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Greetings, Although not formall diagnoses yet (I go the the Rhuem. on Thursday, I am pretty sure that I am headed down that road. For years I have said that there is some underlying cause as to why my joints and tendons get so many injuries and aches and pains. I have been diagnosed with Severe Degenerative Disc Disease and have been being treated for years for Sacroiliitis. This year we added a new malody. My Achilles Tendon. The podiatrist was actually the one that suggested it might be something else since there was no clear cut event that led to the injury. I realilty, it had been bothering me for several years but just got unbearable this Spring. On any given day, I could name another joint or two (or three) that are bothering me. I had blood work done by my primary. The Rhuematoid factor was normal but by ESR Sed Rate is at 40. Besides the joint/tendon/back issues, I have had extremem fatigue. So............not to self diagnose here.........and by Thursday I will know for sure.........but if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck..........it is probably a duck.

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Welcome! Quack, quack!

It will be good to have a professional opinion so that you can start treatment and begin the hunt for what works.

You have come to a great place. The members are awesome, the group is very active, and the discussion is really interesting. If you have questions, feel free to post away or message one of the mods. The old threads hold a wealth of info, so I encourage you to search them too.

Look forward to knowing you better…

The Grumpiest of Kitties

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Quack, indeed, my fellow feathered friend. (Like the alliteration?) Don't let the bloodwork fool you. It often appears to be "normal" when, in fact, it is anything but. My GP is the one who diagnosed my PsA based on the fact that I had been suffering with a Psoriasis flare for 3 years and had a knee swollen to 4x its normal size with absolutely no injury or reason for it. Oh, and the 4 herniated lumbar discs that the orthopedist disregarded as not substantially damaged enough to cause the amount of "pain" I said I was in (He actually sneered at me when he said that). And the random, migrating pain and inflammation that kept cropping up when I least expected it. I had bloodwork every 6 months for years that always claimed I was completely healthy. I even argued with my GP about going to a Rheumy because my bloodwork was always spot on...obviously I didn't need another doctor telling me I was exaggerating things, right?!? Imagine my surprise when the Rheumy I finally agreed to see looked me in the eye and told me I have PsA. Surprise!! (imagine the sound of those obnoxious party horns here) Anyway, welcome. The folks here are super friendly, mega knowledgeable, and lots of fun. I'd love to meet them all in real life and take them all out for a round of tequila shots. Except for those on MTX. They can have fruit juice. :)
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Thanks everyone. Here is my first question. Do you find you are more likely to get sick if you are around someone else who is sick? Home right now with a nasty URI cause someone at work came in with one last week. :frowning:

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Since I am on biologics for my PsA, my immune system does seem to be somewhat suppressed. I caught this nasty bronchitis from my son over two weeks ago....and while he is doing just fine, I am sick as a dog and can't seem to fight it off. Also, once I get sick, it seems to take heroic measures to get me well again, so I just try to avoid sick people and places where I know sick people congregate. I also wash my hands a lot. Yes, it dries my skin out a bit, but it is so worth keeping the random germs at bay.

I don't think you can catch a URI from someone else without contact with that general area on a person (or if they do not wash their hands after using the restroom.) In addition to frequent hand washing, keep an industrial size bottle of hand sanitizer on your desk and use it liberally. That should do the trick.

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By UrI I meant upper Resp infection. I am a total germaphobic and do the hand wash, hand sanitize and Lysol wipes to the desk thing. I avoid buffets at all costs. Yet still, I tend to get it and of course worse than the person who gave it to me. It usually will turn into Bronchitis. I am on day 2 and so far so good. Let’s hope the ZPak works. I went right to the doc to try and avoid bronchitis. I am good for twice a year with that. Anyway…thanks all. Nap time.

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<<brain freeze. Of course URI is upper respiratory infection. duh. I'm just not quite with it these days. :D

My doc told me that newer research shows that most bronchitis cases are actual viral, not bacterial. Therefore, he refused to give me an antibiotic for my lovely 2 week (+) case. I'm still hacking up a lung every couple of hours, but at least the pulled muscles/poss. separated rib from coughing are feeling better now :)