Public Health Announcement :P

THE MOUDARDISH!!!! Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 6312

Soooo.........
Thought I'd share my experience as a public service. Laughing

I'll spare you many of the details, so here goes.....

More than 2 months ago, I started waking up with aches in my left shoulder and hand. I thought I was sleeping on them weird, but usually you do that for a night, not 2 weeks. In any case, I didn't think much of it. I just bought myself a new pillow, thinking that would help.

Well things got worse, and the pain started spreading. After a few weeks, I had pain in my neck and upper spine, and it radiated out to my shoulders, arms, and hands. I can't tell you how bad it was, and how it was much worse at night and the first few hours of the morning. Though it would start to feel better after a few hours of moving around, I am not exaggerating at all when I tell you I was literally half-paralyzed every night. Imagine not being able to sleep more than 3 or 4 hours a night, having so much pain that you have to talk yourself into flipping over in bed, and having to do it in stages ("okay, I'll move my legs....now my hips....my back....shoulders...neck...) Imagine having so much intense pain from your shoulder to your fingers that it's excruciating to lift up a couple ounces of bedsheet and cover yourself with it. And my fingers were swelling a bit.

So I went to a doctor, thinking it was a very bad pinched nerve. While I had to take x-rays (which showed nothing) and blood tests, she put me on 2400 mg of ibuprofen a day for several days. It barely helped.

I'll spare you some details, but basically while I was traveling in Canada (and waiting to see the doctor again once I got home....and yes, I actually drove 500+ miles each way.....I'm no wimp Razz

), it was getting worse. Now the aches and pains spread to my legs, and my finger swelling was getting worse, and my feet were also swelling. These symptoms no longer made sense for a pinched nerve.

I got home (last week), and the next day was so horrible (I could barely dress myself from the pain) that I couldn't wait through the weekend for my doctor's visit, so I went to the emergency room. The doctor there wasn't sure what to look for either.....until the lab tech who was doing my blood tests suggested something.....

They checked my sed rate, which shows if there is inflammation in the body. Normal is 0 to 20. Mine was 69. And they checked for a virus, which I ended up having.

So it's called a parvovirus and it's nothing life threatening. In fact, children often get it and most people are immune to it by the time they are adults. If a child gets it, he'll get a rash and some flu-like symptoms for a week and then he's fine. But if an adult gets it, especially women, it attacks the joints and causes excruciating pain. I can't do anything about the virus except rest and wait it out. It can last from week to a few months, and I think I've had mine for about 10 weeks now. And I think I made it worse because I wasn't resting at all. In fact, for weeks I physically couldn't sleep, which didn't help. They gave me meds to keep down the inflammation, so now I am mostly pain-free. Hopefully it will clear up soon.

So I just wanted to share and enlighten, because it's fairly uncommon and even the docs who were treating me knew little about it. This way, in case someone you know gets weird arthritis or even lupus-like symptoms, have them get checked for this virus.

THE MOUDARDISH!!!! Joined: 03 Feb 2005 Posts: 5626

I am really sorry about that ya D.
Get well soon and thank you for sharing.
My mother sometimes gets similar pains, but we have no idea why and she did a complete body check-up and according to doctors in Austria, Slovakia and Egypt - she has nothing. I will suggest doing the tests for this virus.
Update me on how you are doing. Get well soon.

All the best,

Menna

Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 12:46 pm

A few months? wow, I'm sorry you're going through this D. When I first started reading your symptoms I was nodding thinking it was a pinched nerve or some cervical issues which I know way too well. But as you started describing more symptoms I was confused cause it sounded nothing like cervical/muscular/nerve issues. Wow, 2400 mg of ibuprofen. Now that's a numbing dose.

Hope you get better soon D. It doesn't sound like something easy to deal with. Best wishes.

THE MOUDARDISH!!!! Joined: 02 Feb 2005 Posts: 8528

wow D ... salamat Smile

THE MOUDARDISH!!!! Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 6312

Thanks, all! Very Happy

I've been resting up. I come straight home from work, lie down in the living room for a couple hours, eat something, shower, and then go to bed by 9. Laughing

Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:51 pm

OMG

D salemit albik Sad

I am so sorry for that Sad

ya Allah it sounds so painful Sad

u reminded me bi the times when I get severe back pain Sad

akh I don't want to remember

please keep us updated and tamneena 3annik Hug

inshaAllah u feel better sooooon ya rab

menna same here with mom, especially lately, she always suffers from severe severe neck and shoulders pain bass mama toli3 ma3a disk in her neck think Sad

p.s. D YOU WERE IN CANADA????? Surprised

where which province?
my God how did u decide to travel with all that unbearable pain??!!!!!! Surprised

u shouldn't have taken that risk ya D, it's really dangerous!!! el7amdela 3ala salemtik w rjoo3ik home bil salemé kiss

The ultimate Mudardish! Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 3072

^ agree, its really dangerous, missed u D like hell tc woman :@

The Best Man! Joined: 06 Feb 2005 Posts: 2878

Salemtik D! I was wondering where you were.

THE MOUDARDISH!!!! Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 6312

Allah yisalmik, Yanoooooush.
I'm now starting to take less medicine (to relieve the inflammation/pain) and I should be off it by Saturday inshallah. It's a corticosteroid, which makes your adrenal glands stop producing some hormones. So you can't just stop taking it. Instead, you have to be slowly weaned off so that your body can start producing them again. I can't wait to be off of it, because the side effects are getting on my nerves (increased appetite, swollen face, feeling a bit jittery). The facial swelling freaks me out the most. I hope it comes down quickly. I mean, it's not extreme, but it's enough that it's noticeable.

But now that the medicine is not treating the inflammation as much, I know I definitely still have the virus (even after getting tons of rest the past 20 days) because some aches and pains are returning. They aren't too bad though, and I hope they don't get worse. It's so crazy that I caught this virus 3 MONTHS AGO and I still have it! And there's nothing to be done about it. I just have to wait. Rest and try to improve my immune system so it can fight it.

Rawaaaaaaaaaan! Missed you toooooooo! Hug

Girls, as for the driving......well long story. I mean, I was able to safely handle it. Plus, once I got to Canada (Toronto, Katkoot) I really had no choice but to drive myself and my car back.
Yana, I actually thought of contacting you and seeing if we could meet up by you or me, but considering I wasn't feeling well, I knew I probably couldn't. A9lan 3/4 of the stuff I wanted to do in Toronto I wasn't able to do. Confused

But thank God, ri7na wa jeena bi salameh.

Allay yisalmak, Lebbbbb! Yup, that's why I've been missing in action. Actually, I've even been too tired to sign in here and respond to these messages. Sad

But I finally did. Very Happy

Oh, and I replied to your FB message. Not sure if you saw it.

THE MOUDARDISH!!!! Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 6312

Oh, and also during all these blood tests, I found out that I am low in vitamin B12, and I have almost no vitamin D. Normal vitamin D levels are between 50 and 80. My doctor tells me, "30 is considered low........yours is a 9." roflmao

I blame it on the cave-like office I had to work in for 3 years. Barely saw sunlight. Confused

So now I am taking supplements for both. And I read that vitamin D is linked to hair, which would explain why my hair has gotten thinner during the past few years.

Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 6:21 pm

^

iza inté 9 lakan ana akeed akeed 0 neutral

and i am not kidding Confused

awww i am so sorry u're passing through all that Sad

salemtik ya D w inshaAllah btit7assané as soon as possible YA RAB Sad

w inshaAllah ya rab next time u come we get to meet bi 2izen Allah =)

please make sure to keep on resting <3

THE MOUDARDISH!!!! Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Posts: 6312

Thanks, Yanaaa!

Update: The pain has gotten worse since last night when I wrote my last posts. I'll have to talk to my doctor today to start taking another medicine after I stop taking this one. STUPID VIRUS! Mad

little elephant Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 3166

D......

hope you get well soon!!

Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:43 pm

oh God

Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 2:53 am

oh goodness D. it's dardasha! don't post here anymore!

hope you feel better soon kiss

please talk to your dr about the pain