Question: I learned in 1990 that I had osteoarthritis, in the last 5 yrs. I've had a strange happening that my doctors don't seem to understand. The first episode was 3 yrs. ago all of a sudden my left ankle and above it began to swell and hurt so badly that I couldn't walk , The sweeling stopped at my ankle and gave my leg the appearance of Elephantitis, but it was only my left leg and cleared up on its own after about a week and a half. The next episode took place a year later on my right leg, same exact happening only from my knee up! My thigh swelled up really bad as did my knee and the pain was the same. My doctor ordered an untrasound but nothing showed up. Now, over a month into it my right knee has swelled again and my thigh with extreme pain that has also moved to my right hip and back, so much so that I can bearly tolerate lying on that side and walking at all is getting dangerous. I went to the emergency room crying with pain on Easter eve, and had e-rays and blood tests and they only noticed that my protime test was down and had me make an app. with an Orthopedic Dr.. A week later I went to her and had more ex-rays then pulled a huge amount of fluid from my knee and gave me more pain pills that do not help and because of Barrett's Esophagus and Factor 5 Leiden mutation, ( I take blood thinners ) I cannot take any kind of anti-inflamatories. But the thing that is puzzling me so much is why these episodes happened at all, there were a couple of other times this happened to these same two spots, but due to the space here I didn't list them. My right thigh is still very swollen and my knee, but the Orthopedic Dr. said that was totally disconnected from my knee??? I wish I had just one doctor who could stay on the job and find out what these crazy episodes could be about! I SINCERELY APPRECIATE any help or answers I can get on this.

I have no way to send any pictures of my leg or knee. My thigh is swollen above my knee but NOT below it. My left leg is it's normal size in all areas. The knee on my right leg (the affected leg) has bulges on both sides of it, on the right upper part of my knee is the largest bulge and where the doctor removed some of the fluid from my knee. On the left LOWER side of the right leg affected knee is another bulge, this one has been painful to touch and warmer than the rest of my knee or leg. I was checked at the hospital emergency room for a DVT clot and they found none. Also, the Gastroenterologist has had me taking Nexium 20mgs. 2 a day now for more than 4 years! I know what to eat and what not to eat. And as for eating several small meals a day, with the medications I am on and the timing of when I can eat and when not to is a nightmare by itself, it simply cannot be done in a normal day and this can drive you crazy, every single day I have to at least skip the Succrilafate in order to take the others, I try very hard to get them all in believe me I DO. And with the Warfarin I am not supposed to eat to much greens. This I hate because prior to 1999 when I had the last DVT episode I was a healthy person who at mostly greens , vegetables af all kinds and fruits. Now I can't even do that because of my dentures ill fit and only 5 teeth on my bottom jaw in the front. And as for walking nothing in this world could make me happier than to be able to do that! I am seriously over pronated on both of my flat feet and had to completely stop my 5 mile walks every morning in 1995. Trust me doctor I was raised to eat healthy and exercise regularly. I was a runner since childhood and began before the first grade in doing so. I have always been extremely active and in not being able to even do the things I had to cut down to because of all the pain I experience is causing me a lot of stress. I don't drink any alcohol or use drugs not prescribed and none of them are narcotic except the pain pill prescribed by the orthopedic dr. and I'm not taking them now because they haven't helped. I only take 2- 500mg. acetaminophen as needed every 6 hrs. and I work hard at stretching that time as far apart as possible to be able to tolerate the pains I'm experiencing. I just want to know what this issue I've described earlier is and what it's all about. I KNOW for certain that it is NOT from the arthritis, something else is going on.