Non-Arthritis Joint Pain- Anyone out there?

I'm hoping to make some connections with other people out there like myself. I have non-arthritis related joint pain, or as one doctor has labled me, "Weather Sensitive Joint Pain".

My problems started at the age of four years old. It was summer time and my knee's hurt so bad. The pain was deep down "in the bone" burning pain. My first episode lasted for four days. I cried constantly, and would lay on our living room floor writhing my legs around but unwanting to stand or move.

This of course frightened my mother. She took me to the hospital. My legs were examined and X-Rayed. The diagnosis: "Growing Pains". These growing pains would come and go throughout my childhood. My poor mother spent many hours on the floor with me. She would take my knee with both her hands and rub it fast (creating friction) and the pain was ease... until she stopped, then it would come back with full intensity shortly afterward.

We expected these pains to slow down and stop as I got older. It made sense to my parents. I grew very fast as a child. By the age of 11 years old I was at my full height of 5'10". But 11 years old came and went and the pains continued with only one change....

It spread.

The only connection that has ever been made with my joint pain is weather changes. My family and friends rely on my joint pain more than the weather man. My pain will typically begin 3-4 days before an oncoming storm/rain/snow and will increase in intesity as the storm nears closer.

Now at the age of 31, all of my joints are effected (with exception of my toes). From my ankles to my shoulders I get this awful burning pain deep down in my joints.

Over the years I have gotten use to it, but I have also sought an answer to what this pain is. I've seen a few doctors, had tests, and can only be told it is not arthritis. No one can tell me what I want to know though... what is it? What causes this pain? The only explaination I've had is from one doctor who simply said, "You seem to be sensitive to weather changes."

This isn't acceptable to me. There has to be a reason for this. Most people do not walk around in dire pain, every time the weather changes, for no reason!

Cold makes the pain more intense. Heat and pain killers take it away.

I am seeking a common ground. Seekings others who may experience this problem. See if any one out there has been able to come up with an answer. It is important to me.

I have become use to this over the years. Sometimes it is very bad, very painful, to the point where it effects my ability to function normally. My fingers will be so painful that it is hard to move them, hard to type, and hard to grasp objects. There are days where heat and pain killers only slightly ease the intesitity of the pain, not take it away intirely.

This has become an important quest of knowledge for me because at the age of three years old, my eldest son developed the very same problem. I sware even one doctor tries to tell me it is growing pains, I'm going to kick that doctor in the knee and ask him/her if it is growing pains he/she is feeling!

Like myself my son's pain is directly related to weather changes. Sometimes his pain will come a day earlier than my own. He will wake in the middle of the night crying his heart out sometimes, sometimes it starts in the middle of the day, sometimes morning... just like myself.

 I only can wish that no parent feels the heartache of your child crying in pain and not knowing an answer as to why.

If you have this "weather sensitivity" problem, I would love to hear from you!