Coincidence ?

[lemons]

Hello All and Merry Christmas,
Strange thing has happened. I had a phone call a couple of days ago, from a good friend that I haven’t seen in a while. He was in a terrible panic and rang me because he thought I was the best person to ask.
Over the past week he has been experiencing aches and pains , mainly in his neck and back, but on Monday he woke up and his knees have ballooned with inflammation. He said his knuckles are swollen and every finger joint hurts, strange red blood blister like rash on his back, and dry peeling skin around his eyes.
I drove over to see him and his knuckles are huge and are so swollen, that the skin on one of them has split. He went to the GP and they have given him a hospital appointment next week to have X Rays & blood works.
Apparently the GP has suggested psoriatic arthritis, but I thought that didn’t usually effect the knuckles ?
Anyway, I am going with him next week for moral support (plus I want to hear what the hospital doctors say).
His sudden onset of symptoms almost replicate mine back in 2013, apart from the blisters and the swollen knuckles, mine have never been effected.
Does any one have any idea what his symptoms sound like from my description ? This seems such a coincidence , given that I have known him for over 25 years and we both have come down with arthritis. He had a dog and like mine, was found to have ticks a few years back, and he did bring the dog with him when he visited my husband and I. Just feel that for us both to share similar symptoms, is a little odd.

[Maz]

Hi Lemons,

Well, your friend couldn’t be in better hands with you as his advocate! Once he gets his rheumy work-up, you know exactly where to send him to get help!

Hard to know what is going on till he gets his work-up results. Could be psoriatic arthritis, but dermatomyositis also popped to mind when you mentioned the rashes on his eyes and back. Psoriatic arthritis can take time for a diagnosis, as labs are pretty non-specific for it unless he has the HLA B27 gene. Dermatomyositis does have more specific labs, however, along with clinical signs/symptoms.

Yes, PsA affects hands and feet. My MIL has it and her thumb is at a right angle with other fingers affected that swell like sausages. The rheumatologic treatments for either are the usual ones.

Let’s hope it’s not Lyme…unless he’s prepared to travel to the US or Germany for some top docs, there is only the clinic in Herts for Lyme or the doc you mentioned in Beverley, Yorks, of which we’re aware that treat tick-borne infections. There may be more on writing to the Lyme advocacy groups in UK, though. 😉

[lemons]

Thanks for the reply Maz, I just hope he listens to me ! There is a clinic in Harley Street that is linked to the German clinic. I know they test for co infections ,but not sure if they treat Lyme itself.

[Maz]

lemons wrote:

Thanks for the reply Maz, I just hope he listens to me ! There is a clinic in Harley Street that is linked to the German clinic. I know they test for co infections ,but not sure if they treat Lyme itself.

That’s fantastic, Lemons! Didn’t know there was a Harley Street clinic tied to the one in Germany. Can you pm me deets for the LLMD list? Hope your friend gets sorted soon.

Merry Christmas to you!

[MLTelfer]

I have to agree with Maz – it’s nice to know that people reach out to the posters on this board when they need help because you are special people here.
My opinion is that it could be PsA, but it is a little unusual that just the knuckle is swollen. The reason the whole fingers swell like a sausage instead of at the joints is because in psoriatic arthritis there is more tendon involvement. The swollen finger is caused by tenosynovitis – inflammatory cytokines attacking the flexor tendon and causing the entire tendon to swell – hence an entire swollen finger vs just swelling at the joint.
PsA does originate in the back, so the fact his back and neck hurt could be an indicator.
Honestly, it doesn’t quite sound like PsA to me, but his symptom presentation does certainly hold it out as a possibility. I would be interested to hear.

[lemons]

Hello and thank you for the replies. Just a quick update , my friends blood work came back negative. The GP ruled out any form of arthritis , which I think is odd. His SED rate was slightly elevated and was repeated last week, it came back normal.
His knuckles are still swollen and other symptoms are developing , rashes, fatigue, dry skin….the list is endless.
I think a Lyme test is in order, but the NHS doctor has refused to prescribe one.

[Author]

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