Question: Hello,

Since late march/early may I have been suffering from joint pain in my shoulders, wrists, hands and sometimes hips. It ranges from mildly debilitating, to outright agonizing. The bad flairs (what I've been calling them) happen once or twice a month with varying smaller ones in between. More often then not the pain is migratory and symmetrical (if it happens in my right shoulder, it will typically be in my left shoulder a few days later) but not always. It's affected both hands and wrists a few times but always in slightly different areas (base of thumb, pinkie and ring finger, middle and ring finger, back of hand, wrist and distal forearm etc)

The flairs are very consistent in how long they last; about 12-15 hours (1/3rd time to ramp up, 1/3rd at peak pain, 1/3rd time to ramp down). Movement is severely limited but movement itself doesn't seem to cause more pain. For example, if it has affected my hands, they will naturally curl into a fist and i will have to stretch them open. If it is my left shoulder I have to use my right arm to lift my left arm straight up to "stretch" the joint. I only do this because the longer i go without "stretching" the affected area the worse it hurts when I eventually do.

The pain is constant (no sharpness, no stabbing sensation, no throb) like a burn. At it's worse it feels like I shattered every bone in the affected area. No position I can sit/lay in, seems to help alleviate any pain completely, although it is significantly worse If I let the weight of the limb "pull" on the affected joint. There seems to be very little noticeable swelling or redness involved.