Doubt your diagnosis? | Arthritis Information

 

Do you ever doubt your diagnosis?  I feel like I might be driving my doctor insane asking about it.  It's just that, after 10 years we haven't been able to find a medication that stays effective for long (and that is the few that were effective in the first place).  It makes me wonder if it could be something else.  She's retesting for Lupus just in case because I do have some symptoms that fit better with that, but she feels pretty sure it is RA.  Frustrating overall...  So, do you feel this way and what do you do when you do?

(p.s. sorry that I post rarely unless I'm in a mess... I read frequently, but if I feel well I'm too busy to post and if I feel awful, I'm too sore to post)
I did all the time.  I was sent to have fluid pulled from my shoulders (they missed) for gout, and infectious disease doc, a neurologist to name a few.  And I was offered a lot of antidepressents as I was not easily 'accepting' of my life time chronic illness.  Never took them as we felt they were only offering them to shut me (us) up.

I constantly doubt my dx.  I'm sure my RD must think I'm living in a dream world.  Just yesterday I was trying a search on zoonotic infections because I was in South Africa 10 years ago and ate some uncooked meat.  And drank from a stream.  Nevermind that RA didn't hit till a year and a half ago.  Nevermind that when I got on enbrel I pretty much went back to normal (besides the occasional flare) after 4 months of hardly being able to brush my teeth let alone walk.  I just have this thing stuck in my head that "I can't really have RA" that  makes me doubt all evidence to the contrary.  I even annoy myself with it.  I wish I could just let it go.My doctor got a big kick out me telling him I feel like an RA fraud!I don't have RA I still don't have an RD confirmation that I have FM. Meanwhile my GP doesn't know for sure that I have FM, but he is treating me for FM. Symptoms don't lie. Even when I feel better, they make sure I don't forget.  Yes I am always thinking the same but x-rays seem to show otherwise and the MTX and Enbrel got me walking again.  I have also went from negative to borderline positive on my latest lupus test along with having the symptoms so who really knows.  I am sero-negative which is why I question the dx neverminding that I am in a lot of pain, stiff as a board and sick most of the time. I talk to my doctor on the 1st, i believe i have polymyositis instead of RA as it is the muscle tissue that is inflamed along with constant dry skin (skin inflammation).Thanks, all.  Bonny, I'm kind of where you are.  I want a blood test or something to say definitively that I "have it."  I've had periods where different medications have worked (steroids, methotrexate, plaquenil, enbrel) but eventually they all quit.  I thought Rituxan was going to be my wonder drug and when it didn't work the first round I felt like a total failure (still do) I think your feelings are common among us.  I feel like I have a good excuse to doubt my DX because it's not clear exactly what's going on....it's an autoimmune disease but it's undifferentiated.  Many of us also tend to doubt that our drugs are doing any good, until we have to go off for some reason and then we find out big time how well the drugs really were working.  I think both things are related in that we just don't want to accept the DX so we try to talk ourselves out of it.   Understand, I'm not saying that you're wrong that the drugs stop working...that happens frequently and I can see how it could make you think your DX is wrong.  Plus, mistakes are made all the time, so why wouldn't we start doubting?  I feel you.  I don't have any official dx except monoarticular arthritis.  Which is silly but I'm thankful that's all the insurance company thinks. I have mild problems with many joints, and elevated ESD and CRP, but the swelling in my right wrist is way out of proportion to anything else, and so far nothing has made it better (except Mobic takes away the pain).  It doesn't make sense but it's not septic and it's definitely inflammed.  I tell myself I don't have it all the time!!  I completely agree with everything you guys said. I am the queen of me and my docs doubting my dx. meds rarely work so once I have had a doc for awhile they get frustrated and then they say hmmmm maybe its not JRA, well maybe its fibro? so then they treat me with both....they do look at lupus every year or so. and i personally think that that could be it beause so many of my wierd syptoms could go with it but who knows. doesnt it suck? i just want to know what it is! whatever the news is i need to know so i can be on the right meds instead of destroying my liver and stuff for no reason lol
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