New to this pain....update.

[Cat111]

So yesterday was my first appointment with a rhumatolagist

It was very emotional with tears and anger and as you can guess they have no diagnosis yet.

It's obviously not gout she said but here is 3 weeks worth of treatment to trial. She dosnt think it lupus either but not straight forward RA either. So I've had more bloods and lot of X-rays done.

Thankfully got my first steroid injection so hopefully in the mean time while they investigate this will help.

I actually got a good stretch of sleep last night I think just pure relief that I've actually seen someone and they believe me.

[Jacki08]

Hi-- so glad you are now in the system and on the way forward. The hardest part for me was getting someone to believe my symptoms, in a strange way it's a relief knowing that you have got ""something"" , if that makes sense!! My RA was hard to diagnose because my blood results were normal but once I had been given a steroid injection and started the medication I started to feel better. I was really scared at first about what was going to happen to my body , but even though I was only diagnosed in September this year, I feel a lot easier about the disease after reading positive reports from people on here. Just keep pestering your consultant for answers x

[Cat111 in reply to Jacki08]

Thank you x

[Hidden]

Feeling believed is a really big plus I know. You aren't alone in facing uncertainty regarding diagnosis. I was diagnosed with RA only after 9 long months of to-ing and fro-ing to my GP and steroids masking my symptoms in the run up to first rheumy appointment so I had to wait another four months until diagnosis and starting Methotrexate this time three years ago. Mine seems to be a very deviant type of RA indeed and I keep up with the Lupus UK HU as well because I have much in common with many Lupus sufferers although I'm reliably informed that mine isn't Lupus.

On the plus side I haven't sustained any damage to the joints yet although I'm unusually drug intolerant so struggle as much to find something my body won't reject. And my autoimmunity has moved sideways for the time being so am now seeing a neurologist as well as a rheumatologist and feel back to square one again three years later - now awaiting neuro tests to be done now with a new consultant to add to the mix.

I always worry that doctors will think it's all in my head but so far they don't. Even though this means it's real and I will need to keep trying further drugs - I still feel it's preferable to not being believed somehow. It's a battle and a half I know but learning as much as you can and trying to keep up with exercise and as healthy a diet as possible is the way I've got through it all to date. Take care and nice to see you and your son in happy smiling picture too (although rotating might be a good idea!). Twitchy x