New Joint Issues

Well since I have yet to bring over important posts from my old blog or set up pages describing my health and pain issues, here is a breif backstory about my bad joints.  I have not included the minor issues.  I consider minor issues as ones that I have not had to bring up with my rheumy, have had no tests done about and haven't gone for any testing, imaging or physiotherapy for.  Here's my list:

• Right Knee:
• 3 surgeries - Lateral Release, Scope & Debridment & a Lateral Reconstruction
• Chondromalasia Patella and Severe Mal Traking
• Chronic Tendonitis and Bursitus
• Left Ankle:
• Very unstable, flat feet, lack of ROM (pointing toes up only non-hypermobile joint)
• Tendonitis and Bursitus
• Ganglion Cyst on the Tendon
• Left & Right Wrists:
• Very Unstable, constantly dislocating wrist (left wrist being worse)
• Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
• Frequent dislocation in thumb (again mainly left wrist)
• Right Shoulder:
• 4 Corisone Shots (AC Joint twice, once for bicep tendonitis one for bursitus)
• Bicep Tendonitis and Bursitus
• Unstable, occasional subluxations possible dislocation a few times
• Severe muscle spasms and 'pulling'
• Cervical Spine:
• Herniated Disc (non-surgical at this point but is causing lots of my pain)
• Bone Spur / small bone fragments
• Cervical Stenosis / Low spinal fluid

Well over the last month or so, most of these joints have deteriorated and pretty fast which is scarey.  The  right knee is as 'grumpy' as normal but thankfully no new issues.  My left ankle has also been causing issues, it feels so 'weak' that it feels like it's just going to crash out from under me one of these days and I'll be sitting on my butt when that happens (and hopefully dont reach to grab something to prevent my falling or that will just mess up my arms!) My left wrist is in a very bad state.  Had emergent xrays for possible fracture as pain has been so severe for such an extended length of time (going on a few months).  I have to have it braced at least part of the day and am starting to come to terms with that the wrist might just be unfixable at this point.  It doesnt stay in much (thankfully I can reduce it on my own so far!) and is just constantly in some state of pain.  What concerns me is that I have been using my right wrist so much that it is now starting to go our a few times a week (the right one goes out a few times a day!).  Right shoulder has been just as painfull as normal but sleeping on my nan's hard bed and the 3.5 hour travel on friday and sunday have not left it where it wants to be.  I am having severe muscle spasms right along the edge of the shoulder blade and keep feeling like I have to pull it up and forward to get it to feel 'right'.  The OS I saw about it stated that there was nothing wrong with the shoulder, it was all my neck.  My cervical spine is basically the same as well.  The long trip last weekend really did screw with it and I was in massive pain after the bumpy ride on friday (took max does of pain meds a few times as well as some OTC meds) and my bad headaches are coming back but that is to be expected.

No, what is really bothering me is the 'new' joints causing problems.  I was always happy to say that my elbows were perfectly normal and never caused problems (besides the obvious hypermobility) or pain.  Well in the summer I moved some weird way and heard a pop then I couldnt straighten out my arm.  Lots of ice, some Robax and some time and I was able to move it again and the pain was short lived.  Now this has happened quite a few times and is now causing some pain (minor compared to the other joints, but still hurting) with some movements and during pain flares.

The other main issue is my hips getting worse.  I have always had trouble with them, it just never surpased the other joint issues I had.  When I first met my Rheumy and told him that I had hip pain he put me on the spot saying "Where do you think your hip is", I showed him and he got surprised as apparntly most people with hip pain aren't actually having hip pain, however it showed us that I had legitimate hip pain.  Again with the traveling and hard bed they have been bugging me on and off for about a month (we did that same trip in october so had the traveling and bad bed then).  Well last night I was in bed after taking my pain meds and just couldnt sleep.  I went to move and heard a very loud 'pop' followed by tingly feelings down my left leg and up into my back.  It scared me! I didnt move for a good 5 minutes as I was worried what would happen.  I then slowly moved it and realized that the pain that I normally would have got from that movement didn't happen and when I woke up this morning I realized that all the normal day to day pain in that hip was also gone!  I dont think it has been fully dislocated this length of time but something was obviously not where it was supposed to be!

Well that ended up being a LOT longer than I had anticipated!!  But probably a good thing to have written down all together somewhere.  I will probably use this as part of a page of the different health issues I have.  In regards to this blog, if you know of someone who might be interested in it please feel free to pass it on to others.  I would love to get it into an EDS 'blog-ring' as it might help others, give me a place to vent about things that normal people have no clue about and just maybe there might be someone reading this that could have a few tips to make things better.