Rheumatism
Hello,
since this year I have been experiencing pain in almost all of my joints, especially in my feet, ankles, knees, wrists, and hands. My wrists and hands also hurt at night and especially in the morning. The left wrist is slightly swollen on the outer edge.
Additionally, I feel completely exhausted, constantly tired, drained, and lacking in energy. I have also been experiencing iron deficiency for the past 2-3 years and occasionally receive iron injections. I have had 2 colonoscopies in the past, with no issues except for polyps, the last one being 2 years ago.
In April/May of this year, I suddenly began feeling pain directly below my left rib cage without any prior symptoms or fever, no flu, nothing. The first week was bearable with painkillers, until one day I bent over and felt excruciating pain in that area. It felt like something had torn. These unbearable pains lasted for about 3 weeks, and when the doctor palpated that area, I screamed in pain. I was given antibiotics and cortisone. I was then admitted to a lung clinic with a suspected diagnosis of pleurisy, but it could not be confirmed as there was already improvement. The inflammation markers (ESR, CRP) were very high. Everything else in the clinic was fine, including bronchoscopy, sonography, etc. After 6 weeks, the ordeal was over, but I still felt exhausted.
With suspicion of rheumatism (CCP 28.5, normal range 0-10), persistently elevated inflammation markers, and unclear iron deficiency, I was in a hospital at the beginning of the week. Lab results are still pending, everything else was fine, except for the upper abdominal sonography. Two lesions were found in the spleen. The sonography in May at the lung clinic showed no abnormal findings.
Sonography findings: Spleen is normal in size. There are two more echogenic lesions in the parenchyma of the lower splenic pole, the distal-medial one is round, 1.7 cm, but not clearly defined, the more proximal, lateral one is sharper defined, heterogeneous, 1.3 cm with internal calcifications.
My questions:
Is there a possible connection between rheumatism, the pain in the rib cage, and the lesions discovered in the spleen?
What could the lesions in the spleen be? Could such lesions have developed within 4 months?
Otherwise, I am healthy, 51 years old, female.
Attached are the lab results.
Thank you very much in advance for your response and efforts.
Best regards,
Heidi
