Hi,

i suffered from terrible foot pain for about three years before being diagnosed with lupus. I also had terrible joint pain. My feet would swell and ache all across the top and around the ankles. They would hurt so, until I would be limping around at work and it was noticeable to others.

Since lupus can cause arthritic like symptoms with your bones and joints, it is quit reasonable to think that it could cause problems with your feet. I used to soak them in a warm foot bath and then stay off of them in the evenings. I also changed the type of shoes I would wear. Low to no heals, no scraps across the tops to aggravate the swelling when it happened, nothing that would hold my feet hostage if they were to swell. I also noticed that the swelling was worse and more noticeable later on in the day. On the weekends I wore sneakers and I made sure that the shoe strings were not tied too tight.

Now, for the past two years, it has dramatically improved. I can wear hells again. The pain still comes back from time to time (once very month or every other month), but is no where near the magnitude that it was when I was really suffering.

Hope this helps!

i was diagnosed with lupus in late august and i, too am on plaquenil and relaflen but the foot pain is difficult. I walk very slowly. Hope it improves with time with the plaquenil.

I too have terrible foot pain-a flare up that comes and goes from time to time. I have Lupus. The pain is on top of my foot too. Very sore and tender. It usually lasts a couple of weeks at a time. Very disabling!

Right now my feet feel broken. I have been in denial for 2 years. I have not been back to the MD since my positive ANA and the probable Lupus dx. I go to the gym 5 days a week. Sometimes I do feel bad but overall drugs are NOT the answer for me. Last week I had blood in my urine twice. It seems it is always some reminder lurking in the background of my body. It can be frightening but I just keep going. My heart is what concerns me thus the reason for the gym. This is the worst that my feet have felt. They truly feel fractured.

Find a doctor you like and tell him/her that you don't want the medication routine, but you should be checked especially the blood in your urine. I have a chinese doc so when I don't want the major drugs he can usually put together herbs that work. His wife is an accupuncturist. There are a lot of alternatives out there. but not doing anything if you have Lupus is not the answer.