"It's just tendinitis" for the past few years?

[jcrawford]

Dumb question, but could tendinitis really last about 3 years straight with very minimal hand use, braces and cause almost symmetrical lumps/deformities?

My RA Factor and Seronegative stuff all came back negative and the lumps aren't ganglion cysts. I don't know what else to do besides to stop using my hands altogether, which is impossible, but I cannot limit my hand use any more than I already am and I highly doubt my least-dominant hand would experience almost symmetrical symptoms as that of my dominant hand.

My doctors aren't willing to do testing or send me anywhere unless I know what's wrong with me, know what to test for and how to test it and find the specialists myself. I figured that it was the doctor's job to diagnose, research the tests and have a list of specialists to refer the patient to, but what do I know?

I am getting very impatient with this because I have checked everywhere in my state for specialists, googled everything I can, and my hands are getting to where it's affecting my work and nobody seems to care that I may hurt myself or my in-home care client. I can only limit my hand use to much--I've already given up my hobbies and I can't use a knife and fork half the time.

[deejames]

Have you tried physo ? It sounds like you are not in the UK so the system here is very different.

Dee

[Hidden]

Oh I'm so sorry you are having a hard time. It is very frusterating searching for answers when you are in such pain.

Seropositive is a term used when your blood work shows the RF in your blood. Seronegative is a term used when your blood work shows normall, but you have RA.

My advice to you is to keep going for that 2nd,3rd,4th etc opinion. It took me 4 doctors to get my diagnosis.

Take care

Sue