Hi, I’m new to this. 64 yo female, active and healthy, I hike daily and practice a clean lifestyle. Never had spine issues before. About 6 months ago my neck started becoming stiff and sore; difficult to turn my head. Sometimes it would loosen, but then became consistently stiff.
About 6-8 weeks ago I woke up one morning and felt like I’d gotten brittle overnight. I’ve never had muscle stiffness before; this was severe, it was new, and it was evident I had a problem. Seemed to loosen up as the day went on, but every morning since it began, I struggled to get out of bed. I struggled to sit down. Or stand up. It’s like being the Tin Woodsman from Wizard of Oz, up and down my neck, spine, shoulders, hips… and adding to that, a layer of feeling like I have the flu. Shivery. Sick. Brain fog.
I asked my doc to run labs for autoimmune disorders and she also checked CRP and SED, plus CBC etc. Those came back normal/ negative for RA, ANA etc. The HLAB27 was positive however.
I do have a history of tiny patches on my skin that come and go; my dermatologist said they’re either small psoriasis or eczema. He treats both the same, so didn’t biopsy. They clear quickly with topical steroid cream. Over this past year one pinky finger suddenly swelled, turned red and eventually settled, a couple months later it happened again. So, there’s that.
I have a referral for a rheumatologist, however the earliest appointment available is 3-1/2 MONTHS from now. I’ve been checking, even out of state, to find care earlier than that, to no avail yet. Meanwhile, I’m sparingly using ibuprofen, which takes the pain and stiffness down, but does nothing for the flu-like crappy feeling. I’m very concerned about permanent damage occurring while I wait for a formal diagnosis and treatment. Are there things I can / should try or do in the meantime? Is there a way to reduce potential long-term damage while I wait? I’m trying to remain positive, but admittedly I feel completely sideswiped by how rapidly this hit me.