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Whose Fault Is This?
"Whose fault is this?" people often ask themselves. Can you remember waking up one morning with arthritis? Was it delivered to you by accident or did you incur it yourself? Fellow CreakyJoints.com members shed some light on this topic. We're waiting for YOUR contribution--or response--to what others wrote!
Cheryl - who has osteoarthritis, and bilateral hips, knees, ankles - wonders if her pregnancy caused her displasia:
I had a very active, atheletic childhood. But, I never could run fast or for prolonged periods of time. My knees, hips would always hurt if I ran more than a mile or so. I joined the AirForce in 1983. Made it through basic training, the 3 mile runs almost killed me, but I did it. Met the man of my dreams 1 year later, and one year after that, I became pregnant. During my pregnancy, I could hardly walk. I was still active duty, but being pregnant I did not get x-rays and since I had always been active/healthy, the doctors assumed that I had sciatica from the baby pressing on a nerve. Well, after I had the baby and the symptoms did'nt go away, I had some extensive testing done. Simple x-rays showed that my hips, knees and left ankle were shot. It was determined that I had hip displaysia (yes just like a german shephard would have)which caused unnatural wear on all of my weight bearing joints. Being pregnant, just made it worse.
I was retired from the AirForce, and lived the next 15 years in pretty bad pain. Only taking motrin and tylenol for the pain. The doctors had told me that I was not a canadate for joint replacement due to my tender age and all I could have done was joint fusion which would have left me crippled too, painless, but crippled. With a young child and eventually ending up a single parent, that was not an option.
So now, 15 years later, I am 14 weeks post-op from having my left hip (the worse joint in my body) replaced. I am so happy with the results, I am going to have a joint a year replaced.
I am not sure if I always had the displasia, I am not sure if pregnancy caused it. I am not sure if it had been diagnosed prior to my pregnancy if I would have had the problems I have had for the last 15 years. Regardless of those issues, I have chosen, just like the person who started this site, to be as active, and as healthy as I possibly can. I cant look back and say what if. Now is Now and that's all anyone has for certain.
Catherine - with polyarticular arthritis - thinks it was a side effect from her MMR shot or possibly genetics:
I think it was a mishap from the MMR shot or my Dad gave it to me since my dad was 1 out of ten and he was the only one not to get arthritis.
Now on my mom,s side she is 1 out of 4 and only my grandpa has it.
I am 1 out of 3 and am the only one with JRA.
My knees are what started it then in a year it went to my ankles, wrist, elbows, then when I was 10 it entered my neck and effected everything around it like my shoulders,back,jaw. Life is hard if you go to a school were no one understands you.
JoAnne Berg - with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia - traces the cause of her conditions to a Lupron injection:
My ob/gyn put me into menopause with a injection of Lupron depot, within 10 days I couldnt walk across the room or make a fist with either hand. Since then Ive learned that Lupron can trigger autoimmune diseases in people who are prone to them.
Kathleen Ryan - with rheumatoid arthritis - doesn't know why her wrists are arthritic, but does know you need to be upbeat about life:
I have no idea how I got to be lucky enough to get this disease! We have tired to trace it back to both sides of my family, but have been unsuccessful locating any other cases.
I, too, woke up one morning with a sore and swollen joint (my wrist) at the age of 12, and thought I must have either sprained it unknowingly, (very unlikely!!), or slept on it wrong the night before. I tried to ignore it for about a week until the pain finally disappeared. Then the very week following, I woke to a sore and swollen wrist on the other side of my body. I was scared. I knew something was very wrong.
I was diagnosed one month later, after countless blood tests and visits to general practioners and a few different rheumatologists. My mom and I actually felt relieved that what I had actually had a name and was treatable (well, let's say controllable!- most days).
Now, I am 26 years old and after 3 hand surgeries and nearly a dozen different doctor and countless and frusturating switches of meds, finally learning to live with and accept my disease without shame and embarrsment. I believe that a lot of that, for me at least, has come with maturity. I no longer tell people that I crack my knuckes and that is why my joints are so big-haha! (It would be kind if hard to also explain the surgical scars on both hands if I were still using that excuse)!
Like we all do, I have my good days and my bad days and my VERY bad days. But I do believe that one of the best things that you can do for yourself is to have a positive attitude. When I am in pain, I gets lost of rest, quiet time alone, (which helps me a ton!) and try to think about the good things in my life - my family, my friends, and often remind myself that things could definately be a lot worse!
Carolyn Beard - with osteoarthritis in her right knee - doesn't know exactly why her right knee went south:
Was in the Army 20 years, ran like a deer (forced) and had little problem with my joints. However, I damaged my left knee on a fall and after recovery I have had little or no problem with this knee. Returned from a vacation trip in Ireland and although I walked a lot, did not have any pain in any joint. Then one morning I woke up and waa-la, my right knee was swollen like a balloon with immense pain. Went to the doctor and submitted to various tests. X-rays, MRI, blood letting, etc. I now have been told that I have osteoarthritis in my right knee. Of course all the questions followed, do you remember hurting the knee, change of diet, incantations, or anything that would cause this afflication. NO, I answered. Regardless, my doctor said, you have osteoarthritis in your right knee. Here is some naporsin (bad, bad stuff for me). Now I am using vioxx, stops some of the pain, but as with anything, it is not all inclusive. I also take glucosamie/chondroitin pills (don't know if they help, but they don't hurt). Bottom line, don't now why this is, it just is!!!
Robin Mayhall - with rheumatoid arthritis - places the blame squarely on arachnids:
I firmly believe my RA was triggered by a spider bite. About ten years ago, I was staying for a weeklong conference in an otherwise unused-for-the-summer dorm room at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I was bitten by an unidentified spider, and my right hand swelled up. It was very swollen and painful for about three days, and then it gradually went away.
However, about three months later, the same joint swelled up again, and this time it didn't go away. I ended up having a small surgical procedure on my hand to get into the joint and try to figure out what was causing the problem. Nothing but a lot of inflammation could be found. But, before my cast was off from that surgery, my right knee suddenly swelled up. That's when my surgeon referred me to a rheumatologist.
Within about two months of the surgery, all of my major joints had swelled symmetrically, and I was diagnosed with RA. I have read that an allergic reaction can trigger RA, and it seems very likely to me that a spider bite could, as well.
Shelley - with psoriatic arthritis - blames stress, and urges you to question your doctors:
1997 wasn't a good year for us. My husband had a serious industrial accident in March and even though I was 3 months pregnant I felt I handled this stress okay. Later in May I caught a severe case of the flu, which I eventually overcame after several weeks. My pregnancy throughout was routine, no problem. Unfortunately, I gave birth to a beautiful, fullterm stillborn daughter.Not long after my right ankle swelled up and this progressed down to my toes.I was diagnosed with gout and given prednisolone,this helped but only masked the problem. Eventually the swelling and pain went into my left foot,then both knees,chest wall, neck. It became so bad that at one stage I could only crawl to the toilet.I was finally sent to a Rheumatologist in Jan 1998,who diagnosed psoriatic arthritis { he felt this was largely brought on by the stress of the loss of my daughter } since then I have been and am still on a variety of meds. I blame myself for not being more assertive with the drs and questioning them more.
Amy Liakos - with rheumatoid arthritis - is another believer in stress-caused arthritis:
I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 22. Although my father has the disease, he did not have any symptoms until much later in life. I strongly believe that my arthritis was brought on by emotional stress and trauma. Around the time of my first symptoms, I lost one of my closest friends to a terminal illness, moved away from my family and friends to a foreign country, soon thereafter lost another of my closest friends to suicide and then had to finish my last semester of college- All within the same year. Looking back, perhaps it was not just these events that caused my arthritis, but my inability to really fully deal with these traumatic and stressfull events as they occured.
In reading these opinions which are submitted and from what we have all read in medical journals and magazines, noone really knows what causes us to get these symptoms when we do. What is most important is that we accept that we have them and put all our efforts in to treating them and living our lives as best we can!!
Kim - with rheumatoid arthritis - thinks that she may have been genetically predisposed, but was pushed over the edge by an infection:
I am a 28 year old who has been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis for 7 years. I think that I had a genetic predisposition to RA (my grandmother had it) and I think it was triggered by a infection in the hair folicles in my legs that was not able to be put under control for 1 year. I also used to run competitively in college (and this is when I was diagnosed) but I don't think that caused it. Has anyone else out there had an infection that was long lasting and then got RA?
Leigh Kessler - with rheumatoid arthritis - would like to know if genetics is the culprit:
Last year when I was diagnosised with rheumatoid arthritis, at the age of 26, I wasn't surprised. I had done some research on my own and I had all the signs. And most important of all, my maternal grandmother has severe Rheumatoid arthritis. Now here in 2000 my 49 year old mother has started having joint problems and now has been diagnosised with Rheumatoid arthritis too. Is that a weird coincidence or is it really genetics? This is something I would like to know before I have children. Both my mother and I have tested negative for the rheumatoid factor. My rheumatologist says the research is unclear if it is a geneticly linked disease or not. Does anyone have any information on this that they would like to share?
Judy Towne - with rheumatoid arthritis - thinks that not getting a flu shot led to her RA:
Had I taken a flu shot I might be dumb and happy (or relatively pain free) now. About 7 years ago I had a really good case of influenza. The real thing with the high fever and aching body. Shortly after recovering from this, I started getting wandering pains. One day knees, another day elbows, another day feet. Lots of activity preventing pain. When I finally went to the doctor(because I could no longer get on and off the potty without help) he diagnosed RA. He didn't tell me I was nuts which was what I expected. Anyway, I am well controlled now (after lots of experimentation) with injected methotrexate and plaquinil. I do recommend flu shots to all of my friends.
Chuck Jones - with rheumatoid arthritis - blames stress:
I do not know whose fault it is as to what caused it I believe that stress played a MAJOR role. When I first was hired for my new job I wanted to do the very best I could, and since I was handling money I always wanted to make sure that I was right. There were times when I came home from work and my fingers and hands just ached because I did not want anyone to steal the money that I was responsible for. Add to this that I had to carry a large pouch of change weighing about anywhere from 5 to about eight pounds. Needless to say this put tremendous strain on me. When I could no longer walk because both knees were swollen, and then both of my wrists swelled up I knew it was time to find out what was wrong.
Pat Newman - with rheumatoid arthritis, Behcet's, and fibromyalgia - thinks that his Interferon treatment triggered his arthritis:
I believe that my various arthritic conditions were brought to the forefront by the Interferon treatment I took for Chronic Hep C. I have had some symptoms since I was about 21 and so probably had it then too. But when I did the interferon in 1990 my arthritis just went wild. I have since had a stroke from my behcet's and several TIA's. I am currently applying for SSD. My one daughter has JRA and my other daughter has quite a few symptoms. My son has arthritis in his back since about age 13. only my daughter has been gene tested for the HLA-B27 and it was negative, but there is no doubt that this is a family affair. There is no KNOWN family history of inflammatory arthritis.
Maureen - with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia - considers stress the cause:
I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 36. I had just had a baby and went back to a very stressful job. I thought I could do it all. Although I had a wonderful support system, I was in emotional turmoil. I felt guilty leaving the baby, and the stress at work took its toll. I began getting skin rashes, insomnia, but kept it all together, or so I thought. One day, after about six months on this rollar coaster, I could barely get out of bed because every joint in my body ached and I was overcome with debilitating fatigue. I was diagnosed a week later. The cause of arthritis....I defitinely feel it is stress related in some way or form.
Art Fried - with his Osteo - credits the sports he played as the reason for his arthritis:
I suspect that a major contributing factor in the development of the osteoarthritis in my knees is the damage resulting from playing ice hockey without proper protective equipment when I was a kid. We did a lot of falling on the knees as well as on the you-know-what. But I really didn't experience any significant pain until later in life when I was an avid tennis player (notice I didn't say "good.") Now in my 80's, I am able to play golf, even walk the 18 holes once in a while, as long as I take my glucosamine and chondroitin pills. If I stop taking them for several days I really notice the difference. Scientific observation? Nope. But even if it's "the placebo effect," who cares - I'm out there enjoying myself. I live in a golf and country club style retirement community and regularly play with many different seniors in the 60's, 70's, 80's and even 90's and we compare notes on such things. Many of those who haven't had knee joint replacements are also claiming to be helped by the same "dietary supplement." I read more and more reports from medical sources that recognize beneficial effects from using these substances. I wonder how long it will be before the medical community gives it an official sanction.
Renee Stone is in a bit of a jam here. She contributed this, and we figured that it belonged in the "Whose Fault" section. 'Read it and weep', as they say. Though she seems like she's one tough cookie:
Hello. My Mom has Polyneuropathy and Polymyopathy. Her sisters have died from brain tumors and 1 had ALS. On my dad's side, my grandmother has osteoarthritis pretty severely in her knees. Now to my problem, at 29 years of age, my left knee swelled was full of heat and pain. I went to the doctor, They gave me a 1 week supply of prednisone. That would take care of it for a couple of weeks, then, low and behold the right knee did the same thing. I went back and forth with my knees for a couple of years. The next freakish item that happened is that within 4 hours I lost my sight completely in my right eye. Dr. called it Optical Neuritis. I was on 80 milligrams of prednisone for 6 to 8 months. We got that eye calmed down with luckily just slight loss of peripheral vision damage. Then, son of a bitch, the left eye flared, but luckily it was not as severe...through the story, I have had 4 cases of optical neuropathy.
At this point, my arthritis is spreading into my hands, back, neck, shoulders, and now I think that my hips are getting involved. I am also on tons of medications.
My rheumatologist seems to think that I only have Rheumatoid arthritis, but admits that many doctors would argue that I have Lupus.
The problem is that I'm from that small percentage group of people that do not have the Rheumatoid factor in their blood and have never tested positively on anything.
Now I'm suffering from great pain and numbness in my feet. This one can really put you down. The neurologist thinks that it is contributed to the Rheumatoid, but I think that is bull crap. I don't know. If there is anyone else out there with symptoms similar to mine, I would enjoy getting the e-mails." (See form below.)
What, me worry? You'd better not, as Maureen points to stress as the cause of her RA and Fibro:
I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 36. I had just had a baby and went back to a very stressful job. I thought I could do it all. Although I had a wonderful support system, I was in emotional turmoil. I felt guilty leaving the baby, and the stress at work took its toll. I began getting skin rashes, insomnia, but kept it all together, or so I thought. One day, after about six months on this roller coaster, I could barely get out of bed because every joint in my body ached and I was overcome with debilitating fatigue. I was diagnosed a week later. The cause of arthritis...I definitely feel it is stress related in some way or form."
Raenie Oakes and her Psoriatic arthritis and Spondylitis comes down pretty heavy on "genetics" in her contribution:
I am HLA-B27 positive. I have psoriatic arthritis that has given me spondylitis with some peripheral shoulder involvement. My father also has psoriatic arthritis but his is of the bilateral type: both shoulders, both hands and fingers, both hips, both tendons. Although he has not taken the blood test, I would assume that he is also HLA-B27 positive. My brother also has psoriasis but no joint involvement at this time. My sister has no psoriasis but has inflammatory bowel disease which is linked to psoriatic arthritis.
Feedback
Angela, with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis writes: I got it all and it is very difficult to live with at times, but you have to take the hand that was dealt you and go on with your life the best that you can with God's help.
Ilynn writes (and asks): In your 80's and so active! GOOD FOR YOU MR. FRIED! Thank you for extolling the benefits of glucosomine & chrondroitin. Do you and your friends take it with prescription arthritis medication?
Lynda Johnstone asks for help for her daughter: My daughter Laura who is 11 years old has been having problems for years with her right knee locking. When I took her to the hospital last Monday the consultant said that she had a joint disease (she is double jointed) and that is what has caused her problem. I can't for the life of me remember what he called it. She is a sporty girl who loves doing gymnastics and the consultant said that she was to stop and watch what sport she does. Any help...?
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