Question
I am waiting to see a Rheumatologist, as appointments in my area are booked up over two months in advance. For 2 months, in the evening I have acute tendon pain (unilateral, each night somewhere different.) Wrist, thumb, knee, foot, shoulder, elbow. By morning it is always gone. All of my bloodwork came back normal–no to Lyme’s, 3 negative RA tests, no gout, no increased sed rate or sign of infection. My colon feels distended, and I have gained 10 pounds in the last month, which is very, very unusual for me. NSAID’s Mobic is not helping (21 days), now my family doctor wants to prescribe Celebrex. Any ideas?
Answer
Inflammation of the tendons and ligaments, particulary where they attach on bone is called an “enthesitis”. This is more common in the diseases called the spondyloarthropathies. They include psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, the arthritis associated with inflamamtory bowel disease and reactive arthritis. These conditions generally have normal blood work. Hope your appointment with a rheumatologist comes soon.
