Catster1979 I have had this, exactly as you describe. I breastfed my son so what I ate affected my milk and we worked out he was possibly gluten intolerant when he was about 3 months old (long story). A health visitor who had previously worked in paediatric nutrition helped me and advised me to cut gluten right back for 30 days then reintroduce it. My sons symptoms went within a couple of days but (completely unexpectedly) my joint pain and the feeling of exhaustion (like I'd run a marathon!) also started to get better. After 30 days I felt great and 95% of the pain had gone. When I reintroduced gluten it all came back within 24 hours. It's a fluke we found this, and it may not work for you, but may be worth a try? I was advised not to cut it out completely, just to cut it right back. I am by no means a doctor or a nutritionist so may be worth getting some proper advice.
I have been thinking it was just me that had really painful achy knees so felt great to hear that I was, ot going mad! Both my knees are really painful. I have increased my exercise but they are no better!
Interesting to read so many of you are suffering and I'm sorry to hear it too. I too have extremely painful knees hips and my right shoulder has recently started to hurt as well. I am 11 weeks pp today. I mentioned it to my GP the other day and she's sending me for a blood test to check my Vit D levels. I'm also on Clexane injections tho and one of the rare side effects is osteoporosis so you can imagine my worry at the age of 26. Some days I'm close to tears just from getting up off the sofa.
Have any of you had your Vit D levels checked and if so what did the doctors do for you if they were low?
It's so interesting reading that other women have similar problems. I had a reasonably easy pregnancy but for months after my joints were so painful. I had an emergency c-section and around week 2 I woke up one morning with the most awful joint pain in my elbows, wrists, fingers, knees, feet and toes. It was so bad I went to the GP straight away because I thought maybe I had something seriously wrong. This GP thought it was probably hormones and tiredness and it would go within 6-8weeks. It didn't go in 6-8 weeks; around 11 months post partum I really started to notice a daily consistent difference and stared to feel like my body was 'normal' again. Within that time I saw several GPs who had no real idea what the issue was. There was suspected arthritis but several blood tests all came back clear - in fact 1 GP was so baffled he did a load of blanket tests on my blood samples to be really sure there was nothing major going on and yet all came back fine. In the end we agreed it was still probably hormones. I was offered to see a consultant but I had a friend who was experiencing very similar things and they had only offered her painkillers as they couldn't find anything wrong with her either, plus I was just starting to see some improvements by the time I was given an appointment and I was managing my pain with paracetamol and ibuprofen on bad days.
Some things I noticed which made it worse for me and therefore made me really think it was hormonal was that when my baby cried (especially at night) within minutes the pain increased in my joints and id barely be able to move the next day. It also got worse when I feed or pumped.
She is almost 15 months now and I'm significantly better than I was. I did at one stage wonder if I was to be like it for life and it definitely got be down. As my girl got older and heavier it got harder to carry her and somedays I had to ask for extra help from family. But now i'm fine. I'm exercising again which I was trying to do before but simply couldn't. I have the odd day when my fingers can be sore and it's often after a bad nights sleep but otherwise I'm pretty much back to feeling pre-pregnancy.
It's definitely reassuring to know that there are other women out there who have the same thing and that your not just going mad. Im amazed that there is so little about this anywhere really, only what others experience.
if your several months post baby and struggling, there is hope! In the meantime, be kind to your body and don't expect too much from yourself. Our bodies obviously just need a little longer to sort themselves out x
I am nearly 5 months post delivery and experiencing all of the above. On 2 separate occasions now I have been completely unable to lift my baby at all. Other times I manage with pain and difficulty. I have been to my GP who has sent me for several blood tests, all of which were normal, yet my symptoms continue to worsen. I am also feeding my little one like yourself however I haven't noticed any correlation between him crying/feeding and my pain. I am currently awaiting an appointment from a Rheumatologist. If that shows up nothing either then I guess it looks like post partum arthralgia. I am also on Clexane injections and have been since we decided to start trying for a baby as I have a blood clotting disorder so I have also worried about osteoporosis. My GP however said that doesn't look likely due to the inflammation of my joints, particularly on a morning. She was steering more towards rheumatoid arthritis but my blood's were clear. Guess it just a process of elimination and a painful waiting game in the process. Nice to know I'm not alone and not imagining it too.
I gave birth in July of 2015. I immediately felt pain in EVERY joint in my body. It feels like broken pieces of glass are scraping in between my joints. when I got home I stayed so swollen the skin on my legs were splitting. I stayed swollen for almost two weeks. Lasix didn't even work. I found out that I BROKE MY BACK during pregnancy, when my son was 4mo old, I was told that was a separate issue from my joints hurting so bad. I have been feeling joint pain since I gave birth last year. When my son was 4mo the joint pain was so bad that I could not move, I could not sit still, I could not sleep through the night.... It was EXCRUCIATING. I thought I had cancer and it was attacking my body so aggressively that I was about to die. I made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who told me that he only treated one or two individual joints at a time (not the whole body) and that is when we found my broken back. So next I went to see a rheumatologist where all blood work came up clear. I did not have RA, Lupus or any other disease But my inflammation levels were high. To this day I am only being treated for my symptoms. I have been on Mobic and Flexeril for the past 7mo and it takes care of most of my joint pain. My back still hurts Every day. I was advised that my immune system may be in overdrive Or my hormones were imbalanced But I've had no help from any of the 5 different specialists I have seen (other than the Meds to take care of symptoms) I have been searching and searching but every one of my attempts end in feeds like these, where nobody really has an answer, we all have similair symptoms but there is never an answer. I am currently investigating MTHFR and how it traces back to almost EVERY ILLNESS (including autoimmune) But I need to be tested (which insurance does not pay for) so I'm trying to save up $500 to get the test and advisement on what to eat due to my specific genetic make up. I'm feeling discouraged. I feel like I'm a BURDEN to my family and husband when i have flair ups and can't take care of my overly active son. I feel like I am not even sexy any more to my husband bc most days I am complaining about the crippling effects this is doing to my body. I am only 29 years old and you would think that I'm 80.
Hi, just wondering if you have been tested for an illness called Sarcoidosis? It's an autoimmune disease which causes joint pain and sometimes starts after birth.
Hello I no its been a while since anyone has wrote on here but wanted to no your outcomes ect? since I was 8 weeks pregnant I've been getting the same symptoms as some of you in hands feet knees shoulders fingers everywhere! Doctors wore baffled see a rheumatologist didn't really no what was going on all my results were okay expect my inflamtory levels wore slightly raised! So instantly diagnosed me with Inflamtory arhturtuis but I'm not so sure! Can this come on so server overnight? No medication they give me helps atall only thing that does is a steroid injection but that doesn't last long I'm at my whits end I have pain everyday some days better then others it's always worse first and last thing my little one is 21 months now
My little girl is 17 months now and mine has got much better although I do still feel it badly somedays. It's mostly at the same time as my period which for me personally still makes me think it's related to my hormones. And then after my period I have several days feeling really sick - so much so that I've even taken a pregnancy test just to be sure despite always having just had a period!
I didn't have it when I was pregnant, not really, just the normal kind of sore pregnancy related joints. For me it started over night when my milk really came in. It came on so quickly and was so crippling from the start that we went to the doctors within days because I thought something really wasn't right. Like you, they were baffled and have been every time I've talked to them about it.
I was offered the steroid injections like you but my friend was going through the same and she said the steroids seemed to wear off quite quickly. So that put me off especially as all the other tests had come back clear. I was tested for arthritis and it came clear - I guess you could ask for a test to get an official diagnosis or to write it out.
We are beginning to think about maybe trying for a 2nd child but Im scared that it will come back and even start in pregnancy for me 2nd time round.
On the bad days I try to remember how less often it occurs now - that, at least, keeps me sane x
Oh my goodness!!! Reading your story was like an exaxt description of what I feel every day. I'm 4 months PP and all this started at 2 months PP. I keep thinking I have cancer and I'm dying......its an awful feeling. Especially when doctors can she no related cause. Thank you for sharing your story....makes me feel a litle less crazy
I know this thread is old but just wanted to add my experience for anyone who cones across this while searching for info. I suffered from this same issue after having my first baby in 2015. Like many of you, GP tested bloods for RA etc but nothing showed up. I ended up paying to see a rheumatologist privately as I was so worried and the nhs waiting list was about 18 months at the time. Got MRI scan and xrays but again, nothing significant found, so rheumatologist said it was likely due to fibromyalgia. IMO this was a rather hasty judgement to make after one 20 minute consultation!
Anyway, the pain just went away of its own accord when my baby was about 9 months old, so i guess the diagnosis was incorrect as i dobt think fibro is likely to just disappear!
Fast forward to Feb this year when I had my secobd child. I have been completely fine since the pain went away last time, but low and behold it has now returned, so I definitely think it has something to do with giving birth, at least in my case. I was prescribed Brufen retard last time and still had some left so have started taking them again. They definitely help. I didn't take them last night as I was still sore through the day so wasn't sure if they were doing anything, but boy was I wrong. I'm in so much more pain today, so will be making sure I take them tonight!
I have a gp appt next week for something unrelated so will run it past them again.
Replies
Catster1979 I have had this, exactly as you describe. I breastfed my son so what I ate affected my milk and we worked out he was possibly gluten intolerant when he was about 3 months old (long story). A health visitor who had previously worked in paediatric nutrition helped me and advised me to cut gluten right back for 30 days then reintroduce it. My sons symptoms went within a couple of days but (completely unexpectedly) my joint pain and the feeling of exhaustion (like I'd run a marathon!) also started to get better. After 30 days I felt great and 95% of the pain had gone. When I reintroduced gluten it all came back within 24 hours. It's a fluke we found this, and it may not work for you, but may be worth a try? I was advised not to cut it out completely, just to cut it right back. I am by no means a doctor or a nutritionist so may be worth getting some proper advice.
Hi Ladies,
I have been thinking it was just me that had really painful achy knees so felt great to hear that I was, ot going mad! Both my knees are really painful. I have increased my exercise but they are no better!
I think I will see my GP too! Xxxxx
Hi ladies,
Interesting to read so many of you are suffering and I'm sorry to hear it too. I too have extremely painful knees hips and my right shoulder has recently started to hurt as well. I am 11 weeks pp today. I mentioned it to my GP the other day and she's sending me for a blood test to check my Vit D levels. I'm also on Clexane injections tho and one of the rare side effects is osteoporosis so you can imagine my worry at the age of 26. Some days I'm close to tears just from getting up off the sofa.
Have any of you had your Vit D levels checked and if so what did the doctors do for you if they were low?
It's so interesting reading that other women have similar problems. I had a reasonably easy pregnancy but for months after my joints were so painful. I had an emergency c-section and around week 2 I woke up one morning with the most awful joint pain in my elbows, wrists, fingers, knees, feet and toes. It was so bad I went to the GP straight away because I thought maybe I had something seriously wrong. This GP thought it was probably hormones and tiredness and it would go within 6-8weeks. It didn't go in 6-8 weeks; around 11 months post partum I really started to notice a daily consistent difference and stared to feel like my body was 'normal' again. Within that time I saw several GPs who had no real idea what the issue was. There was suspected arthritis but several blood tests all came back clear - in fact 1 GP was so baffled he did a load of blanket tests on my blood samples to be really sure there was nothing major going on and yet all came back fine. In the end we agreed it was still probably hormones. I was offered to see a consultant but I had a friend who was experiencing very similar things and they had only offered her painkillers as they couldn't find anything wrong with her either, plus I was just starting to see some improvements by the time I was given an appointment and I was managing my pain with paracetamol and ibuprofen on bad days.
Some things I noticed which made it worse for me and therefore made me really think it was hormonal was that when my baby cried (especially at night) within minutes the pain increased in my joints and id barely be able to move the next day. It also got worse when I feed or pumped.
She is almost 15 months now and I'm significantly better than I was. I did at one stage wonder if I was to be like it for life and it definitely got be down. As my girl got older and heavier it got harder to carry her and somedays I had to ask for extra help from family. But now i'm fine. I'm exercising again which I was trying to do before but simply couldn't. I have the odd day when my fingers can be sore and it's often after a bad nights sleep but otherwise I'm pretty much back to feeling pre-pregnancy.
It's definitely reassuring to know that there are other women out there who have the same thing and that your not just going mad. Im amazed that there is so little about this anywhere really, only what others experience.
if your several months post baby and struggling, there is hope! In the meantime, be kind to your body and don't expect too much from yourself. Our bodies obviously just need a little longer to sort themselves out x
I am nearly 5 months post delivery and experiencing all of the above. On 2 separate occasions now I have been completely unable to lift my baby at all. Other times I manage with pain and difficulty. I have been to my GP who has sent me for several blood tests, all of which were normal, yet my symptoms continue to worsen. I am also feeding my little one like yourself however I haven't noticed any correlation between him crying/feeding and my pain. I am currently awaiting an appointment from a Rheumatologist. If that shows up nothing either then I guess it looks like post partum arthralgia. I am also on Clexane injections and have been since we decided to start trying for a baby as I have a blood clotting disorder so I have also worried about osteoporosis. My GP however said that doesn't look likely due to the inflammation of my joints, particularly on a morning. She was steering more towards rheumatoid arthritis but my blood's were clear. Guess it just a process of elimination and a painful waiting game in the process. Nice to know I'm not alone and not imagining it too.
I gave birth in July of 2015. I immediately felt pain in EVERY joint in my body. It feels like broken pieces of glass are scraping in between my joints. when I got home I stayed so swollen the skin on my legs were splitting. I stayed swollen for almost two weeks. Lasix didn't even work. I found out that I BROKE MY BACK during pregnancy, when my son was 4mo old, I was told that was a separate issue from my joints hurting so bad. I have been feeling joint pain since I gave birth last year. When my son was 4mo the joint pain was so bad that I could not move, I could not sit still, I could not sleep through the night.... It was EXCRUCIATING. I thought I had cancer and it was attacking my body so aggressively that I was about to die. I made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who told me that he only treated one or two individual joints at a time (not the whole body) and that is when we found my broken back. So next I went to see a rheumatologist where all blood work came up clear. I did not have RA, Lupus or any other disease But my inflammation levels were high. To this day I am only being treated for my symptoms. I have been on Mobic and Flexeril for the past 7mo and it takes care of most of my joint pain. My back still hurts Every day. I was advised that my immune system may be in overdrive Or my hormones were imbalanced But I've had no help from any of the 5 different specialists I have seen (other than the Meds to take care of symptoms) I have been searching and searching but every one of my attempts end in feeds like these, where nobody really has an answer, we all have similair symptoms but there is never an answer. I am currently investigating MTHFR and how it traces back to almost EVERY ILLNESS (including autoimmune) But I need to be tested (which insurance does not pay for) so I'm trying to save up $500 to get the test and advisement on what to eat due to my specific genetic make up. I'm feeling discouraged. I feel like I'm a BURDEN to my family and husband when i have flair ups and can't take care of my overly active son. I feel like I am not even sexy any more to my husband bc most days I am complaining about the crippling effects this is doing to my body. I am only 29 years old and you would think that I'm 80.
Hi, just wondering if you have been tested for an illness called Sarcoidosis? It's an autoimmune disease which causes joint pain and sometimes starts after birth.
Hello I no its been a while since anyone has wrote on here but wanted to no your outcomes ect? since I was 8 weeks pregnant I've been getting the same symptoms as some of you in hands feet knees shoulders fingers everywhere! Doctors wore baffled see a rheumatologist didn't really no what was going on all my results were okay expect my inflamtory levels wore slightly raised! So instantly diagnosed me with Inflamtory arhturtuis but I'm not so sure! Can this come on so server overnight? No medication they give me helps atall only thing that does is a steroid injection but that doesn't last long I'm at my whits end I have pain everyday some days better then others it's always worse first and last thing my little one is 21 months now
I'll appricate any replys thank you xx
Hi Samantha.
My little girl is 17 months now and mine has got much better although I do still feel it badly somedays. It's mostly at the same time as my period which for me personally still makes me think it's related to my hormones. And then after my period I have several days feeling really sick - so much so that I've even taken a pregnancy test just to be sure despite always having just had a period!
I didn't have it when I was pregnant, not really, just the normal kind of sore pregnancy related joints. For me it started over night when my milk really came in. It came on so quickly and was so crippling from the start that we went to the doctors within days because I thought something really wasn't right. Like you, they were baffled and have been every time I've talked to them about it.
I was offered the steroid injections like you but my friend was going through the same and she said the steroids seemed to wear off quite quickly. So that put me off especially as all the other tests had come back clear. I was tested for arthritis and it came clear - I guess you could ask for a test to get an official diagnosis or to write it out.
We are beginning to think about maybe trying for a 2nd child but Im scared that it will come back and even start in pregnancy for me 2nd time round.
On the bad days I try to remember how less often it occurs now - that, at least, keeps me sane x
Wow
So many people get this yet so many doctors are baffled!!
I spoke to my doctor about this and she said to take calcium and vitamin D supplements due to breastfeeding taking all my good stuff..
I do need to start exercising more and eating better too..
My hubby tries massages but nothing helps, I still wake feeling like a bus hit me.
I hope it goes away soon
Any other tips would be great xx
Oh my goodness!!! Reading your story was like an exaxt description of what I feel every day. I'm 4 months PP and all this started at 2 months PP. I keep thinking I have cancer and I'm dying......its an awful feeling. Especially when doctors can she no related cause. Thank you for sharing your story....makes me feel a litle less crazy
Hi Cole
im coming Upto 4 months PP too, it's horrible isn't it..
At first I thought it was muscles but it can't be! Its so hard to carry the baby in the car seat..
I feel lazy but I can't do any cardio cos it hurts too much
xx
I know this thread is old but just wanted to add my experience for anyone who cones across this while searching for info. I suffered from this same issue after having my first baby in 2015. Like many of you, GP tested bloods for RA etc but nothing showed up. I ended up paying to see a rheumatologist privately as I was so worried and the nhs waiting list was about 18 months at the time. Got MRI scan and xrays but again, nothing significant found, so rheumatologist said it was likely due to fibromyalgia. IMO this was a rather hasty judgement to make after one 20 minute consultation!
Anyway, the pain just went away of its own accord when my baby was about 9 months old, so i guess the diagnosis was incorrect as i dobt think fibro is likely to just disappear!
Fast forward to Feb this year when I had my secobd child. I have been completely fine since the pain went away last time, but low and behold it has now returned, so I definitely think it has something to do with giving birth, at least in my case. I was prescribed Brufen retard last time and still had some left so have started taking them again. They definitely help. I didn't take them last night as I was still sore through the day so wasn't sure if they were doing anything, but boy was I wrong. I'm in so much more pain today, so will be making sure I take them tonight!
I have a gp appt next week for something unrelated so will run it past them again.
Hope all 9of you are feeling better by now 😊