d. stearns
I AM 26 YEARS OLD, A NURSE, AND FEEL AS IF I AM GOING CRAZY! MY SYMPTOMS BEGAN 2 YEARS AGO--JOINTS IN MY FINGERS, WRISTS BEGAN SWELLING WITH A RAPID ONSET. THIS WOULD LAST IN ONE HAND FOR A DAY OR SO AND THEN IT WOULD MOVE TO MY OTHER HAND OR IT WOULD MOVE TO MY KNEE, OR FOOT, OR SHOULDER. THE SWELLING WOULD CAUSE REDNESS AT THE AREA AND BECOME HOT AS IF IT IS INFECTED. THE SWELLING WOULD CAUSE SEVERE PAIN. THIS CONTINUES TODAY, SOMETIMES IT IS JUST ONE JOINT AND SOMETIMES IT IS MANY. I HAVE SEE A RHEUMATOLOGIST WHO GAVE ME ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS LIKE NAPROSYN. MY PHYSICIAN NOW, AN INTERNIST, HAS ME TAKING PREDNISONE EVERYDAY. HE TELLS ME I HAVE AN AUTO-IMMUNE DISORDER BUT HASN'T TOLD WHICH ONE. THE FACTOR FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS IS NEGATIVE, MY THYROID FUNCTION TESTS ARE ON LOW SIDE OF NORMAL. I AM ASKING FOR HELP! I FEEL TIRED ALL THE TIME, HAVE WEIGHT GAIN, CONSIPATION FREQUENTLY, IRRITABILITY, EPISODES OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, FORGETFULNESS, AND DEPRESSION. IF ANYONE CAN HELP ME , PLEASE SEND ME A MESSAGE. THANKS!!