Posted by 10derHeart on September 4, 2005, at 0:04:21
Okay, this is weird, but I have to ask.
For maybe 5 or 6 years, on and off, I've had what I'd describe as joint pain, but only in one set of joints in my body. Now don't laugh too hard, but it's my feet!
Specifically, all the little bones along the top of my feet, and in every toe, and the ankle area, too, just seem to ache and ache. Sometimes, it happens every evening for a week. Then, it may disappear for months on end. It hurts far more when I'm laying or sitting, and very little or none when walking/standing. Go figure?!
Sometimes my feet ache like this in the morning (although night is far more common) and seem to feel a lot better when I get up and moving around (good circulation=no pain?)
Over the past year, I've gained a great deal of weight. I'll decline to say the #s right now, but it's a lot. I was fairly sure the new aches I'm feeling in my neck, back, hips and knees are an obvious result of forcing my frame to carry so much weight. And this foot pain has recently become much more frequent and worse, too. So, I've been saying to myself, "well, DUH, if you weren't so fat..."
Now I'm wondering, thinking about the fact my feet have ached for years, even 50-60 pounds ago - :-( - that maybe this is not ONLY my weight. Because this past couple weeks, my fingers feel stiff and achy every day, and I'm fairly sure I don't bear any weight on my hands!
I've started taking Tylenol, Advil, whatever, regularly to dull the pain so I'll feel more like doing stuff, but this worries me. (Doesn't help much either) I take another med that has to be closely watched for liver issues, so this OTC painkiller added can't be wise...?
Does this sound like arthritis? The osteo type? No swelling, redness or any other symptoms like I've read about with RA. Just achiness for hours and some stiffness. Even if so, is it worth a trip to my GP? He may just say "lose weight" and I really do already know that....don't need the humiliation.
Is there anything else it might be? What do you guys think? (gosh, my neck is killing me tonight, and I know I don't bear weight there either, do I?)
-- 10der (overweight, achy, stiff and confused, too)
poster:10derHeart
thread:550520
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20050411/msgs/550520.html