Capillaroscopy: hemorrhages on six fingers but "totally normal picture"

[Patricia2015]

Dear all,

Yesterday I had the capillairoscopy, the vascular assistant “scanned” four fingers on each hand (not the thumbs) with 100x enlargement and two fingers on each hand (only little fingers and ring fingers) with 300x enlargement. They asked if I am left or right handed. I’m right handed.

The person who scanned my nailfolds said I have a lot of hemorrhages.

Today I received the testresult from the doctor of internal medicine who looked at the pictures. He literally wrote down three words in the two paged capillairoscopy result form: “totally normal picture”. And he checked the box hemorrhages but didn’t put down one word as explanation. He sent this form (not the pictures) to the hospital where I’m treated.

I looked at the pictures myself and see hemorrhages on six fingers: on the middle, ring and little fingers on both hands. Hereby a picture of my ring finger of my left hand.

I have sent the pictures to my hospital.

I’m hugely disappointed in the test result this internist concluded.

Firstly because it is, in my opinion, not normal to have so many hemorrhages that spontaneously arise on six of my 10 fingers and certainly not normal regarding all my medical issues so far. Secondly because this internist should be ashamed of daring to report three words and check one box without any explanation.

Coming Monday I will have the appointment with the specialist (doctor to be) and I’m so afraid they will just say nothing is wrong with me based on what this internist in a different hospital said….

[PMRpro]

If the test was done and showed a result that was what is found in the vast majority of healthy patients then the reporting doctor cannot make up a report that says anything different. Had there been abnormalities then the large form would have been filled with the findings and how they differed from normal. He did a specific observation on the capillary bed, it was normal.

Just because a test is normal it does not mean you have nothing wrong with you - it usually means they can rule out specific possibilities that were an option before. For example, having a negative rheumatoid factor does NOT mean you don't have an arthritis, just as having a positive one doesn't always mean you do. It is part of a bigger picture and each is a piece of a jigsaw that narrows down the options as to what it may be you have.