What is with this flare?

[Kara_c]

Hey y’all! I was diagnosed 10+ years ago. I have dealt with flare ups off and on. For the last year I have been med free and feeling pretty good. Unfortunately In November (my normal flare time) I started having joint pain, and fatigue. Right after Christmas I had bad stomach pain which was pointing to gallbladder. Joint pain and fatigue getting worse and worse. Sinuses getting worse, wheezing and finding myself short of breath. Gallbladder came back normal blood tests are bad but normal for me.... any thoughts on this stomach pain and wheezing.

[annekat]

I don't know about the gall bladder but have one idea about the stomach pain. Are you taking a lot of ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin for any reason? They can eat into your stomach lining and cause an ulcer, which has happened to me. Prednisone can do it, too. The other symptoms you mention, the joint pain, fatigue, wheezing, etc. , definitely sound flare-like. You should get to your doctor for blood work. You should regularly, anyway, in case kidney involvement is creeping up on you. I hear it can happen quite suddenly. I'm lucky enough not to have it, so far, but get my labs every 3 months, just in case of any negative changes, even though I generally feel good . Recently I was found to be very anemic, bad enough that I needed a blood transfusion. I had shingles at the same time and thought my lethargy was due to that and hot weather. There were occasional stomach pains. I was taking a lot of ibuprofen at the time to help with the shingles nerve pain, and in fact had been taking it for other issues for a couple of years. My docs theorized that it caused a bleeding ulcer leading to anemia. Now I only take acetaminophen (i.e. Tylenol, paracetamol) for OTC pain relief, in addition to any prescription meds. Good luck with everything!!




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[annekat]

Forgot to mention in case anyone wonders, my blood is normal now. After the transfusion, the numbers got much better quickly, but my overall iron level was still low. Now after a couple more months of iron pills and an iron rich diet, and no ibuprofen, the numbers are all normal, and no more stomach pains. The post-shingles nerve pain is a lot better too, but it's still there after 6 months... I am over 60 which makes it more likely to drag on and on, so do go out and get that new, improved, non-live shingles vaccine if you can .

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[Alysia]

Hi Kara, I echo Anne, and also think that it sounds like wg flare. Please consult with your dr. Asap.

Anne, thanks for sharing, and thanks God you are doing so much better.