Arthritis Information -New here, don’t know what I have though..

 

You are smart to see a specialist.  I have RA for about a year now and my knees, fingers and ankles were causing me a lot of pain prior to treatment (Plaquenil and Humira).

My advise to you would be to record what time of the day you have your most pain/stiffness as well as the duration of it.  That along with the specific joints that hurt you are strong indications of whether or not RA is your issue.  There are a million Auto Immune diseases and they appear to be very tricky to diagnose properly.

Good luck!

Thanks to the two of you for responding.  I will definitely look into having the anti ccp test. 

I'm just curious, is it typical on this website to only get two responses to a post when so many people are supposedly reading the posts?

Does anyone know why there are so few rheumatologists?  I have called various doctors in towns within 2-3 hours from where I live, and the earliest appointments anyone had back in December were in March and April of this year.  Weird. Marcy - I have no idea why so many people view your opening posts, and don't respond.  Heck, I finally answered myself when I joined a year or so ago.  Guess they are sickness voyeurs :)  Rheumatology is a dying profession because they are convinced that they cannot do anything except slow down the disease and hope you slowly deteriorate, instead of it completely crippling you rapidly, then a slow death.  Morbid, eh?  I am in the cure this disease side of the equation.  And I am doing fabulously on long-term antibiotics to kill off an infection of the white blood cells, which is the other theory on how to treat autoimmune/rheumatic diseases.  www.roadback.org  For some reason, I cannot buy into the logic that your body which wants to LIVE, suddenly turns on itself and attacks its own defensive system - that isn't logical and is a receipe for failure.  Good luck ~~ Cathy justsaynoemore39473.447974537Thanks Cathy, I appreciate your insight and input.  And I agree that it doesn't seem "right" that our bodies which are made for life instead destroy themselves...unless one considers a spiritual component I suppose but even then.......

Hi there Marcy,

I guess I am one of those people who read posts and don't necessarily reply.  Sometimes what one person writes so closely aligns with what I would add that I figure it's a duplication if I add my similar 2 cents.

I am doing really well with my regime of meds and treatment plan that I follow.  That is not to say that I don't have the occasional (everyday) stiff joint or achy finger/wrist/toe...whatever.  But it's a sidenote because I can hold down a full time job, keep up with some household tasks and errands (not all of them), and manage to have a life.  If I had small children to raise(mine are all grown...from 21 to 31..and I have two grandchildren, ages 2 and 8 months), it'd be much harder to tend to them and handle everything else.  But my grandkids live 2 hours away and most of the gang lives out of town (away at college, etc) so it's a bit easier to keep the house anyway).  hubby cooks many of our meals and takes care of the heavier stuff that needs to be done.

see why i don't post...I don't know when to quit.  :)

Molly Bee

Hey Molly Bee, thanks for writing! You sound like you're doing very well
considering your medical situation. I think the worse part for me right
now is the not knowing what it is that's actually wrong. Once I actually
get a diagnosis I'll be able to do more research on my particular problem
and try to help myself as best I can. But I know I can always benefit from
hearing other people's stories, including yours, so thanks again!

After I posted last night I came across an article on the web explaining
why there are so few rheumatologists. Since I'm new here I didn't know if
I am allowed to post the link to the article so I didn't do so. But it was
really scary to find out that there are so few rheumatologists nationwide
and that the number seems to be decreasing comparable to the need for
them--and the number of people needing one will surely increase in the
future as baby boomers came of "age". In fact, I realize now how lucky I
am that there are TWO rheumatologists in my town!

Hi Marcy,

You are quite welcome!  It's perfectly fine to post a link for articles of interest and people do it all time.  I am quite fortunate to live 20 or so miles from the Cleveland Clinic which has many specialists on staff...so I have my internist, my rheumatologist, endocrinologist...guess that's it for now.  I do wish more docs would specialize in rheumatology because you're right...the need will increase as the boomers enter their senior years.

 

as long as your doctor addresses your troubling symptoms and doesn't dismiss them (or you) and prescribes meds that will alleviate the worst of it...it doesn't matter if they don't exactly pin down the particular disease causing the symptoms.  at laest that is what my 1st rheum told me...they wanted to waste no time in treating what could be a disease that would be damaging if left untreated.  It took about 2 years to diagnose me, but I was getting meds nearly right from the beginning.  Not the big guns (methotrexate), but NSAIDS and plaquenil.

hope you get your answers, but most importantly, your treatment soon!

mb

Hi eveyone, it's nice to be here.  My story is that I had a hysterectomy, with ovaries removed as well, about five months ago.  Waking up from the surgery I had strange pains in my forearms I'd not had before, and ever since then I've had strange pains that come and go....some are pains that I've had before, some are totally new pains.  They are all joint-related and the worse seem to be in my knees and in my right thumb area (although my left thumb bothers me a bit too).

I had a sedimentation rate test done recently as well as test for RA factor, lupus and hepatitis.  All came back negative, although I realize that one can test negative for RA (maybe the lupus too?) and yet be positive for the condition.  My problem is that whether it's the town I live in, or in a major city in this state that has top-notch care, the soonest appointment I could get anywhere with a rheumatologist was towards the end of March! I've already scheduled two appointments a month apart with two separate doctors in town--I figure if I don't like the first one then I can continue my care with the second one.

I'm scared because I read in one place that if you don't address RA (if that's what I have) then permanent damage can take place.  My maternal grandmother had crippling arthritis, and I know that there's a genetic factor for RA.  I don't want to take any pain killers right now unless I absolutely have to, and am already wearing a thumb support brace.  Over the past few weeks the pain in that area has been enough to notice, and I now have trouble opening twist tops, using can openers, opening blister sealed pills, etc.  I've even been looking at online catalogs of arthritis products!  Today the pain in the right thumb area isn't as bad as it had been, I don't know why, but my knees are really hurting me.

I am convinced that if I do have arthritis I probably had it all along but it's just flared up due to the lack of estrogen as a result of my ovaries being removed.  I refuse to use hormone replacement therapy for a variety of reasons I won't get into here.  I am an otherwise very young 55.  I don't know what to do.  Since I don't know what I actually have I can't take care of it as I should beyond taking aspirin and using braces as necessary. 

Thanks for reading....I just don't know where to go from here.
You are doing the right thing making these doctor appiontments. It does take along time to get your first appiontment with a reumotologist. Write it all down your swelling and pain. I like your approach if the frst doctor doesn't work try the secound one. Your doing good. Your pain sounds symetrical this is a symptom of RA both knees ect. Tell the reumotologist. Stick around on the board and read the post. as someone may have something that sounds similar to you. And you may as well get an education while waiting on your DR appnts. I wish you luck. MAke sure you get an anti-ccp test. It helps confirm RA. It takes several weeks to get the results back mine took about five weeks. Good luck to you. I hope you have something that is easily cured and not RA but i want you to get an answer. My opinion is that thumb knees ect. You need an answer. Especially with heriditary part. They can hopefully do more for you then what they had to offer your grandmother, as they have newer medicine. The negative RF factor does not always mean a person does not have RA. The anti-ccp test is a newer test. They may have already run for you and it is just not back yet. When was your test run? I know MArch is a long way away.  Please let us know how this all turns out. Welcome.Marcy - sorry you had to find us, but welcome aboard.  I have noticed that either you get a good solid diagnosis right off the bat, or like me, linger for years in the system, getting nowhere until finally a blood test shows up that proves something, as it seems that physical symptoms like pain don't enter into the medical diagnostic equation.  Educating yourself is your best defense and you will end up making your health decisions as its your body.  Hang in there, keep trying, and best of luck.  CathyHello, Marcy, and welcome!   Hi Marcy!
I don't believe in drugs, they are only palliative. Natural products are
far more curative. You can find some good ones.Visit the site below and
click on Ways to Relief Arthritis Pain and click on the banner that you prefer.
 When I first started seeing an Ra , That office accually requested your primary docotrs  recored to review prior to even making an appointment!  Is n't that just crazy! I guess they just are too busy!Marci Thanks all for your kind support! One of the doctors has a cancellation list, the other doesn't....however, I'm not counting on any calls. It's very frustrating. A few weeks ago my PCP took xrays of my hand (which has been hurting for months) and told me I just had "arthritic burrs" and nothing to worry about. An orthopedist today had no idea what arthritic burrs were, diagnosed the pain as trigger finger or tendonitis, said no arthritis was present (based on xrays), and recommended 600 mgs. of ibuprofen three times a day. If that doesn't work I should consider a steroid shot. On the web I found that trigger finger or tendonitis can occur as a side effect of RA! Today's orthopedist dismissed the similar pain I'm having in the other hand. The only reason I went to the orthopedist was to see if I could get some relief or answers before I see the rheumatologist. Obviously had no such luck!

So, one doctors says I have "arthritic burrs", the other says "trigger finger" and no arthritis. I can't wait to see a rheumatologist and perhaps finally have some answers!
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