Waiting for a diagnosis | Arthritis Information

 

I am 35 years old.  I have had pain in my lower back and tail bone area for 2 months. I had to beg and plead my doctor for tests.  My x-ray showed nothing.  The MRI showed a small amount of arthritis in my L-5 and S-1.  I started physical therapy a month ago.  It is helping with the muscle spasms. At one point my pain level was a 9 for 2 weeks.  The doctor finally gave me prednisone, a muscle relaxer, and vicadin.  The prednisone didn't help any.  The vicadin just makes me go to sleep.  I asked the doctor to send me to a specialist. That fell on deaf ears.  I saw a new doctor last week.  I was put on Mobic to go along with the muscle relaxer and vicadin.  She also ordered blood work.  My sed rate test came back abnormal, plus I am anemic.  She ordered the Rheumatoid Factor and ANA.  I will not get the results until Monday.  I have improved in the last week, but the pain in my sacrailiac joint is non-stop. I will go for pain management therapy in a week.  I guess what I am wanting to know is if there is anyone that has RA that started in their SI joints. My pain is on both sides.  I also have asthma.  It started 3 years again.  Thanks for any info.I was diagnosed with Osteoartritis in my back many years ago. It seemed to jump around to other parts of my body and by the time I was in my fifties I finally got diagnosed with RA in addition to the OA, fibromyalgia, and Sjogren's syndrome. Different kinds of arthritis can overlap and you can have more than one autoimmune disease. The diagnosis part is really tricky and it can take years to get a definitive answer. It sounds like you are in good hands and they are doing the appropriate testing. Many of the medicines can help more than one kind of arthritis.  The fact that the prednisone did not help you might mean that your problem is not autoimmune since it usually does improve RA. I'm no expert on this and others on this board are nurses and know more. With me, I noticed an immediate improvement of symptoms on the prednisone. Good luck in your journey. You've come to a good place and we welcome you.I also find it interesting that the Prednisone didnt bring relief. How long were you on it? How many MG?

I was only on the predinisone for 10 days.  The pills were 10mg.  I had to start with 6 pills for 5 days, then take 3 pills for 3 days, then 1 pill for 4 days.  I say it didn't help but I had muscle spasms so bad I might not have noticed.

When I took the lower dose of prednisone, it did nothing. It wasn't until they put me on 20 mg. that I felt better - and then the relief was almost instantaneous. If you suspect it's inflammation, ask your doctor for the higher dose.

I was in a car accident almost 15 yrs. ago that caused that same, horrible sacroiliac pain. The only thing I can say as encouragement is that over time, I felt it less (maybe as the RA got worse & I felt other things so much more?). Vioxx did work for me, but it's not an option anymore. Nothing else did anything for the pain, and I just hurt for years. I did the heat therapy & the ten unit, PT, you name it. Wish I could be more encouraging.

On the other hand, I didn't allow myself to stop moving. I took exercise classes. The Y offers a healthy back class that did some good. Strengthen your abs & your legs so they carry more of the weight. I know it's a killer to do when you hurt, but it helped. I wish all the best for you, because I've been there.

P.S. I never connected this pain with RA. I think I have two different kinds of arthritis. They don't act the same and don't respond the same to treatment.
So you were initially on 60mg per day? That is a decent dose. If you had inflammation, you should have felt something.

I started on 60 mg a day and then decreased it over a 10 day period.  The muscle spasms were awful.

I got my test results today. My RF was negative.  I am slightly anemic. The ANA titer is 1:160.  My doctor is going to refer me to a rheumatologist.  From her experience it will take 3 months to get in.  Tomorrow is my consultation with pain management.

Thanks for the repsonses.  You are all very helpful!

The SI joint is not considered a movable joint so that would not be RA.  Only freely movable joints are affected by RA.  The prednisone should have worked if it was RA too.  GOOD LUCK!Well good luck to you...I hope that you are able to get in before 3 mos. though. I guess it depends on your insurance and how many RDs are available to you. I called on a Fri and got my appt on Monday. But that was on the 2nd or 3rd office that I called. I am begining to see that was a bit of good luck. Ha...I never get good luck, the one time I did I wish it could have been the winning lottory ticket instead of a doctors appt.

went for my pain management appointment this morning. The Dr. thinks I could have Ankylosing Spondylits (AS). It starts in the SI joints. He is putting me on a different muscle relaxer, Flexeril. . He is also switching the time I take the Mobic. He thinks I should take it with dinner so I can benefit from it when I am sleeping. I am getting an injection into both joints on Monday the 15th. It should give me some relief. I will have a follow up visit with him 2 weeks after the injection. I can have 2 more injections if necessary. He wants me to tell the Physical Therapist to add exercises. I need to have some BEFORE I get out of bed and for my hot tub.

Thanks for listening!  You all have been so helpful!

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