Chronic Pain

About 2 1/2 months ago I woke up and had big and small red lumps / bumps / spots under the skill; on my legs and some around my elbows, they are not itchy but sore when I press on them. As well as this my ankles, knees and elbows (joints basically) were in incredible pain when I moved or did anything; I also had a tight sore chest and throat but that didn’t seem so big in comparison.

After going to the doctors several times, and taking inflammatory pills, anti-biotic etc the pain and bumps were still there just getting worse. So I was recommended to see a Rheumatologist at the hospital, they believed it could be some viral infection and my body was just reacting to it. I have now been taking some anti-inflammatory pills that are much stronger; for the last 3 weeks and the bumps on legs have gone down a little and turning a bruise colour - but they are still coming up and moving their way up the body slowly, more appearing and disappearing on a daily basis on the whole of my arms and the back of my legs and knees, as well as some patches on my thighs now. I just don't know what to do and it is making my life hell! Any help would really be appreciated.

Hmm. If you're looking for a diagnosis here, that may be difficult to find and, even if someone gave you theirs, you wouldn't know if it was yours, too.
My only suggestion would be to tell you to go back to your doc(s) and explain your worries along with your symptoms.
So, best to you. I hope your worries and your symptoms are gone soon!

Franky,
I'm sorry to hear about your problems. As Anne said, it's impossible to diagnose someone over the internet, even if they have the same symptoms. If you feel as though your doctors are not taking your problems seriously, please do not hesitate to find a new doctor.
I hope you are feeling better soon! Please keep us updated.
Sincerely,
Stacy

Please do a search for Graves Disease and pretibial myxedema. Graves Disease is a thyroid disorder resulting from Auto-antibodies attacking your thyroid. This can cause inflammation in your throat, joint pains, edema, and many other symptoms. Pretibial Myxedema is a red bumpy type rash usually found on the legs, but can be found anywhere on the body. It is a result of the Auto-antibodies attacking the cells there as well as the thyroid. If you think you have this you need to see a doc asap and have him run a FT4, FT3, TSH and TPOab as well as a TSI to specifically check for Graves Disease. Many docs dont' know how to do this, so ask for these specific labs. Get copies of the original results and you may need to see an endocrinologist.

Good luck. I hope this helps...

E (Ellen in Missouri)

PLEASE do not try and diagnose yourself based on anyone else's exoerience, ok?
I just noticed the most recent reply and, honestly, though you have described your symptoms well, the majority of are NOT doctors and, if wew were, I would hope that NO doctor would attempt to diagnose over the internet..
Good luck; I hope you have found an answer to your worries.. via your doc, as opposed to here!
Thank you, Stacy, for backing me up on this.
Anne

Maybe I did not express myself the way I had intended. I'm sorry if there was a mis-communication, so wanted to clear up my statement.

It's very good advice to see your doctor for a proper diagnosis. That is why it was suggested twice in my post to see your doc and/or an endocrinologist to properly diagnose or rule out this possibility. Self-diagnosis is dangerous, as is having someone else do it based on symptoms read on the internet. If you think you might have the symptoms described for pretibial myedema, it gives you something to mention to your doctor who may not have seen it before. Obviously, only a doctor should diagnose you. However, if you don't feel that you're being treated appropriately, do seek the advice of another doctor. Arming yourself with knowledge is the only way you will know if you are being treated appropriately.

After having my pre-tibial myxedema mis-diagnosed for 15 years by several doctors, I thought it was worth mentioning. I'll now graciously bow out of the conversation...

Antiquity,
Don't worry! I was not suggesting that your advice was bad or not right. I just wanted to make sure that going to the doc for a diagnosis was mentioned again.
Sincerely,
Stacy

To Interested Parties,

I did not see any harm in Antiquity explaining his personal experience with the red bumps and sores. He did not diagnose a condition; he simply laid out, for all to see, what he had that was similar to what the new poster was describing. And he is absolutely correct: the more knowledge you have before going into a doctor's office, the better you are. I go to my doctor's office, equipped with information I glean from these forums. They have helped to make me a more intelligent, well-advised patient. My psychiatrist has even started me on meds, based on what I have read on these forums. No, I did not make the diagnosis, nor did I prescribe the drug. But I certainly brought up these possibilities when I saw my doc and she weighed the benefits against the negatives, and together, we came up with a mutually agreeable solution.

I just wanted to say to Antiquity - your post was VERY helpful, and I am sure that the poster who described the bumps was glad to have that much knowledge to take to his doctor as a possibility. It is better than not having anything to bring up, when going in to see your doctor. I honestly think that many of our doctors actually prefer it if we do have our own ideas as to what we would like to try for treatment.

Personally, I am thrilled when people tell me about medications that they have tried and/or explained some of their symptoms, so I can compare them to my own. All of it, put together, makes me a much better educated person once I get to my doctor's office the next time.

Two examples of when I had information available to me before seeing my psychiatrist were: Provigil and Seroquel. I heard about Provigil on these Health Central Forums and was convinced I could benefit from the drug for myself. I also heard abou Seroquel from a buddy of mine from the Internet, who is very knowledgeable about a variety of medication alternatives for people with bipolar. He suggested that I mention it to my psych doc. I did this and I am now taking Seroquel for a mood stabilizer. So far, things are looking good.

I say thank you to you, Antiquity, for sharing such specific information with us. It gives us a great starting point for the conversation with our doctors. So, BRAVO to you!

I am wishing and praying for a pain and anxiety-free holiday season for all of us on this forum and on the other forums put on by Health Central.

Kay

I was wondering if you ever found out what you have because I have huge red bumps on my legs and my knee, elbow, and wrist joints are in so much pain. I went to the doctor and he couldn't figure out what I had. Was there any medication that helped you get rid of the pain? I'd really appreciate if you could get back to me.

I found this forum while searching for the same symptoms that both Franky and Mel described.

My daughter suddenly exhibited these red bumps on her legs, and terrific pain in her ankles and to a lesser degree, her knees. Walking is impossible.

Finally she has been diagnosed with either Erythema Nodosum, or, Erythema Multiforme Nodosum.

I hope this info is of help to others with similar afflictions who have not yet been diagnosed.

Regards,
John

I understand your pain franky. Back in March I had cellulitis in my lower leg. This is when I started getting my dots on my legs. The docs put me on steroids and that seemed to take away the red dots. They had me off and on steroids for about 4 months until they realized nothing was working. I have HUGE amount of joint pain in my ankles, knees, wrist, fingers, and so on. The red dots do not hurt that bad but they feel like bruises when I push on them. The Rheumatologist tried anti-inflammatory pills that did nothing for me either. They have now tested me for Lupus and further diseases.
Have you tried the Rheumatologist yet? Its just a thought... it took a few visits and a bad day for my doctor to do more Lupus tests... I also just got a biopsy on one of the dots on my leg so I can get back on here and let ya know the results...

Does anyone have a conclusion to the people (Fraky, Mel) who experienced joint pain and leg bumps? This is a problem I've been experiencing for 3 weeks.

Thanks,

Adam

Adam,
Your symptoms sound like something I had 10 or or years ago. I started with joint pain, then it turned to red bumps under the skin. I was referred to a rhumatologist (incorrect spelling sorry). I was diagnosed with erythema nudosum. Look it up, ask your doctor about it. Could possibly be the same illness. It was horrible. I would deliver all my children over again instead of having that horrible pain. It can come from stress, surgery, past strept infections. I had a bioposy done on one of the lumps and was diagnosed from that. After getting so bad, I could barely walk, I was given oral prednisone. Just though I would share my experience with you! I hope you feel better VERY SOON. Sorry you are so miserable. Take care, God bless you. LISA