New to group

[Guest guest]

I recently found this group after I was searching information of EN after I was

diagnosed with it a month ago. This may be a long post but I am hoping someone

can help me or give some suggestions. I woke about on Feb. 18 with a sore on

one of my knees and over the next couple of days I got another nodule on my

other knee, in exactly the same spot and a third one on my left thigh. When the

swelling on my knees got so bad that I could barely walk, I went into my family

doctor and he knew what it was right away. I had just finished up my last dose

of penicillin for strep the day I started getting the nodules. I have seen that

that can be a trigger. My health has been rather complicated since December. I

found out I was pregnant the beginning of December but then miscarried at about

6 weeks. My hcg levels weren't coming down so I had an ultrasound and they saw

something near my left ovary that they thought might be an ectopic pregnancy.

Then I was given a dose of methatrexate for the ectopic pregnancy but my hcg

levels stayed elevate. I ended up having surgery on Jan. 12. They did a D & C

because I had a normal prenancy but my left ovary was 4x normal size due to

large cysts. I ended up having my ovary and tube removed. The cysts were all

benign. Needless to say, I was very stressed out over all of December and

January with the pregnancy and then waiting to find out if the cysts were

benign. Then I got strep in February and then 11 days later ended up with EN.

With all that has happened, I am not sure what has triggered this? I have also

had bowel problems in the past and had a colonoscopy. That was fine so the

doctors just told me I had IBS. Since then I try to avoid milk, gluten and cut

back on sugar and caffeine. That has decreased the number of " attacks " I used

to get.

I was put on prednisone for 15 days and it reduced the swelling in my knees

overnight. The nodule on my thigh is gone and they were nearly gone on my knees

at the end of 15 days. They flared up again a couple of days after ending the

prednisone. It isn't as bad as it was but the pain is back and I am afraid they

will return to where I can't walk. They are sore by the end of the day.

This is the most painful thing I have had to deal with medically. My doctor

seemed reluctant to put me on another dose of prednisone. I am scheduled to see

a rheumatologist but couldn't get in until the end of April.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!

Dana