[Simon]

Yo folks,

long time no new topics from me except the odd research thing, which is good I think.

Still on block and replace. Had some issues with sleeping recently, suddenly my usual 5 or 6 hours is not always enough. Zopiclone seems to help, but I feel I could do with more sleep far too much of the time.

However since Christmas I've had epicondylitis (both elbows, both sides of each, Tennis elbow and Golfer's elbow), with the odd ache in the top of my hands which the doc thinks is probably due to the elbows. Doctor prescribed an ibuprofen gel, and muttered that they don't know a lot about how to treat it, noted my mother had mixed connective tissue disease, and sent me off to collect the gel.

Whilst it isn't especially painful, nor especially debilitating, I'm still in that adapting stage. Where I'm learning what hurts, and how to avoid it.

Haven't seen anything to relate this to thyroid problems, but I'm now pretty much resigned to everything that goes wrong with me being directly or indirectly related to my Graves'. So I figure I'd ask if anyone has had anything similar and if so how long it lasted, and what if anything helped.

[Rowdy]

Hey Simon,
I started with tennis elbow and then developed golfers elbow on the right last March.Had to go for PT.I find it acts up when I over use that arm.
It can become very uncomfortable.Best thing to do is rest the arm,and start a slow stretch of the wrist.Arm flat and lift wrist up and then down gently stretching.
Then move on to 1 lb weights.
I was told that if I don't behave when it acts up,I'll need to have surgery to repair it.
Doc offered drugs,but I opted for Advil.
Rest the arm and take it easy!

[cdsh3764]

Simon, on 07 February 2010 - 03:09 PM, said:

Yo folks,

long time no new topics from me except the odd research thing, which is good I think.

Still on block and replace. Had some issues with sleeping recently, suddenly my usual 5 or 6 hours is not always enough. Zopiclone seems to help, but I feel I could do with more sleep far too much of the time.

However since Christmas I've had epicondylitis (both elbows, both sides of each, Tennis elbow and Golfer's elbow), with the odd ache in the top of my hands which the doc thinks is probably due to the elbows. Doctor prescribed an ibuprofen gel, and muttered that they don't know a lot about how to treat it, noted my mother had mixed connective tissue disease, and sent me off to collect the gel.

Whilst it isn't especially painful, nor especially debilitating, I'm still in that adapting stage. Where I'm learning what hurts, and how to avoid it.

Haven't seen anything to relate this to thyroid problems, but I'm now pretty much resigned to everything that goes wrong with me being directly or indirectly related to my Graves'. So I figure I'd ask if anyone has had anything similar and if so how long it lasted, and what if anything helped.

Hi Simon!!

Great to hear from you!

Sorry about your difficulties.....must admit, it makes me wonder about your levels - maybe they've gone a bit hyPO for you? I know joint pain is
a hyPO symptom - my knees used to KILL me when hyPO. And, your sleep issues would be hyPO for me, too.

And, I don't blame you for thinking that "wronggoing" things might be related somehow to your Graves' - the thyroid DOES have quite the "body
responsibility". But, I admit I've read that, sometimes, thyroid patients brush off symptoms to their thyroids and don't seek treatment when
they should.

As my GP always told me, whenever one of his patients presents with a symptom and he knows the patient has thyroid disease, that's the
first place he looks.

Best of luck to you unraveling the mystery http://www.livingwithgravesdisease.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif

Carol

[Simon]

Thanks Rowdy,

reading around several folks mentioned they used specific exercises to strengthen their elbows. Did you do these exercises whilst it was a problem/hurting? Who advised them? Do they have a name I can look them up by?

I'm trying to rest my elbows, but Isaac hurt his foot a couple of weeks back, so just when we thought he'd finally mastered walking I've been having to carry him around more. And he is still well over the 97th percentile of weight for height, and that means he is already heavier than 75% of three year olds (mum tries to avoid carrying him as much as possible already). He is starting to try and walk again but limping badly still, but he has figured out how to climb the stairs without putting any weight on his bad foot - clever lad.

Carol,

I wondered that but the labs were okay, maybe borderline hyper. Had labs done because I thought something was wrong only a few weeks after the elbows started aching, and for the second time in a row went down with a viral infection between booking the thyroid test and getting the results. Guess I know when my body is complaining, just not always what it is complaining about.

[Rowdy]

http://www.itendonit...-exercises.html

Simon I checked around the web and found this site.These are the exercises that my physical therapist had me doing.Start off slowly and if it starts to hurt more,stop.Gently gently gently.You don't want to cause more damage by overuse.This is what causes this in the first place.It can hurt like the dickens.In the past I had gotten to the point where I couldn't even pick up my coffee cup.Be very careful when carring Isaac.Ouch,I feel for you.
Ice and rest,ice and rest.Gentle massage.

I don't think this is related to thyroid,just chronic over use

[pbhunt]

I guess joints are joints when you have Graves disease. ;) Simon...have you have found any research on Graves and cartilage/connective tissue? I just had to have a total hip replacement, after an iliopsoas groin muscle tear. It turned into bone on bone. The surgeon also noticed some decalcification in the femur. I had ignored the low TSH and bone loss questions previously. (PS..I am only 51) Thanks. :huh:

[mmztcass]

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so I have problems with the elbows anyway. I don't know what you can do.

Here's an article I found with connections between GD and RA:

http://ezinearticles...ritis&id=999422

{{{hugs}}} :(

[David]

mmztcass, on 07 February 2010 - 09:14 PM, said:

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so I have problems with the elbows anyway. I don't know what you can do.

Here's an article I found with connections between GD and RA:

http://ezinearticles...ritis&id=999422

{{{hugs}}} :(

I think the author of that article is smoking crack. She suggests everyone that has Graves will get Rheumatoid Arthritis and that they need to cure both diseases as soon as possible. Well from what I've studied and researched, both are non curable and many GD people don't have RA.

David

[Simon]

Rowdy, on 07 February 2010 - 08:58 PM, said:

I don't think this is related to thyroid,just chronic over use

I suspect it is systemic not simply overuse. Both arms, both sides, starting in one arm, then the other a week later.

Other than Isaac growing there isn't much change in my habits, I haven't taken up tennis or golf and definitely not in an ambidextrous fashion. I see a couple of reports of breastpump use and epicondylitis, but that isn't applicable.

[mmztcass]

David, on 08 February 2010 - 04:52 AM, said:

I think the author of that article is smoking crack. She suggests everyone that has Graves will get Rheumatoid Arthritis and that they need to cure both diseases as soon as possible. Well from what I've studied and researched, both are non curable and many GD people don't have RA.

David

I would think from this article that when one has an autoimmune thyroid disease, it's easy to get another autoimmune disease. At least that's what my impression was. I already had undiagnosed symptoms of hypOthyroid since my teenaged years and could remember that far back of joint pains and muscular aches on and off. Then I got worst with the RA flaring out of control by the time I was 30 which wasn't great since it runs on my mother's side of family. The paternal side of the family has OA. Fun, right...?

{{{hug}}} :)

[Rowdy]

"Do you have Graves disease? If so, then you must be suffering from rheumatoid arthritis as well. Graves disease and rheumatoid arthritis are two diseases that are linked to each other."

That is the first line in the article.I can see why David said what he said.Not everyone with Graves has RA.Not everyone with Graves will develop RA. I think that first line is way over the top.
Yes Linda we can and alot of us do end up with more then one autoimmune disease,but honestly.....that first line really got me too.
RA is a bitch to put it bluntly.I have some friends with it,and it sucks.But they don't have Graves.
It should have simply stated that if you have one autoimmune disease you have a higher risk of having another (or several) during your lifetime,and not flatly state if you have Graves,you have RA.
Just my opinion.

Linda, I'm not knocking you,just the article.I wanted to be sure you knew that.

David,
Linda posted this so Simon would have another avenue to investigate.We may not agree with the article,but there always is the possibility that Simon is starting with RA.

Simon,
Anything is possible.For me....my tennis/golfers elbow is from repetitive/overuse.It did start when I was taking Cipro which can cause it as well.Did the Cipro start/bring it out? I'll never know,but it kicks up when I overuse it.If it doesn't get better in 6 weeks time you should see a specialist.Hopefully it is not the beginning of another autoimmune disease.

[mmztcass]

Rowdy, on 08 February 2010 - 07:30 AM, said:

"Do you have Graves disease? If so, then you must be suffering from rheumatoid arthritis as well. Graves disease and rheumatoid arthritis are two diseases that are linked to each other."

That is the first line in the article.I can see why David said what he said.Not everyone with Graves has RA.Not everyone with Graves will develop RA. I think that first line is way over the top.
Yes Linda we can and alot of us do end up with more then one autoimmune disease,but honestly.....that first line really got me too.
RA is a bitch to put it bluntly.I have some friends with it,and it sucks.But they don't have Graves.
It should have simply stated that if you have one autoimmune disease you have a higher risk of having another (or several) during your lifetime,and not flatly state if you have Graves,you have RA.
Just my opinion.

Linda, I'm not knocking you,just the article.I wanted to be sure you knew that.

David,
Linda posted this so Simon would have another avenue to investigate.We may not agree with the article,but there always is the possibility that Simon is starting with RA.

Simon,
Anything is possible.For me....my tennis/golfers elbow is from repetitive/overuse.It did start when I was taking Cipro which can cause it as well.Did the Cipro start/bring it out? I'll never know,but it kicks up when I overuse it.If it doesn't get better in 6 weeks time you should see a specialist.Hopefully it is not the beginning of another autoimmune disease.

Rowdy:

Yes I knew that too. I have four autoimmune diseases for myself now that I'm aware off. One of my earliest joint problems when I was going the course of undiagnosed hypO symptoms before GD, was in my elbows, hands, and one knee.

{{{hugs}}} :)

[Simon]

Rowdy, on 08 February 2010 - 02:30 PM, said:

We may not agree with the article,but there always is the possibility that Simon is starting with RA.

That is kind of covered by the doctor noting my mother's mixed connective tissue disease. Originally the doctors thought she had RA, then they marked it down as SLE (Lupus) with atypical blood results. I think ultimately the last attempt to describe it was mixed connective tissue disease, but there is probably less between these varying diagnosis than the different names might suggest, they were just trying to be as precise as they could on something that didn't necessarily have a tidy box.