My journey continues had a scan and they could not find any inflammation, all my bloods are negative, pain in my wrist, elbows, shoulders and ankles eased off but my knees are painful and my throat still hurts. Will RA still show on ultrasound if pain goes from wrist and hands.
Presently can just about walk up the stairs and my feet still hurt, all I want is a a diagnosis.
That is so hard when doctors can’t find anything. Do you know what blood tests they did? But generally if you have had inflamed joints this will show up on ultrasound even if it is past the worst.
I know you didn’t agree with my reply to your first post, but I think that this further supports the case that whatever is going on, it’s unlikely to be inflammatory arthritis. An ultrasound of my hand confirmed the arthritis inflammation you could see with my fingers being swollen and very painful, but also found inflammation in my wrist that was neither sore, stiff or visibly altered in any way: ultrasound is used precisely because it can pick up these things prior to any outward sign or when symptoms are starting to settle. With the usual caveat that I’m not remotely medically qualified, the fact that the pain has gone would also make me suspect of OA being the underlying problem, but I wonder if what you’ve been experiencing is either a viral arthritis, or joint pain associated with an acute phase of something viral, particular with the ongoing sore throat. If you had something more widespread and autoimmune in origin, my understanding is you would normally expect to see some indication of that in the blood work.
Hi Charlie I am hoping it is not RA but why would all my previous silent joints be clicking, I have lost over a stone in a month, waist was a tight 38 now a lose 36 and my left knee gets hot if I walk up the stairs and my right ackes.
I have had Sero+ RA for20+ years& also have OA in hands & wrists...but I have never had clicking joints anywhere...so don’t think that is a definitive sign for RA.
Hi My doctor is starting to be more helpful but does not know what is wrong with me, my days are now just sitting down, resting as my knee is painful. Hopefully this Saturday I am seeing a private consultant, but will probably ask for lots of scans etc that will max out my credit card but not bothered if I can get part of my old life back. All I know now is pain and anxiety.
Good move Ivor....It is so frustrating when your GPs won’t help.
At 55 I was told by my GP “at your age you must expect aches and pains ....take an aspirin”.
Luckily I did as you are doing.....saw a rheumatologist privately......& although It has been a long, interesting and sometimes very difficult journey ...I’m still here to tell the tale nearly 25 years later.
I’m not about to run a marathon....but tbh....I’m in just as good condition as a lot of my friends of a similar age....who do not have RA.
So write down all your questions...& I hope the rheumy you are seeing on Saturday sorts things out.
When my hands We're painful at first and pins and needles I saw a private rheumatologist and she said definitely arthritis not RA. Hope the consultant I am seeing knows his stuff
Did she mean Osteo arthritis? That is not an auto immune disease.....Rheumatoid Arthritis is.
Both are chronic conditions...but require different drugs & treatment. Your new rheumatologist will hopefully be more precise...if he/she is not...ASK ....is it either or something else?
You say your knee/s are particularly troublesome....tell your rheumy you livelihood is being affected....what can he suggest you do...Drugs? Surgery? Physio? Don’t leave your consult without an answer. You will probably have to wait for test results...but now you are starting the journey...keep at it.
We have all had to stand our ground at times...but just keep asking what can be done .....to get you back to as close as possible to your old self.
Yes she did diagnose oa and said no need to do all the bloods, X-ray also showed the same on hands and feet. Shortly afterwards got pins and needles, feet felt cold and wet when they were not and then moved to all my joints. throat pain bearable sometimes and other time can hardly talk.
I have experienced the pins & needles..but nothing else you mention....you are definitely doing the right thing to get a second opinion.
I think if you asked everybody here...we would all have a symptom nobody else had experienced.
As I said before..make a full list of your symptoms...when you get them, how long you have had them & how long they last.
I have seropositive RA, diagnosed straight away. Despite severe pain in hands, my ultrasounds were completely fine. The only thing that showed up was a bit of inflammation in my feet when I had an full body bone scan. Despite clear ultrasounds, my consultant didn’t question my diagnosis so...
Hi. I had inflammation/swollen ankles, wrists, elbows but ultrasounds revealed no R.A. Lung and skin biopsy, along with history that my sister has this condition, led my Rheu doc to pursue treatment for sarcoidosis. I’ve been on Prednisone at varying doses for just over a year but, as I’ve developed an optic neuritis in my left eye, I’m now also on Methotrexate since July. Are you definitively diagnosed with RA?
The scans often will show inflammation especially if you were sore that day , so I think you need to make sure when you see the doc they keep trying to find the cause of the pain. Dont let it drop as you do, as you've found out , need to be your own advocate in this game.
Lots and lots of reasons your symptoms above could be showing ,and a sore throat is interesting too. So it's important to pursue treatment and hopefully diagnoses.
Sometimes that can take a while to get your answer and that can be soul destroying. Especially if it turns out to be another auto immune condition. I think keep going back and back , people dont have painful joints and weight loss for nothing so it depends on more examination I'm afraid..... let us know how you get on ?
Hi - It has got to the stage where I am losing heart, my joints are being destroyed, my mobility is being weakened by the day the NHS has a waiting list of 20 weeks for urgent cases, my doctor is being unhelpful. my local MP has provided no help and feel very alone, I will probably lose my manual job and income. I am going to go private if I can still walk to see someone, this is like a bad dream.
Ivor what are they saying has caused the destruction of your joints? They can’t just ignore that fact. I assume you’ve told them of the unintentional weight loss? I would go and see a different doctor if yours is being unhelpful and pursue the private appointment. Let us know how you get on and I hope you get answers soon 🤗
Please keep trying . I just typed a long reply which went missing !!
So many if us tried for years to get diagnosed and treatment. You dont get joint pain and weight loss for nothing so yes... pursue a private appointment with a rheumy.
However it could be many diagnoses. It couldn't come at a worse time for you as waiting lists are long.... so for me , go to whatever Gp is a specialist in musculo skeletal, (they usually have one, )ask for treatment such as good painkillers, anti inflammatories, and get help.
Go armed with a friend, partner and photos of swelling and your pain levels. Tell them you feel they need to tell the rheumy you are urgent ( ours are prioriting now...)
Call the NRAS helpline, number us on nras.org.uk as they were do helpful to me when I was having trouble working.
But keep going , don't back down ,xxx
Have called helpline, called the hospital long wait for appointment, in July I was fit and could walk for miles feel very alone and at a dead end
Well thus is September and you are not. Go with support to your GP and say what you said above and ask if they could speed up your appointment ? Otherwise it actually is a case of hope the gp will give you painkillers and anti inflammatories until you can be seen ir pursue a private appointment. Feel for you , frustrating business x
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