My MD has diagnosed EM but thinks it is a variant in that I have symptoms of internal heat and pain but not much external swelling and little redness in my feet. Walking is uncomfortable as is wearing socks or closed shoes. Anyone else have this experience? My feet feel warm which is very different from chronically cold feet prior to this. Thanks for any feedback. Seattle girl
Thank you for your reply. I do have a very good doctor at clinic that specializes in pain so I respect his opinion. I just read so many reports of severe swelling and redness that mine seems "minor". However, the pain is real and is seem as if I have a severe sunburn only in my feet and sometimes up into my ankles. I also have fibromyalgia which I believe flares when other conditions are active like EM. Currently, my doc has added low dose naltrexone to my meds to try to improve sleep and decrease pain. Only thing that consistently helps is elevating my feet, having a fan blowing on them and not being up and about very much. I have osteoarthritis in my feet which is getting worse and I wonder if EM is aggravating that. Again, I do appreciate your response. Sincerely, Seattle girl
Veerla said:
Ditto! Do feel burning but is nothing compared to the pain. Sometimes my feel swell a bit, but reading the story of others i think they are in a worse shape. My pain and internal burning dominates above swelling. Btw: Dr.Drenth (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) told me no Em patient is the same. Everybody has the same illness but it manifests quite differently in all patients.
Take care,
Veerla
My feet rarely swell and the redness is faint and from what research Ive found that does not make it anymore or less severe. Just recently Ive noticed they shift from freezing cold to hot. This sickness changes so often and varies so much from person to person. I have treated like I did with my pregnancy. My body will let me know whats what. Im not sure if that's helpful advice. One more thing, journal every little thing. All the changes, what you eat and even things you wouldn't think relevant. For example, I lost my dog and that caused a long night of awful pain.. I wouldn't have thought that would have played a role in EM but I was wrong.
Hope This Helps
Novi
Hi seattle girl. I do have a lot of swelling with my warmth and pain but as mentioned above everyone's EM is different.
The one thing I do have in common is the freezing hands and feet for some time before the EM showed up. As Novi mentioned my bouts of freezing and burning continue to alternate throughout the years.
Oh and Novi, It doesn't surprise me one bit your losing your dog triggered a bad flare . It is pretty common for EM to be triggered or worsened by any strong emotion including stress but even too much laughter for me! Crazy right ? Laughter causing EM!
Take care,
Alina