Spiraling - rheumatoid arthritis

[JasoNY]

I was diagnosed with RA and none of my blood shows I have it, based on my symptoms it was determined I have it and treatment was started. It's called Seronegative RA and isn't rare at all. It is possible as the disease progresses a person can become Seropositive and blood work will then reflect the disease, but that could never happen as well. If you are diagnosed by a doctor and are having doubts, get a second opinion and if that comes back the same... start treatment.

[ckelley116]

I'm sorry to hear that! I hope you're doing well! I haven't seen any doctors yet for tests for this particular disease; although I finally found a rheumatologist in my network with good reviews who isn't pushing 80 years old, she can't see me until March 12. And even though my GP confirmed that a rheumatologist would be best but she still wants to see me, she didn't have any appointments until February 8. And I've had an MRI, nerve conduction study and EMG, but the hand surgeon doesn't feel comfortable deciding on treatment until we know for sure what's going on with my tendons. So, I wait. In the meantime my median nerve stays compressed, furthering the damage and possibly affecting it permanently, and my anxiety is skyrocketing. Every time I feel a pain in one of my joints, no matter how mild, I freak. Every night I go to bed afraid that when I wake up something will have swelled up overnight. This morning I had a mild pain in the ball of my left foot whenever I took a step, accompanied by what seemed to be a crunching sensation. It went away after about half an hour and from what I've heard, RA pain cannot be classified as mild (mild enough that I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought if I wasn't fixated on it), but still. If my foot goes I can no longer convince myself that my tendon issues are due to Repetitive Strain Injury, which I know is way more likely as long as only my hands/wrists are affected. I could seriously punch that hand surgeon for even planting this seed. I was doing really well handling this until he said I probably had an inflammatory disease.

[Elen]

I have RA and most of your "research" is faulty in the conclusions that it has led you to believe.

[ckelley116]

I have RA and most of your "research" is faulty in the conclusions that it has led you to believe.

So RA pain can be mild? As in barely noticeable unless I'm fixated on it? I haven't actually done much research - I haven't allowed myself to. But the bits I have read indicate that the pain is bad enough to seek the advice of a doctor, and mine certainly isn't. If I didn't have the tendon stuff going on I wouldn't give it a second thought, even with HA.

In case I'm not being clear, when I talk about nerve compression I'm not referring specifically to RA, since I know RA doesn't attack the nerves. I'm referring to the carpal tunnel syndrome I've developed due to tendon sheath inflammation which can be caused by RA, and which is causing swelling in my wrist that's impinging the median nerve. That much has been confirmed by my hand surgeon.

I realize as someone suffering from RA my questions must be annoying to you, and I apologize for that.

[ckelley116]

Found the source of the mild ache and the “crunching” in my left foot. If I press the ball of my foot under the toe, even lightly, something pops. It doesn’t happen on my right foot. Don’t know if it’s a tendon or the joint and I refuse to Google. But I’m crying and I feel like I’m going to throw up. I can’t imagine waiting 2 more months before anyone even starts to look for answers. How am I going to do that?

[tryingtosurvive1]

I'm sorry you're suffering. The surgeon shouldn't have made that remark--it just left you hanging until you could see an appropriate specialist. :(

Do either of your doctors reach out if there's been a cancellation? That can be a way to get in faster.

---------- Post added at 18:34 ---------- Previous post was at 18:31 ----------

also, whatever's going on I suspect you are in no great immediate danger. Try to remember that. Put your hand on your chest and breathe deeply-it will remind you of your healthy heart and core.
<3

[ckelley116]

Thank you yeah I’m not too impressed with his bedside manner. I’m sure he knows his stuff but seriously, how hard is it to think before you speak?

The rheumatologist did put me on the waiting list so I’ll be getting a call if someone else cancels. The bugger is that I’m a new patient so I get that special “new patient” appointment and I’m not sure how likely it is that someone will. I just want to put all this behind me so I can get into treating my real illness. But with my foot still popping this morning...ugh. It feels like it’s going to be impossible to get past either of them.

[ckelley116]

Day 3 of a popping tendon or joint in the ball of my left foot, just below the third and fourth toes It's not getting worse but it's not getting better. I find myself tapping my foot against the floor (when I'm standing), the footrest when I'm driving, and my desk chair (at work) to see if it's still happening. It is. And that constant checking is not helping my mental state. I keep trying to tell myself it could be a whole host of things, from the way I sit to my shoes, but nothing will stick. My left wrist aches a little, too. I wish I'd never read anything about my tendon issues so I'd have no idea how they all could fit together.

On the bright side, I ordered a book on CBT from Amazon yesterday and it's shipped already. So at least I can try to start getting that under control. Once all this RA crap is behind me I'm going to get seriously into therapy. I'm getting too old for this stuff.