Rhumatologist symptoms and conditions

I was diagnosed with ILC August 2007. I had bilateral mastectomy w/ reconstruction, chemo and started Tamoxifen. Then I had a hysterectomy and I started Aromasin about six months ago. Prior to starting Aromasin I had some muscle and joint pain from Tamoxifen but I could tolerate most days. Three months into Aromasin, I couldn't get out of my car. It literally took me 15 minutes one day and I had to trade cars with my daughter. Naproxen gave me upset stomach, ibuprofen wasn't enough, Tylenol wasn't enough, Hydrocodone kinda helped but makes you feel weird. My doctor decided to take me off of it and i haven't taken anything since. My side effects were: extreme stiffness, better with motion but joint pain was so bad i didn't want to move. I have been documented as having overall generalized weakness as a result. My doctor said Aromasin shouldn't make me feel this way but why is it doing this to everyone else (mostly) too? I am now being evaluated by a rheumatologist for arthritis. My joints still hurt so bad. I gained weight, cant concentrate, can't sleep, can't wear my shoes. my ankles hurt the worst after being on my feet. My ankles, knee joints, hip joints, neck, elbows, wrists, fingers, toes and jaw are all very painful now.
If i would have known all of this, i never would have had my hysterectomy and stayed on Tamoxifen. I can only hope at some point this will get better. I just pray the cancer doesn't come back in the meantime.

I am a male 45 years and used simivastin another statin for three and a half years. Over this time i had severe muscle pain at time then about 4 months ago the muscle pain in my legs came on with a vengeance. It started in both thighs then calfs got very tight sore ankles feet and eventually got in to my arms. A deep achey sort of a pain and an irritability that casesa feeling like a toxin in my inside elbows that makes me want to stretch all the time. I feel very weak compared to my former self. I tried many things to alleviate the pain but nothing really took the pain away or even decreased it much. sometimes i would lay and groan in agony. I especially noticed that draghts and weather changes made me feel worse????. I stopped taking the simivastin 6 weeks ago. I have not had a lot of improvement but must admit thet i have been trying to push my self over this and probably done more damage. My ck levels are normal but my liver enzyme is increased a little. I started also to take q10 and L- carnitine along with magnesium. I might be improving a little each day but nothing definite. I saw a rheumatologist who has no diagnosis and isn't to committal on whether the statin is to blame. He put me on celebrex which has finally given me some relief. Can anyone relate to the worsening of symptoms with cooler changes in weather? and is there anything else i could do to hasten recovery? Thank you to all contributors on this board although it is the first time i have contributed this board has been a scores of help to me.

i took lupron only once and stopped because of all the side effects. immediate side effects were back pain, MAJOR DEPRESSION and mood swings, blurry vision with extra sleep in the eyes.

i have endo and had a laporoscopy for it but still had pain so doc said to use lupron. it is the worst drug i have had to take with the most side effects. I ONLY HAD ONE SHOT and i STILL HAVE BACK PAIN 6 months later!!!!! i am a drummer and now cannot play the drums. i have tried acupuncture but did not work for me just made pain worse. i also have gotten more acne, blurry vision, stomach issues. my life is not the same and now i have the side effects from LUPRON AND ENDO.

I went to docs for the back pain told them i took lupron they cannot find anything wrong. i went to a rhumatologist also. i am supposed to get a bone scan to see if they can find anything but they are doubtful. the only thing that helps with the side effects are back rubs, heating pads, tiger balm, taking walks, breaks from the computer and an occasional puff from mary jane seems to be the only things that help.

DO NOT TAKE LUPRON THIS DRUG IS BAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a 65 year old female taking 20mlg of lipitor for almost 10 years. All of a sudden I started having severe pain, shaking and weakness in the calf muscle. The pain is unbearable. Doctors after doctors including a cardiologist, rhoumatologist and internist don't know the reason. I have stopped lipitor for 3 days. I cry and pray to god to help me everyday. I cannot exercise which is my passion for many years. I am hoping the lipitor is the reason and not something else. I have to wait and see. But I suspect it is.
SR
I do have nausea, depression and low back pain and arthritis and frequent headaches.

Here is our daughter's story, and believe me the tears are pouring down my face as I am writing this.
Our daughter, who had completed her series of 3 vaccinations has been experiencing considerable hair loss. Her first shot was in May 24, 2007, the second on July 26, 2007 and the third and final on November 27, 2007.
Here are the other specifics....our daughter was 13 turning fourteen.
She has had every blood test imaginable to rule out the obvious which may cause hair loss such as thyroid disease, polycystic ovary disease, diabetes, and the list goes on and on. Everything came back negative. We even have a future appointment scheduled with a rheumatologist this coming November 08. We have seen the Endocrinologist and two dermatologists (a scalp biopsy proved negative to any infection, disease, etc. Granted, she had a typical amount of stress during the school year, as any young teen would, but nothing to cause this. Everyday our daughter says to us, "you should see how much hair fell out in the shower today". She's so afraid to brush or comb it because of the extreme shedding. She literally, to date has half the amount of hair she had one year ago. Let me tell you she had beautiful hair. The hair loss is becoming quite visible at the forward part of her scalp. This has been devastating, hair is everything to a teen. (to anyone this is devastating) We must also mention that her periods have been totally out of whack. She went 6 months at one point without one. It finally came back, but it is so sporadic, getting every two weeks, at times extremely heavy, etc...
She also complains of intermitent dizziness. We are reporting this to Merck today (the Co. who makes this horriffic vaccine), along with the FDA. If anyone else is experiencing anything close to what we are, we all need to pull together and make the public aware of what's happening so we can prevent this from happening to our loved ones.
Please share your experiences. Feel free to write me if someone you know is going through this same tragedy.

This is my second bout with what my doctor thinks is erlickiosis. The first time I was at the point where I could only move like an old man doing "the nursing home shuffle". Everything was swollen. Feet, hands, knees even my jaw was hurting. I couldn't stand on my own even though two weeks prior I was walking 3-5 miles per day on some good size hills. I was hospitalized and given steroid injections. Within 12 hours I was standing on my own. I was given Perdnisone 30 mg X 3 days 20 mg X 3 days 10 mg X 3 days 5 mg X 4 days. Except for some insomnia and peeing 5 times a night there were no other effects. Within 2 days I was crippled again. Now my GP was in Africa and my Internist was leaving for vacation in India. Internist would not put me back on Prednisone because he wanted me to see a Rhumatologist. I made an appointment but it was SIX WEEKS OFF. Two days later i was admitted to a different hospital. This one was where my Rhumatologist had access. Long story short Prednisone 80 mg 7 days 60 mg 7 days 40,20,10mg 7 days each. Had to start taking insulin again. Glucose never went over 200. Avg glucose last 5 weeks is 120. Gained 5 pounds because I work out every day with free weights and lots of cardio. Hopefully, I won't have to many side effects when weaning is accomplished.

I was on Lipitor for either two or three years, maybe more, can't remember, it was around 2003. About a year after starting the meds I started losing my balance, like my feet were heavy and wanting to not lift themselves up when stepping off a curb. I was in fear of falling. After being a professional dancer for many years and still having excellent muscle tone I was shocked by this muscle problem. Then I developed shooting pains in my thighs, and eventually I had an incident where my one leg just gave out and I couldn't walk. It was something in the hip/leg joint. Went to an orthopedic doctor, got x rays and m.r.i., he found nothing. I stopped taking Lipitor because I had spoken with other friends who were having leg pains. My regular doctor would not admit to anything wrong, just kept telling me I needed to stay on the drug, which infuriated me. He also kept blaming the muscle weakness and pain on my weight; which I have never had a problem with before.
The shooting pains in my thighs was all the time, including at night and woke me up at night. This was unreal. Even after walking miles I had these shooting pains, so it wasn't an exercise issue at all, but it certainly did deter me from exercising more often.
Now the pain and swelling is mainly in my knees. I can hardly walk, feel like I am crippled, and have lost my job over not being able to walk around and show apartments! I can't walk steps anymore at all, I am only 55 years old! No matter what I do, the pain and muscle weakness is progressing, I've seen a Chiropractor, a nutritionist, and now I'm going to see a Rheumatologist. I believe I have permanent muscle damage from this drug, no one can tell me otherwise.
Also, I have experienced the gradual increase of brain fog over the last two years. I am scared to death this damage is irreversible.

Levaquin cured my pneumonia but I'm now having trouble with my knees and shoulders. I can hardly bear my weight and am having trouble performing simple tasks such as reaching to answer the phone. Has anyone else suffered this way? Otherwise I feel well. I discontinued using Levequin on my doctor’s advice but when I explained my symptoms was told this was not a problem associated with Levaquin. I wonder. I'm 60 years old, very active and hope this problem is only temporary. I've got life to live!!!!

Just wanted to update my situation. Well the shaking muscles have subsided a bit (it's been 8 days since I've stopped levaquin) been to the dr's 2 more times and had new blood work done yesterday. One doc says 90% sure it's from the levaquin but wants me to take the doxycyline anyway and then see a rhumatologist. My primary disagrees, did more blood work believes it definitely from the levaquin and is sending me to rhumatologist. They also they are updating their warnings in their office to make sure that it states this is a SERIOUS side effect (she also printed me off all my symptoms that are side effects of levaquin from their computer but say "rare") My knees started to subside until I bent down and BAMN just like it was all brand new, they are burning like no tomorrow! My ankles (achilles) and my shoulder tips (where the tendons are) are still killing and I am getting muscle contractions in my thighs and left arm but not as much, this may be due to the muscle relaxers and motrin. I have also been taking diazapam for the spasms so who knows how I would feel otherwise. I am disguising the pain with medication it seems and my fear is I am going to hurt myself worse. One dr told me that if the tendons were going to rupture then there is NOTHING I can do about it, they're going to rupture, the other dr. disagrees. My primary feels I need to be seen and diagnosed asap with tendon and joint pain and feels as though it's serious, but also believes it will not last as long as the other dr said (about 4 months). I am going to go swimming tomorrow because it's suppose to be good excercise for the tendons and joints. I have been putting hot pack and nuprin cream on the knees and ankles (cold seems to aggravate it and make them feel like they're ripping). If I type (like now) I can feel the burning in my shoulders and my left elbow now. This is a serious disease this medication has given me and the second I see the rhumatologist and I am diagonosed with something I do NOT want to hear (like permanant, or long term) I am calling a lawyer. I am not a sue happy person but who the hell does this company think they are making MILLIONS off of this medication and leaving people disabled or dibilitated for long periods of time. I am too young (early 40's) to be feeling like a 80 year old as a matter of fact my mom is 70 and goes to the gym every day and walks and swims, I was the same way until this medication poisoned me. I have herniated discs in my spine and they are aggravated because I have not been able to excersise that is part of my life and routine and I am furious.

If anyone has contacted this company, can you post it here and let me know what they have said? Thank you all and I hope you are all feeling better!

I was diagnose with rhumatoid arthritus recently. the joint pain was very severe in my shoulder and my wrists and fingers. My feet felt like big round balls and i could barely walk. My rhumatologist had just started me on plaquinil but it was having no effect. after complaing about my symptoms that had been going on and getting worse for about 2 weeks he put me on prednisone 30mg a day 10mg tabs. I noticed improvement right a way and have been on the drug for 1 month. today i feel great. and am not experiencing any side affects at this time. The dosage has been prescribed to ween me off the prednisone. hopefully it will work.

I have PRP ( Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris) and my head, face, shoulders, and back have been a mess with sores and scabs that would not heal. I have been using Triamcinolone cream for more than a year with no visible effects. I went to a Rhumatologist for arthritis and she gave me a shot of Kenalog to reduce the pain and swelling. It helped that and also cleared up about 50% of my scaly and scab covered face and head. I will ask for another shot upon my next visit.
I can go out in public now without wearing makeup.
John

I was taking Levaquin and Medrol Dospak for an upper respiratory infection in the beginning of May 2006. On the fourth day I became violently ill-vomiting and diarhea every twenty minutes, weak pulse, cold clammy skin, low blood pressure, dry mouth difficulty swallowing, muscles spasms and extreme weakness. I was taken to my doctors office where I was given IV fluids as I was dehydrated. All medications were stopped. I went home to try to recover from what I thought was the flu. I had muscle aches and started getting severe joint pain and burning in feet. My mouth was painfully dry ...back to dr. he said I might have Sjorgens Disease (autoimmune disease) and Reactive Arthritis. I have never had anything like that before. He recommended a Rhumatologist...that Dr. said to keep doing what I was doing with first Dr...I was trying despartely to find out what was wrong and get well as my daughter was getting married in June. These symptoms increased and the fatigue was awful. All blood tests were normal except for a slight elevation of CRP which shows inflammation. I still do not know what caused this and what to do about it. I have started to feel better regarding the finger and wrist and shoulder pain as I was prescribed pain medication and more steriods. The pain in the joints of the knees and ankles and toes is lessening. The fatigue is still there. The scary thing is I never thought it could be from a medication and right now I am again on Levaquin and Medrol Dospak for another upper respiratory infection....I am on my second day of meds and after reading this I wonder if I should contiue??

I have been on Lipitor for about two years. I am extremely stiff particularly my knees. I have been to a rhumatologist who injected my knees with cortizone and synvisc. Neither seemed to help. I walk with great difficulty and have to be extremely careful when going up or down stairs or just walking on flat surfaces. I just saw an orthopedic surgeon who recommended I go for physical therapy. Has anyone else suffered with these symtons?

Great reduction in cholesterol levels! But suddenly I felt absolutely without any energy to perform daily tasks, and, simultaneously both knees were swelling and it was difficult walking. I immediately stopped taking Zocor and went to my heart doctor. He agreed that I had done the right thing. I had also been taking Vioxx for lower back pain for a while. Don't know if there was any interaction.
My heart doctor sent me to a rhumatologist. He said there were no real problems with the knees except some expected osteoarthiritis, indicating a slightly greater wear in the cartledge on the inside of the knee joint versus the outside. He took some fluid from one knee and only recommend I get some physical therapy. I waited about four months before following up on the therapy. The physical therapist told me immediately that my problem was only mechanics...the way I walk and that if I would practice walking properly then I would be OK. I suspect there is some truth to this but the real cause of altered walking in my opinion was the pain from taking Zocor.
Please let me know if you have found solutions to this. I am 58 and otherwise quite healthy.