Reiter's Syndrome

Question: Do I have gout, or Ankylosing Spondylitis, or Reiter's syndrome, or what? I woke up a few days ago with severe pain in my left foot heal area. On the bottom of my foot, in the back on the heal, and a little on the sides of my heal as well. The more I walked on my foot, the worse the pain got. By the end of the day, I could not walk at all. Rest helps the pain a lot, as long as I am off of my feet, it feels fine. But walking or sitting up too long causes severe pain in my heal. I am a smoker, a drinker, and I am about 35 pounds over weight, I am not very active, and I do not work, so I can't figure out what happened, it's not like I am an athlete or something an got an injury. Other then chasing my 2 little kids around, I am not that active. I haven't smoked or drank in 2 days, hoping it might help me feel better, and so far, the foot pain is getting better, plus being off my feet alot has helped, which is easy to do since I had surgery yesterday at the hospital to have a cystic tumor removed from my left ovary, but that's a whole different issue. Also, there is NO swelling, NO redness, NO warmth around the heal, no visible signs of anything, just pain aching in my heal, no visible signs at all of trauma, and occassonally very very sharp pains along with the achyness too, all of this only located in my heal of one foot.

Answer: Sounds like you may have plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tendons in the feet. It causes heel pain and makes it difficult to walk. Rolling your heels on a frozen bottle of water will help to decrease swelling & inflammation. You may need an antiinflammatory or even cortesone shots in your feet. I had this problem and hobbled around like a senior citizen for over a year until I got so sick & tired of hobbling that I went to a podiatrist. He xrayed my feet, gave me cortesone shots, and I bought orthotic inserts to put in my shoes. I stopped walking barefoot around the house, and wore my good sneakers with the inserts to work every day. I couldn't walk for exercise or walk on the treadmill for awhile.It took awhile, but it healed. I haven't had any trouble since then. I hope you get some relief. Best wishes.

Question: what is the difference between Reiter's syndrome and Ankylosing Spondilitis?

Answer: Reiter's syndrome is a disorder that causes three seemingly unrelated symptoms: arthritis, redness of the eyes, and urinary tract signs. Reiter's syndrome is also referred to as reactive arthritis, which means that the arthritis occurs as a "reaction" to an infection that started elsewhere in the body. In many patients, the infection begins in the genitourinary tract (bladder, urethra, penis, or vagina). Ankylosing spondylitis is one of many forms of inflammatory arthritis, the most common of which is rheumatoid arthritis. Ankylosing spondylitis primarily causes inflammation of the joints between the vertebrae of your spine and the joints between your spine and pelvis (sacroiliac joints). Ankylosing spondylitis has no known specific cause, though genetic factors seem to be involved. So - one is probably infectious, the other probably genetic. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ankylos… http://healthlink.mcw.edu/article/926056…

Question: Are there any employers that would not hire someone with Reiter's Syndrome? This includes the military, police, government agencies, etc., All of a sudden, "Reiters' Syndrome" is the most-googled term by users of Yahoo Answers, ha ha ha ha = )

Answer: if you had to pass a physical endurance test prior to being hired, I think you should choose another career.

Question: Could it be something else besides Reiter's Syndrome? I have been recently diagnosed with Reiter's Syndrome also known as Reactive Arthritis. My doctor says he believes this to be true due to the fact that I have it located in my sacrum. I have had Uveitis but no history of gastric infections, sexually transmitted dieases and also no history of repeative urinary infections. He is basing it off of the fact that I tested positive for HLA-B27. Is it possible that I have something else? Such as Ankylosing Spondylitis? It is in the same family as the Reiter's. I have history of depression which could explain the fatigue but also I do have history of shoulder problems such as arthritis, lower back pain, lower back stiffness. Plus my doc has already told me that I have sacroiliitis. Could this be the underlying cause? Also additional note. Even though Reiter's Syndrome and Ankylosing is primarily found in young men- Women can develope it as well.

Answer: I am an ankylosing spondylitis patient - I was diagnosed almost 15 years ago, but have been symptomatic for more than 20 years. What you are describing could be Reiters, it could be AS, it could one of several spondylitises. As you seem to know, there are a number of diseases that fall within that class. Because diagnosis is based on the occurrence of multiple symptoms, it is difficult to differentiate between them. That is why you will frequently find doctors also using the term "nondifferentiated spondyloarthropy". Note that HLA-B27 is associative, but not diagnostic. AS can be specifically diagnosed via x-rays, but there are plenty of false negatives (it took years for my AS to show up on X-rays although I was symptomatic). In the end, all of the spondyloarthropies get treated the same way - so missing the exact diagnosis is not critical, as long as you are getting treated. If you are not doing so already, you might want to see a specialist, which are usually rheumatologists. You want to check in advance to make sure he or she has a history of treating spondyloarthropy patients. You will find this site very useful, if you haven't come across it yet. http://www.spondylitis.org/about/main.as… Good luck. TJ

Question: Three years ago I had an autoimmune disease called Reiter's Syndrome.? I've noticed lately that the symptoms are coming back and have a frighteningly simularity to HIV. Is it possible for HIV to take on the characteristics of another disease thus masking it's true identity until it's too late?

Answer: Typically HIV itself is without symptoms, until the disease progresses to AIDS where one becomes symptomatic depending on what infectious disease has effected that person. If you have any risk factors for HIV, it would important for you to be tested.

Question: wht's difference between ritter's and reiter's syndrome?

Answer: Ritter disease is a disease which presents with damage to the skin with marked shedding. Reiter's syndrome is the name of a type of reactive arthritis.

Question: Are there any homeopathic treatments for Reiter's syndrome?

Answer: Homeopathic remedies are prescribed by symptoms rather than conditions, as each case of a particular illness can manifest differently in different people. Check this link to see if this may help with treating what caused the condition. http://www.abchomeopathy.com/c.php/109

Question: Doc thinks Reiter's but I am thinking Ankylosing? My doc has diagnosed me with Reiter's Syndrome based on the fact alone that I have had Uveitis and sacroiliitis. However, after much reading I feel that he may be wrong. Reiter's Syndrome is mainly Reactive Arthritis. Which is normally triggered due to bacterial infections such as Sexually transmitted diseases, Urinary Infections and GI infections. However, I have no history of these things. I do have a history of shoulder problems with no known cause except possible arthritis, sacroiliitis, back pain and stiffness, hip pain, siactic nerve, stiffness and pain of the feet, Uveitis and so on. This history seems to contect better with the Ankylosing than with the Reiter's. Also I am HLA-B27 positive which is connected to this group of Spondyloarapathies. My doc is finishing up his residency at my local clinic. Should I voice this concern and the facts that I have found or should I leave it alone since he is the doc. There is a year waiting list for the Rheumatologist.

Answer: What you are describing sounds more like AS than ReA - but what do I know?, I am just an AS patient. ;-) Note that HLA-B27 is not diagnostic. AS is diagnosable with X-rays, but there are a lot of false negatives there too. That said, treatment of ReA is identical (or should be) to that for AS. So a misdiagnosis at this stage shouldn't be too problematic. ReA treatment: http://www.spondylitis.org/about/reactiv… AS treatment: http://www.spondylitis.org/about/as_trea… Make that appointment to see the rheumatologist, to get treated properly. http://www.spondylitis.org/about/main.as… Good luck with it. === Addendum I just realized I answered a few of your other questions here on AS. Hopefully someone else can offer additional insight.

Question: I have a multinodule goiter. Why do I have this and why does it continue to grow? I have had biospy done, it is benien. My TSH was .5 and my T3 and T4 were in the high end of the normal range. I am a fifth generation woman to have a goiter in my family. I am a 30 years old female. I am trying to figure out why this runs so heavily in my family and by the way my family has a history of autoimmune disease such as R.A. and Reiter's Syndrome (I am the first to have Reiter's syndrome in my family) and so on. I am trying to make since of all of this since my goiter continues to grow. I am having another ultrasound next Tuesday. I live in the US so iodine is not the issue. There has to be a reason even a hidden one because this goiter issue just runs to hard on the family to be just simple gentics-except maybe a certain thyroid or pitutary disease.

Answer: From what you wrote, I guess you've already read extensively regarding multinodular goitre (MNG) and other autoimmune diseases. All i can tell you is this: the more it runs in the family, the more likely that this is due to genetics. Autoimmune diseases have a tendency to occur together (ie. if you have grave's disease, there's a higher likelihood that you'll have other autoimmune problems like reiter's and RA.). My advice is for you not to search too hard for some other cause of the hereditary MNG. It may be difficult for you to blame it all on genetics, but that's the way it is. Besides iodine, you should ask your doctor about other alternatives. Many centres in the world will offer a total thyroidectomy for MNGs that continue increasing in size, as there is a possibility that one of the nodules may turn malignant in the future. The downside of surgery is that you'll have to be on thyroid replacement medication for life. On the other hand, radioactive iodine can sometimes make one more prone to cancer, and will also eventually lead to hypothyroidism and need for thyroid replacement.

Question: Someone please diagnose me, can't find an answer For about 7 years i've had this problem and i'm gonna make it breif without details for your convenience. I have sex with someone, the next day my urethra burns, it spreads sometimes to my testicles and then to my kidneys and hurts. Everytime, at first i think, i have an std (Chlamydia, Ghonneria (spelling)), and go get tested and treated. I've been treated about 10 times and tested 4 times (the test isn't fun so sometimes i just say treat me).The results always come back that i do not have any std's but the treatment clears up the infection. I also get tested for UTI's and they come back fine. I also always feel itchy around my testicles. but after the treatments i always feel fine. What is this? Any ideas? i'm tired of going to the doctor and saying "treat me for Chlamydia but I don't have it". Dyoxicyclin is what they precribe. i've also had gout problems come up at the same time and have heard of a syndrome called reiter's syndrome. anyone think that could be the case?

Answer: When a man orgasms the prostrate glands contract causind the semen to ejaculate, It is possible that you are causing a tear to appear when this takes place due to a physical irregularity. I would have an MRI done to see if there is something tearing down there. I would also suggest seeing an oncologist to make sure that the tear is not being cause by internal warts or cancer. Sorry to be so grim, those are my suggestions.

Question: Ibuprofen and arteries is it really bad? What is the risk? Heart Valve or atherosclerosis? After years of 800 MG ibuprofen my doctor took me off them, this is the same doctor who took me off Embrel when I developed neurological symptoms consistent with MS and the same one who 4 years ago put me on Vioxx and then took me off Vitamin E (whoops made a little mistake there). He's an excellent rheumatologist and is well known. I'm a musician and a have a sausage digit it it stays swollen long enough I'll lose mobility doctors don't seem to take stuff like that serious that's a huge deal to me I already have 2 deformed fingers from reiter's syndrome (reactive arthritis) so I went to Mexico and got some prednisone. I like Ibuprofen but not enough to die for. Well I am qualified to put myself on prednisone. I'm the only one qualified to make decisions about my heath, I hire a doctor for his expert advice and scientific knowledge, not because I need a new god

Answer: 800 mg ibuprofen is a hefty dose and yeah, the physician may have been concerned about some kidney damage that may occur or NSAID associated gastritis. I don't think that starting yourself on prednisone on your own without the physician's supervision is a wise idea since prednisone is a serious drug with it's own serious problems like gastritis and suppression of the HPA axis (not a good thing). So I strongly urge you to go back to the rheumatologist and see if he has something else to offer you for the Reiter's or if he wishes to have you on prednison, at least have him or her regulate the dose and schedule diligently. I wish you well.

Question: Could my nail pitting be a sign of something else? Hi, I'm 20 years old and i've been dealing with nail pitting for 6 years of my life. It's progressively taking over the rest of my "normal nails". This has taken over all but 7 of 20 nails. They are very small pin pricks going across the whole of my nail. I know the most common diseases associated with nail pitting are reiter's syndrome, psoriasis, alopecia aerota, and connective tissue disorders. Also, if i can get more information on 20 nail dystrophy that would be awfully helpful. I've tried looking up this information online but its the same information over and over again and I feel i'm at a dead end. The correlating diseases all appear to be autoimmune. Is there any other reason other than some systemic disease that my nails have been progressively pitting?

Answer: I did a quick search and came up with all the things you did. I'm in nursing school so I looked through my big giant medical books and found that there could be some sort of deficiency. For example the presence of grooves or furrows can reflect prolonged iron deficiency anemia. Have you had any testing done? Perhaps you are lacking something or something hormonally or otherwise is not functioning properly. I found this site, Im sure youve already seen it but it seemed interesting. http://www.normanallan.com/Med/askdr/fin…

Question: dysmetria like symptoms in leg? My left leg is slow to respond, for example I play drums (sorta) but I can no longer keep beat on the high hat because my leg responds too slowly. I have massive problems with the corresponding hip as a result of reiter's syndrome (an autoimmune deficiency that produces joint inflammation) I have had a brain CAT scan and there were no abnormalities (it was thought I might have gotten Multiple sclerosis from a TNF blocker (Embral, Humera) so what could it be? Something to do with nerves? Any suggestions are welcome. ----------------------------------------… That's what I meant MRI they slide you inside a big tube takes 30 minutes costs $1800 Around here all the Chiropractors became PT so you don't get therapy you get quackery. I've been to two PT' both wanted to hook me up to machines and electrocute my muscles. Thank you very much.

Answer: Dysmetria is the tendency to over-reach or under-reach for something and it's usually associated with your hands. I think the term you are looking for is "apraxia" or "ataxia" - an MRI finds many things that a CT scan will miss. "massive problems" with your hips is likely the cause vs. something with your CNS like MS. A neurologist can diagnose MS very easily. Ask your doctor for a referral to physical therapy.

Question: Sharp Vaginal Pain? Hi, I have been having severe sharp vaginal pain, which seems to be coming from the inner left side of the canal. I have also been having a burning sensation coming from all over my vagina, even the exterior. I have also bled between periods twice in the past few months. The pain started approx. 3 months ago, after a trip to Mexico. I went to the gynecologist and she looked at me and thought I was fine. She swabbed me for everything and drew blood. My white cell count is slightly elevated; however, I came back negative for everything. The only thing I haven't received is my herpes result. The lab says they sent them, but it hasn't arrived at the doctor's office and I have been waiting for 1 1/2 months. I recently developed conjunctivitis and sore joints and my father is a doctor and thinks it may be Reiter's Syndrome. What would cause this severe knife stabbing pain? It is unbearable and I have not been able to get an answer for my herpes results; however, I did have a neg HSV swab.

Answer: sorry about that, you will be fine, trust!