hello new member questions

[Guest guest]

Greetings. I joined this group a while back, this is my first post. My husband

is diagnosed with Reactive Arthritis, acquired most likely from exposure to a

pathogen during hospitalization for brain surgery in 2003 (he has hydrocephalus,

had shunt failure in 2003). Within the first month of his hospitalization, he

had symptoms of eye infection, urinary tract infection, and back pain, and joint

problems first appeared in summer 2004, with " sausage toes " and foot tendinitis.

It took a while for his doctors to get the correct diagnosis, and for us to

understand the diagnosis. He continues to have problems with eye pain, and his

arthritis has travelled to his hands and wrists. He has been on several meds to

treat the arthritis, and currently is on sulfasalazine, which seems to be

helping for the moment. He is a trooper, makes the best of things, still

maintains a positive attitude.

I also have symptoms of arthritis, heretofore not clearly diagnosed to my

satisfaction, and my question to the group is: are there any of you women out

there who think they may have acquired a bug from your husband (sexually or

otherwise) and so " caught " RA from them? I first had symptoms about the month of

April, 2004, about 1-2 months after my husband felt well enough from

recuperation from brain surgery to " resume normal relations " . I woke up one

morning with all of my joints hurting, felt like I was about 80 years old (I was

48 at the time), had some edema in my lower legs, had difficulty with walking.

My doctor asked me if I had travelled recently (I had, to the next county only),

put me on antibiotics and OTC pain relievers. Those symptoms resolved. Since

then, I have had a pattern of symptoms which are unexplained (to me): I have had

several soft-tissue injuries from routine activities which would not normally

cause injury - feels like my connective tissue gives way easily for no good

reason. I have had increasingly chronic burning joint and soft tissue pain in my

hands, wrists, feet, and knees. I have hip bursitis that has not resolved, for

4-5 years. I had one episode of " viral " conjunctivitis, last year. I sometimes

feel weak, fatigue to the point that if I exert myself I'll keel over or

something. Until these symptoms started increasing in the past several years, I

always felt I was quite healthy - I am an active working woman who eats right,

exercises, lives life to the fullest, etc. My doctor is suggesting that I have

osteoarthritis - but I don't understand why it is affecting me all over like

this. I feel like something is eating away at my insides - it feels like a

chronic disease process, as opposed to my " joints wearing out " . At age 54, with

my good health history, and with no family history of arthritis, this doesn't

make sense to me. Come on, I'm not that old yet ;-) !!!

I have a dangerous inclination to self-diagnose when I don't get what I think is

the right answer from my doctor. I'm too smart for my own good and forget

sometimes that I didn't go to medical school ;-). So, aside from my question re:

have any women " caught " RA from their husbands, my second question is: does any

one know where to find the best rheumatologists who have expertise in diagnosing

and treating RA in Northern California? I am proceeding with trying to get

diagnosis and care from my HMO, but I have a feeling I may want to go out of

network to get a second opinion.

Thanks for listening, and regards to all,