Question
Dear Dr Ford,

I am 33 and used to be a healthy eater/excerciser person but will first mention I have had intestinal troubles for 5 years severe enough that I am about to undergo an ileostomy though they don抰 know the reason for my bowels sluggishness.  My reason for the question is that I have also had worsening issues with my legs.  Over 5 years I haven抰 found anyone with the same symptoms as me until I came about this post from someone which is EXACTLY what my legs feel like (I have also had a positive ANA test though they cant link it to a specific disease).  Sometimes they feel so tight after sitting I can hardly walk and within the poast years my knees feel like what I would imagiune arthritis feels like.  Elevating temporarily helps until vertical again.  Ive been to a general doc and sports medicine doc for my leg issues, but unsure where to go from here.  1) Is the following explanation possible and 2) what type of doc should I go to to figure this out?

揙ne thing you may want to consider is the possibility of an auto-immune reaction to an underlying infection . I'm a 42-year-old male who's otherwise healthy. Several years ago, I had an intestinal infection that went on for a number of months until I finally saw a doctor and was treated. Bowel symptoms included alternating diarrhea and constipation. At the same time, as soon as the bowel symptoms began, I started getting leg cramps in the calf muscles , which I had never experienced before, along with a sensation of continuous muscle soreness in the calves like what others have described in this forum. My muscles did not decline in strength, but in endurance. For example, I walk on the beach regularly, but the soreness and reduced muscle function cut my walks in half. The infection was thought to be (but not confirmed as ) a parasitic infection treated with Metronidazole . Within several days of treatment, my gastric symptoms went away and my legs felt much better. However, it has been at least a couple years since then, and I still feel some leg discomfort or soreness (though greatly reduced), and my muscle endurance throughout my body has continued to suffer (for example, I can't swim nearly as many laps as I used to be able to, because the muscles just give out prematurely). After being tested for many of the things discussed in this forum, the most reasonable conclusion (though still unproven) is that it's some sort of auto-immune disorder triggered by the infection . ?br>
Sorry for the length and thanks for any help you can provide.

Tom Calvin


Answer
Tom,

I would consider looking in two directions for answers to the symptoms you describe.

First, it sounds more heart related than autoimmune. 99 percent of the time that ones muscles give put prematurely it is a blood flow issue. This could be associated with the heart itself or a condition that effects the arteries or veins in your legs.

Autoimmune disorders that effect the muscles usually effect both strength and endurance as they attack the muscle tissue itself.  

Second is to see a Rheumatologist. This is the type of specialist who can best diagnose an autoimmune condition. There are autoimmune conditions where your body's immune system attacks your muscle tissue. These type of condition is called an Inflammatory Myopathy.

There are two major autoimmune conditions that fall in to this category. Polymyositis, a disease in which the inflammatory cells of the immune system directly attack muscle fibers. Dermatomyositis, a disease in which these cells attack the small blood vessels that supply muscles and skin.

Rusty
http://arthritis-symptom.com/m-r/myopathy.htm