Thumbs
Do they feel as tho they are dislocating I have pain in mine and they are deformed going under my hands feels like a boil sometimes went to the doctor he just pressed them and said OA I have been diagnosed RA 30 years but he won't reconsise this as I changed Doctor in another area can you let me know if anyone else has this feeling in there thumbs
I think it may well be OA as it's in the base of your thumbs. I just had a hand flare up and my thumb swelled and played fractured in the joint in the middle - could have been OA but I think by the kind of pain it was RA but I have both in my hands and elsewhere probably. One doesn't exclude the other though and OA can still create deformity but differently so and with different joints too.
Have you been taking RA drugs and do you have a rheumatologist currently? Rather than asking about specific pain - which does sound like OA to me actually - you might want to ask they GP to refer you as you have an existing diagnosis and want to know if it's gone away or not? He can't dispute a diagnosis of RA if it was made by a consultant rheumatologist 30 years ago as it's on your records presumably. Hope this helps
Thank you the thumb advise is not the only problem its fingers wrist elbow shoulders knees hips at present on the move my hips feel like they are going to dislocate as for a Doctor well what can I say tried to ask him about the state of notes and got no where so gave up but thank you for your advise also my RA is inside lungs bowel leg vein but I am not worried but I will go and see if I can get an xray so if its OA they can treat it
In that case you should certainly be re-referred to a rheumatologist by your GP. Hips are more likely to be OA too, but maybe not after 30 years, and if it is then it sounds aggressive and needs your GP to be more sympathetic whatever type of arthritis it is. It's not up to him to decide what's wrong anyhow as you already have a diagnosis and it's obviously affecting other parts that are serious and need monitoring. So whatever happens you need to really confront your GP or try to find another I would say. Tilda x
I remember you said that your GP had never read your notes from 30 years ago, so did you manage to see another GP? But even if it is osteoarthritis, which can be VERY painful and can cause lots of deformity, the doctor should still listen to you properly and talk about the best pain relief. Perhaps you need to ask straight out to be referred to a specialist rheumatologist to get it checked out, or ask the GP to do blood tests for rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP to make sure that it's not rheumatoid arthritis. Good luck. Polly
thank you for your answer my doctor has already told me that the PTA where Ilive will not authorise the blood test that will show the RA factor as it cost to much also told me even if I have the RA unless its really flared a normal blood test will not show it ah well what can we do but I do manage to live with it and he will give me painkiller its so nice to be able to in load as the frustation builds and writing this way helps with so many helpfull answers
There is a company online called "bloodtestsonline" who will do a private test for £59.00 + £39.95 for the hospital who draw blood. You can choose places local to you where you can have blood drawn. I don't know why your doctor is saying it's expensive though, I didn't think it was particullarly costly. It's not good when we have to go privately to try & sort our health out when we have paid into the system for years.
Does RA exist in the hips?
Has anyone had blood tests for RA and trey have been normal.
RA and fibromyalgia 
Pins and needles in hands?
RA so they say.
