Undiagnosed & Frustrated | Arthritis Information

 

Hello all.  I am new here and have just been lurking for a few days while I waited on the results from my second round of diagnostic labs.  About a year and a half ago, I started having pain, stiffness and swelling in my hands which was then limited to just a couple of knuckle joints.  I made an appt with a GP who took one look and said he thought it was RA, but when the labs came back negative for RF, he evidently changed his mind . . . changed it to WHAT I guess I'll never know since I never got to talk to him about the results (the lab tech called with the results Sorry everything is so up in the air for you. You made the right decision to go to a doctor who is a specialist in the subject.  I am sero negative but presented very severely so they made a dx pretty quickly based on visual examination- hot, red, painful joints, symmetrical pain, swelling, stiffness that lasted more than 1 hr. etc. My CRP and ESR were also very high at first.

Thanks wanntobe!  I feel like such a whiney baby next to all the folks on here with physical problems WAAAAY worse than mine.  I told my DH just last night that I hope I never have to look back and wish that I only had the problems that I have today!  Oh, and thanks for the tip about the cancellation list . . . I will do just that as soon as I get my appt  Always see a rhuematologist. A Gp has no real right to give you a diagnosis. Many people are RF negetive so really that means nothing. As well even if you are RF positive there can still be a circus.

First of all, I love dogs and Shih Tzus are my absolute favorite. Such little bunnies that play like cats and love their little stuff animals. Precious.

Now, down to business.

GP's do NOT have the skills to diagnose RA. However, s/he should have known, minimally, that Rheumatoid Factor can or cannot be positive. I’ve had the test three times in 16 years and they are always negative. Not one blood test related to inflammation has ever been abnormal and yet I can melt an igloo sitting inside one. If it talks like a Shih Tzu, walks like a Shih Tzu…..then it is almost positively a little lion dog.

Bluntly stated:  you wouldn’t go to a dentist to have your child delivered, so why would you see a GP for this? But I see that you’re scheduled to see a RD soon. [I hope when you get your diagnosis that you send a note to the two GP’s and tell them what it is. Maybe then they’ll get smart and refer patients with rheumatolgical issues to an RD.

Thanks Milly and Sam!  I kinda got the idea that the GP's didn't have a clue since they both dismissed this with a negative RF.  I've done a LOT of reading lately, so I know that seronegative means absolutely nothing.  I will definitely defer to  the RD for future diagnoses!  I like the idea of the diary . . . that should be helpful when I'm trying to describe the symptoms after they have temporarily subsided.

On a lighter note . . . Shih Tzu are the best!  I raise them and have quite a few . . . all with their own special personalities . . . but all very special!  My babies are my saviors right now with their never-ending, unconditional love!
Most rheumy will treat the symptoms...Blood work is only a small portion of the puzzle. Some people never have altered blood work, but end up with joint damage. Find a good Rheumy... Thanks Lisa   That is the plan right now . . . so we'll see what happens! Sorry that you are having a lot of difficulty being diagnosed. I was diagnosed by my (G.P.) then the diagnosis was confirmed by my RD so I was thankful that my G.P. had quite a lot of knowlege about RA. My lab results for RF are always Neg. but I present positive in other area's.