Hi Riverwild,

Its a joint conspiracy!

I don't know if what has been going on with my joints is bursitis, but I've been dealing with pretty much the same symptoms as you since around July as well. I even had my hands/wrists X-rayed...but apparently everything is OK according to that.

I'm now into the 3rd week of taking Serrapeptase: 120,000 U two-three times/day and that seems to be helping both the inflammation/pain/stiffness that has been affecting the joints as well as my digestive tract. The numbness hasn't changed much since the beginning of the year, and like in your case it is usually greatest for the first couple of hours in the morning. Mine seems to come in cycles though...a couple of weeks of waking up because of it or with it and then a couple of weeks when it is better.

NSAIDs take the edge off the joint Sx but set off my screwed up digestive system (long history of regional enteritis), so I can't take those too much.

I tried a pureed elimination diet/vegetable juice cleanse and thought that I had found a trigger in foods that are high in oxalic acid (rhubarb, beet leaves etc), but that didn't hold up.

Although my MS is classified as secondary progressive, in my case it is likely that the joint inflammation is part of a relapse that first appeared as autonomic neuropathy in June. That slowed everything down abdominal organ-wise and in turn, set off my regional enteritis.
I called it quits on any more diagnostic or surgery procedures on the guts in July because that just seemed to be making the digestive tract angrier, but by then the joints were doing pretty much the same thing that you describe.

There's lots of info on Serrapeptase on the web but in a nut shell, it is an enzyme derived from the carcasses of silk worms (yeah, I know...gross), but it has a fairly good track record of decreasing the effects of excess inflammation; without the usual side effects of the NSAIDS.
I get mine from the health food store but it can also be purchased on-line.

Might be worth a try.
If you find something else that works that isn't a NSAID please let me know.
I'm tired of it too.

With love, Erika