5’ 6” 170lbs, current meds Tylenol, Meloxicam.
History / Symptoms:
2021: Started with sciatica
Since October 2025: Progressive worsening back pain, now unable to sit for long without significant pain
January 2026: Woke up with sudden severe back pain that has persisted and is now debilitating
Pain switches sides
Stiffness wakes me up daily around 3–5 a.m.
Can only tolerate ~1–2 hours of walking per day (movement helps somewhat, but too much worsens pain)
For ~2 years: chest cracking sensation (feels like it gets stuck at times) with occasional difficulty breathing
Beginning of April: PCP stopped meloxicam for 2 weeks because she didn’t think it helped, my pain went all the way into my cervical spine, neck is so tight and painful up by where my skull connects to my spine. I am back on meloxicam it helps some but pain is still bad in my neck. Making my front neck muscles tight/slight choking feeling.
Workup so far:
Lumbar X-ray: Moderate SI joint arthritis
Lumbar MRI: Moderate L5-S1 facet arthropathy
Labs: CRP negative, HLA-B27 negative
4/12 started having cervical spine pain
4/13 Had SI joint steroid injection, pain was gone for about 12 hours but came back.
Had Lupus panel done: Complement C4 was 41 reference range 10-40 mg/dL
Anti DS DNA EIA: 10.0
Normal value:<10 IU/mL
Negative for everything else on panel
Cervical spine and chest X-ray are clear
Awaiting Pelvic MRI results
Current plan:
Started PT
Seeing rheumatologist 5/18
Questions/comments:
Pain management mentioned ankylosing spondylitis
at my first appointment but then my second appointment completely dismissed that he said that and had told me that the pain could just be in my head. I am at a loss of what to do. My PCP says everything seems normal but I have never felt worse. I am getting very depressed, I can’t work or do my school work, I’ve been in so much pain since January 20th 2026.
Are there other conditions that should be considered given my age and imaging findings?
I have never been this miserable in my life, any insight is greatly appreciated.
Update- I also want to add in September of 2025 I had a severely swollen thumb joint just came out of nowhere , thought it was infected, went to the military hospital and they said it was just infected did an I&D and it was just alot of blood. Wasn’t given antibiotics just healed a month later on its own.