This is a long one, but please bear with me. I’ve got nowhere else to go!

So I’m 20 years old, and for the past few years I’ve had progressive joint and muscle pain. I was perfectly fine until I was 16 when I injured my back, and since then everything’s gone downhill. The injury healed normally, but since then it seems to flare up with inflammation every couple weeks or so and lasts a few days to a week. My hands were the next to go, I thought it was carpal tunnel at first, but it’s in both hands (I’m right handed), and I have pain in my pinkie and the outer part of my hand as well, which rules that out. Also my fingers are beginning to curve inwards and bulb out, if that makes sense My knees started acting up next. They just feel weak, kinda wobbly and they crack every time I bend them. Sometimes at night it feels like I have restless leg syndrome, but even moving around doesn’t help. Ankles are next. I injured them pretty bad a couple years ago, and I’m not sure if I broke or tore something, but if I’m on my feet too much they swell and get pretty painful. Elbows and shoulders after that. My shoulders feel like there’s heavy weights on them, and my elbows feel like I constantly have tennis elbow. Recently my entire body feels stiff, I’m starting to notice that the weather has an effect on how I feel. Dairy products, even calcium supplements trigger the pain. A lot of times my muscles feel like they’ve been strained, even though I’m usually in too much pain to do anything strenuous. I’m tired even after a full night’s sleep, and in the morning it seems like I have to force myself to get up. I was never this way!!

Here’s the thing- I’ve been tested for rheumatoid arthritis several times, and each time has come back negative. I’ve had tons of blood work done, and everything is always normal. I live in a small town, and every doctor I’ve been to tell me that it’s in my head, that it’s growing pains, one doctor even accused me of being a drug dealer trying to get pills to sell! They just don’t seemed concerned!

Has anyone ever had similar symptoms and gotten an accurate diagnosis? And would it be worth the long and agonizing six hour drive to see a fibromyalgia specialist or a rheumatologist? I just need an answer, 20 is too young to be feeling old! I know Yahoo Answers is the last place to ask for help concerning my health, and that no one on here can tell me exactly what it is, but I’ve got nothing else to lose. I’m at my wits end!!

Thank you for your help, and God bless!

Technorati Tags: ankles, arthritis, Arthritis Pain, blood work, calcium supplements, couple weeks, curve, dairy products, flare, growing pains, heavy weights, inflammation, knees, muscle pain, muscles, painful elbows, pinkie, restless leg syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, shoulders, tennis elbow

i tweaked it a couple weeks ago trying to do a bit too much on the bench, it had been feeling better but i started a new routine yesterday that aggravated it.

the odd thing is i tried putting an ice pack on it, but it made it worse, so i then used a heating pad, again, it just tightened up.

i applied some ” icy hot ” but it still is still quite sore today.

it isn’t in the center of the elbow where i feel it most, it is in that one bone that is to the side of the elbow.

i will probably take off tomorrow which would normally be a weights day but do you have any tips i can use to heal this up?

does ” icy hot ” really work?

why didn’t ice or heat help?

Technorati Tags: bench, couple weeks, elbow, heating pad, sore elbow, weightlifting, weights

Why does my elbow hurt after throwing a baseball? I am 17 and I play center field. I always stretch before I warm up and during warm ups I do longtoss. After awhile my elbow would hurt a bit. Then after we do fielding practice my elbow is really sore from throwing. When I lift up my arm it’s a bit shaky. After a couple hours my elbow will feel fine until I throw again.

I don’t know if I’m throwing wrong or not because my elbow was fine a couple weeks ago.

So what am I doing wrong?

Best Answer:

Technorati Tags: couple hours, couple weeks, elbow, Play Center, Throwing A Baseball, ups, warm ups

I was playing lacrosse and when I threw the ball, the defender hit my stick and my arm bent back a little further than it should go. It hurts only now and again but it hurts a lot when it dose.

Technorati Tags: couple weeks, elbow

I’m interested in tennis, and I’ve gotten four beginner-level, compulsory lessons at school. I turned 13 just a couple weeks ago, and I’m a bit weak and a slow runner for my age. I know that heavy and head-light rackets are safest for tennis elbow, but because I’m not very strong I’d like to start with a racket between 8 and 10 oz. And if it helps, I’m 5’4". What tennis racket do you recommend?

Technorati Tags: beginner level, compulsory lessons, couple weeks, oz, slow runner, tennis elbow, Tennis Racket

Ever since I came back from my trip to Oklahoma a few weeks ago I have been finding unexplained bruises on my body in the most random places. I had a couple just below the knuckle of my thumb, on my lower palm area, the side of my knee, on my leg and other random places. Some of them are explained, some of them are weird.

Some just look brownish and the aren’t tender an I think it’s really weird and I read in a book somewhere that bruising could be sign of some disease i think it was leukemia but i’m not sure. I didn’t think much of it because I did rigorous activity in OK. I have been working a lot lately and I have to do a lot.

I’ve also had some pretty sore joints around my ankles and wrists sometimes my elbows. My ankles would feel weird like they need to be popped or stretched or something but it doesnt work it just feels sore and like its being lightly pulled out of joint. My wrist have been doing it lately too.

A couple weeks ago when they were sore i was at the theater and when i was using the rail to pull me up as i took two steps at i time and that didnt help it at all it felt like someone was tugging on it really hard. like pulling it out of joint. i’m only 18 i dont know whats going on and im concerned about my sore joints. it might be nothing, might be that im not as active as i used to be but its been coming and going for awile now.

I’ve also been really tired lately even when i get 9 or 10 hours. Normally I cant sleep past 10 but today i slept till 1. it could be that i’ve been working a lot or my sleeping schedule is off and i’m not going to bed till 3 or 4 now. even at that i wake up at 10.

Technorati Tags: ankles, awile, book somewhere that, cant sleep, couple weeks, elbows, leukemia, Lot, palm area, random places, sleep, Sore Ankles, sore joints, thumb, two steps, unexplained bruises, Weird

Well, about this time last year I was told I had stage II embroynal carcinoma. They my right ‘one’, but it still showed signs of intrusion… so I had to go through a few cycles of Chemo.

Its been a couple months and everything’s looking good, but the last few days–couple weeks?–my elbow and shoulder have been tight and sore, and today i found a marble sized, painful mass a couple inches up from my elbow.

I mean, last time I expected nothing, I got something else…

Technorati Tags: amp, carcinoma, couple inches, couple weeks, days couple, elbow, elbow joint, few days, intrusion, last time, Lymph Nodes, marble, painful mass, signs

I have a dr’s appt on tuesday, and I’m not using this for medical advice, but the last couple weeks I’ve had problems with both my hands going numb, and it’s hard to “wake them up”. Also, my right arm is KILLING me. The elbow area and upper arm area.

IDK what it is, it could be a pinched nerve, it could be carpal tunnel, it could be tennis elbow. I guess i’ll find out tuesday, but the only way I can describe the pain in my right arm is…sciatica on both sides of my arm, into my pinky & thumb. anyone else have these symptoms?

I’m wondering if i’ll have to see a specialist, i’m just in a ton of pain, so i’m going to stop typing & ice my elbow.

Thanks in advance!

Best Answer:

Technorati Tags: amp, appt, arm area, couple weeks, elbow area, Guess, medical advice, Numb Fingers, pinched nerve, pinky, right arm, right elbow, sciatica, tennis elbow, thanks in advance, thumb, upper arm