Question
Thank you for taking my question.
At age 22 i started having extreme joint pain in both hands and feet in my fingers and toes. For some reason, I never thought to go to the doctor. The pain would come on strong for about 2 weeks or so then disappear completely. This happened about twice a year. It wasn't until I was 24 and my right hand swelled up and the pain was worse than ever, that i went to a doctor. At that time my cpk was elevated so i was sent to a rheumatologist. Over the next few years i saw him periodically or when i was having an episode. He tested me for everything in the book including RA and Lupus - the test were always negative. The only abnormality was a some times elevated cpk and my pain. during this time i got pregnant and had a baby. The 9 months of pregnancy and the 9 months to follow were the only time i have been completely pain free.
I'm now 27, soon to be 28, healthy white female. This week i was diagnosed with costochondritis. The doctor said its common, but the swollen knot in my chest was larger than he'd ever seen. I have since contacted my RA doc, who released me about 6 months ago, to let him know about this new symptom. I'm waiting to hear back from him.
I was wondering if you had any insight? I also developed anemia in college.

Answer
Sabrina.

I have never seen a swollen knot in the chest area with costochondritis. That is more common with Tietze syndrome which is very similar and often mistaken for one another. Here is a link that talks about the two.

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/costochondritis/page3_em.htm#Costochondritis%20Sy...

It is doubtful that the problems with your hands and this current condition are connected though it is possible. Since your CPK is often elevated then you might have some type of autoimmune problem going on. It is possible to have Rheumatoid arthritis or similar types of autoimmune diseases with out it showing up on test results. In your case I hope it is not.

I wish you the best

Rusty