Arthritis Insight-Member Stories-GinLyn

GinLyn's Story

My name is Ginlyn.

A year and a half ago I started feeling lousy nothing specific at that time except a low back pain when I would walk or stand for any length of time. Then a feeling of just feeling bad with low-grade fevers mixed with fatigue and insomnia. I went to my Primary care Doctor, who started doing blood work for lupus and others but not at that pointing in the direction of Arthritis, but I did start having my eyes changing, such as blurry vision, double vision, needing new glasses, and my low back problems. My Primary ignored the low back pain complaint but at that point I already knew that I had a herniated disc at c5-c6. Which I started to have problems with in 1994. Next step the eye Doctor after some tests and a field of vision test he felt I had nerve damage in my eyes. My Primary had a MRI done of my head and sent me to a Neurologist. Thankfully my MRI was fine. By November I had starting having some I thought muscle pulls and pains, Joint pains, but nothing specific. My Primary sent me to a Rheumatologist still ignoring my complaints of my low back pain that would then travel to either one hip or the other and down the leg on the side from the hip it was affecting the length of time I could walk at one time had become less. I went to the Rheumatologist who took a x-ray of my back said that I was having muscle spasms in my low back, then with no real symptoms to speck of otherwise but have tender areas at my elbows and near my neck decided I had Fibromyalgia. He just treated my symptoms, well no meds were working and the Rheumatologist did not know what to do with my symptoms and me. The end of Jan I called my Rheumatologist asking for a script for a wheelchair because I could barely walk out and about for any length of time because of my low back. He sent me for a MRI it came back with a bulging disc at L5-S1 and annular tearing. For my low back I have done oral steroids to bring down inflammation which it did not work, Physical therapy did not help, 2 epidurals which did not help, I have nerve damage at L5, I had a nerve conduction test my left leg and foot fall asleep whether I am sitting or standing, next is a myalagram. The Surgeon feels for the damage that I have at L5 compared to the low back pain I still have the Surgeon feels there is something else also going on which there is. The other problems that started also in Feb. I started getting inflammation around my knuckles. I talked to the Rheumatologist about the inflammation he said they were fat cells. Well since then I have more and more inflammation, I have in the last two months started get bumps or lumps under my skin, on top of my hands and the sides and tops of my wrists, on each foot on the inside side of my feet on each foot near my heels and outsides of my feet. I am starting to get damage to 3-5 of my fingers My old Rheumatologist is not willing to look any farther then his old diagnoses, so I am looking for a new Rheumatologist. All of my symptoms are leading me to Rheumatoid Arthritis. I have the pain, stiffness, achy ness in my hands and feet 99% of the time and then my other joint jump in into the fun when the humidity is high, or a storm or whenever they darn well feel like it. I never did really have fibromyalgia symptoms. I think my old Arthritis Doc just wanted to shut me up. Thanks for reading and listening sorry this is do long I promise to be there for everyone else. I have been having a hard time. All I want is to be diagnosed so they can start hopefully finding the meds for me that will help with the pain, inflammation and help slowing down the damage and progression of the disease, I used to be an avid knitter, but I have had too much pain to be able to knit for months already, I just want to be able to knit again. I dont think I am asking for that much. I have been feeling sorry for myself, and down right frustrated. All this has been going on for a year and a half but it feels like forever to me.
Thank you again