Pain update!

Feeling a little better.
So, it's been about three days since the pain was at it's worst, and I'm starting to feel a little better. I've mentioned in a couple of other forums that I received a shot of anti-inflammatory medicine(which is not really good for me due to my bowel situation, but that's another story) as well as a prescription of prednisone. These seem to have calmed down the intensity of what I'm feeling. The doctor that I went to listened to me describe what I was feeling and came up with what he thought were two possibilities for what might be going on with me. He said it could be gout or rheumatoid arthritis. After checking out the two ailments online, I think it's RA. Now, I'm not a doctor, and I don't play one on TV, but I kind of know what I'm feeling. The symptoms described for gout do not fit at all what I'm feeling, while RA fits exactly what I'm feeling. Plus, RA is an auto- immune disease and I have already had problems with my auto- immune system. As I stated in a couple of past posts, I had a disease called Ulcerative Colitis as a young man. I have known for sometime now that a side effect of UC was arthritis later in life. Well, I'm later in life and here we go!
Trying to keep it a little short tonight.
I am still experiencing some symptoms that are just not fun in general, but I'm not dieing so, I'll just keep on banging away at these keys, because it's fun. The two areas that I've known I had arthritis in, my right shoulder and right hip, have been really sore the last few days. They are not what's really driving me crazy though. My fingers hurt like Hell, and my elbow and knees feel like they might explode from time to time. Not only that but my ankles feel like they are going to break off as I walk. The best part though, is that when I stand up, I sound like a breakfast cereal. I snap, crackle and pop like a man twice my age. I'm only 37 years old. Isn't this a little young to be going through this crap? 
One of my biggest fears.
For the longest time after I was first diagnosed with UC, doctors told me that they were not sure what caused auto-immune diseases. They were unsure if family history had anything to do with it. Well, I'm hearing now that it is being thought of as a major factor. My mother has Lupus. As you may know, Lupus is an auto-immune disease. I probably inherited it from her. If your reading Mom, it's okay. I'm about like 80-85% sure you didn't give it to me on purpose. Well, since I obviously am afflicted with a poor auto-immune system, and I got it from my Mom, who's to say I won't pass it on to one or both of my kids? That is a fear I have had even before Stacy and I had kids. I've known my entire life that I wanted kids, and I've also known that there was a chance of this. I've decided to take this stance on the matter. If either, or both, of my kids develop an auto-immune ailment, they will have a father that has been where they are. I can literally hold their hand(s) all the way through it. If I can help them, or anyone else, get through the problems they experience, then I've done something good and noble with my life. What else can I do? I'm really not sure. I know that I went through a long time in my life where I thought it was my fault that I got sick. I will NOT let anyone else, especially one of my kids, think that. I beat myself up for a long time, and it was not the right approach to take. I'd like to think that with age comes wisdom. Here's my chance to prove it.
Well, as always I've gone on with my rant longer than I really wanted to, and my fingers feel like they might fall off, so I'll say good night.
Have a great night.