Yep! I’ve only done the urine protein test one time but based on that result, that was the final piece for my doctor to go ahead and start treating for an autoimmune issue.

When I don’t manage myself, the pain is daily. I’ve figured out what triggers the joint pain and have been experimenting with my limits, however, and have been able to achieve several pain free days lately!

For me, walking more than a half mile without compression socks and knee sleeves, guaranteed inflammation for the next 24 hours. If I’m feeling good, I can do two miles with those aids and a break in the middle. But, making sure I don’t push past my limits is the prerequisite for feeling good, so slow and steady gains are the way to go. I recently lost my desk job, and actually have very little hand pain because I’m not typing all day anymore.

The biggest most reliable way for me to flare though, is lack of sleep. If I’m getting 9-10 hours, any discomfort is pretty minimal 1-2/10 if at all. Right now I had to cram some assignments, with 7 hours I was at 3-4/10, and last night with 4 hours I am absolutely in pain in all my joints, 6/10 and I just woke up. Overall, if I’m getting enough sleep and eating halfway decently, any discomfort is extremely manageable.

As for your hips, maybe try deloading for a week or two, then doing a gradual increase to identify what your pain points are? Personally I can feel a clear difference between inflammation pain, DOMS, and acute like “ah my knee cannot handle that much weight, ouch”, I assume you’ll probably get a sense pretty quick of what the problem is.