QuestionQUESTION: A bronchial infection/or URI didn't go away for 4 wks (no fever) and I finally called my doctor. He ordered 4 days of Zithromax and a little white 5mg steroid. I had so much energy after taking the first dose of these 2 meds. Within a week my knees are really hurting, also muscles, ligaments across my lower back and muscles around my shoulder joints. Could the steroid cause this? I haven't taken a steroid before. Thank you!
ANSWER: The steroids probably are what gave you all the energy... it will decrease inflammation in the joints, etc and then if you overdid it, you may pay for it afterwards.....
But the steroids probably didn't make you worse but with those symptoms, you might consider an arthritis workup either by your regular doctor or a rheumatologist.
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QUESTION: Thank you, Dr. Borucki. I have been quite fatigued for months. If the steroids gave me energy, would adrenal findings have anything to do with low energy? I had a CT (to look at my kidney stone) and on the report was a "12 x 11 mm low density lesion in the medial limb of the left adrenal gland with a measured density of -1 HU, consistent with a small adrenal adenoma". I felt like my old self for a change while taking the steroids for 4 days -- now I'm fatigued again. I was told the adrenal finding meant nothing. Could adrenal levels be off just a little and cause fatigue?
ANSWER: yes, absolutely.... and that would probably be part of this arthritis workup.....
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QUESTION: Hi Dr. Borucki, Can someone have temporal arteritis or arteritis elsewhere w/o a fever? In Feb 2010 my retinal specialist ran some labs for this condition due to some eye issues I was having. The tests were not elevated enough for concern. Major headache, but not migraine, severe jaw and neck pain. Several weeks ago I started having severe jaw, neck, shoulder pain and headache plus some mid-back pain that I thought might be my tiny kidney stone. Today I feel like I've been in a car wreck. My temp has been about 95. Had some twinges in my left chest, but I thought it might be my abdomen which is often sore around to the back. Pain in calves where I occasionally have vascular pain. I recently had a Sjgren's biopsy that was graded IV + "focus of lymphoid aggregate over 50 cell count", whatever that means, but the sample was only 3.5mm. I feel nauseated and this morning thought I might have a viral infection, but no congestion, vomiting, diarhhea although I thought I would. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Answeryes, fever is not a classic finding for arteritis, so no fever certainly does not mean it doesn't exist. You have a lot of symptoms that may not be from one cause.... you will need your regular docs to help sort this out.... I would only be guessing in this forum.
