter i had attended the doctor who took blood test because i complain of the same thing in which i don’t remember prob cause the symptoms disappeared. He did blood test to test me for arthritis and xrays a mri on my back which showed 3 slipped disks and i am only 30, in the last 2 months i have developed psorisas on arms elbow and legs which i have never had in my life. The doc now says it could be psoratic arthiritis in which the tests have not showed but they said i should go back in a few months to get it checked. I am so worried and felling a bit low at the though of living my life like this can any1 give me any information. I am still in pain with my knees and back could it be somthing else.

i got diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis a few years ago, and i take methotrexate and co-codamal to deal with the pain, i go gym a couple of times a week to keep my joints healthy and subtle. but recently i have been having alot of trouble with my left hip, its a deep pain right at the top of my thigh it used to come and go now its painful all the time, the worst is when i sit down for long periods of time and stand up, but when my consultant looked at it she said she couldnt feel anything wrong so i got to go back for xrays, could it be arthritis as there is no swelling or anything? if its not arthritis what could it be??