Hi everyone,

Well, it looks like my rheumatologist and I are trying to figure out what the root cause of my intense inflammation/swelling of my hands and feet is. We have done ANA, Anti-CCP, RA, etc...x-rays of hands and feet - and so far everything is negative. My ESR is very high at 41, and my C-RP is high, and my creatinine is low, as is my Vitamin D level.

To back up - I had the Epstein-Barr virus with non-A,B, or C hepatitis exactly two years ago. I had jaundice for almost a month with 102+ fevers for about the same length of time with horrible fatigue. Nasty, nasty stuff it was. I think this virus also sent me into full-blown menopause. I was perimenopausal (very normally so), with my last period in August 2005. Nothing ever again, once I had the virus.

Since that time, my body just hasn't felt right. I am also hypothyroid (early onset Hashimoto's, diagnosed at age 8), and have no thyroid gland. That seems to be the least of my worries and is under control as best as can be had.

Since this past August I have had horrible swelling and stiffness in my hands - some days are better than others, and this is a relatively good one. Also, my legs from the below the knees are very stiff and achey - also very stiff across the upper back. Cramping in the toes goes without saying.

I also get frequent sweats - 15-20 times a day, but I honestly don't think these are hot flashes. They just feel different. With these sweats my face has gotten very flushed. I also have frequent rashes, almost like prickly heat, that come and go. I just thought these were from being allergic. I also saw a dermatologist recently for my cracked fingers and rashy hands - scratch tests were inconclusive, so she called it atopic dermatitis. The thing is, these rashes/cracks began in March, and have not subsided. I am having a flare-up right now, with bandaids on three fingertips to alleviate the discomfort of hitting these blasted cracks. I have gotten these cracks in the *winter*, but they always go away within a few weeks.

The most recent test my rheumy has had me do is the blood/urine electrophoresis test. Does anyone know the significance of these tests?

She also wants me to go on plaquenil specifically - should I read anything into this particular drug recommendation?

My rheumy says if further tests don't show anything, she will just call this undifferentiated inflammatory arthritis - nice catch-all diagnosis, eh? ;-) Is it also possible that I am in the early stages of something, so many tests don't show positive results - and we just have to wait and see what evolves, if anything?

Sorry about all of these questions. I am both curious and frustrated as to these adventures my body has me spinning on right now. Any wisdom, knowledge and insight would be very helpful!

Peace,

Jennifer