Multiple joint pain and stiffness blood tests normal
Posted , 9 users are following.
Wondered if anyone experience of the same. For last year i have had pain and stiffness in hands,fingers wake in the night and they are clenched and painful to straighten. joint pain and stiffness also in elbows knees,hips and shoulders. Have had blood tests done and xray on hands all have came back normal. The only thing that came up 6 months ago was vit D deficiency after taking supplements since then this is now normal but still the same joint wise. All Dr has said is wear and tear arthritis and to just take pain killers and exercise this was on e telephone appointment got the feeling i was being fobbed off with this especially in multiple joints all coming down with wear and tear at same time! I am 52 and seems odd that this would happen to as many joints at same time. thanks in advance for any replies.
0 likes, 7 replies
linda83225 tina02840
Posted
Doesn't sound right to me. I would try to get a face to face appointment perhaps with a different doctor. Or try your pharmacist if there's one near by - we are always being told to consult them! Or even 111 who are supposed to give advice. Osteoarthritis can appear anywhere as you age if you are prone to it but I've never heard of it occurring suddenly in lots of joints at the same time. Rheumatoid arthritis usually cause joint swelling and the marker does not always show up in blood tests. (My sister has RA and I have OA. but there are other joint problems). You could also try Versus Arthritis which is the new name for Arthritis research. they have a help line and perhaps would be the best people to try first. Good luck.
TKM tina02840
Posted
Tina,
I used to have pain and tightness in my hand joints, for many years. I also had the trigger finger in a couple of fingers. When I wash my hands I started shaking the water off my hands by whipping them into the sink, partly to keep the towels from getting wet and dirty too fast. Since I started doing this 2 years ago I don't have the pain or tightness in my hands any more. I wash my hands six times per day due to using catheters for my enlarged prostate urinary problems, plus washing for other reasons. I don't know for sure if the shaking of the hands is the reason, the other possibility could be that I am emptying the bladder completely , and not carrying old urine too long, which can affect the kidneys. In your case it sounds like other joints are affected, so it may not help, but I thought I would pass it on.
Thomas
amkoffee tina02840
Posted
*It is so frustrating when a doctor dismisses us because we don't fit neatly into their idea of a disease. As someone else said, the RA blood test is not 100% accurate. My rheumatologist told me it's wrong about 25% of the time. That's a pretty big number. One way to determine if that's what you have would be to take one of the prescription RA meds. In the US there is Humira and Enbrel as well as others. They are called biologic drugs. You could ask to try one of these. Or you could ask to try a steroid. It works great for inflammation which causes pain.
amkoffee tina02840
Posted
*It is so frustrating when a doctor dismisses us because we don't fit neatly into their idea of a disease. As someone else said, the RA blood test is not 100% accurate. My rheumatologist told me it's wrong about 25% of the time. That's a pretty big number. One way to determine if that's what you have would be to take one of the prescription RA meds. In the US there is Humira and Enbrel as well as others. They are called biologic drugs. You could ask to try one of these. Or you could ask to try a steroid. It works great for inflammation which causes pain.
Gloria814 tina02840
Posted
You need to see another doctor or be seen in person. I have RA but no swelling of any joints and the blood test was negative for RAXrays did show bone erosions so that is how I was diagnosed.I would try to see a different doctor. Best wishes, I hope you can get some answers and proper treatment
Anhaga tina02840
Posted
The doctor I had when I was becoming increasingly stiff and in pain "all over" assumed, as did I , that my pre-existing osteoarthritis was getting worse. It took a new doctor to correctly diagnose me with Polymyalgia Rheumatica.
Push for a proper diagnosis. Many conditions are more easily treated than osteoarthrits.
By the way, nsaids interfere with cartilage regeneration so really should not be used for OA. If your pain is so widespread such that you need a painkiller it may not be OA at all.
helen01355 tina02840
Edited
Hi Tina!
I have exactly the same - your post shocked me because of the similarity. I'm sorry you are going through this too.
I'm a similar age, in my late 40's.A few years ago most of my joints started to get stiff and ache. Joints affected are both hands, elbows, wrists, all toes, left hip and left ankle. I think my upper back is also slightly affected and my collar bone a bit too. It's very gradually getting worse.
All of my blood tests came back negative too and I never have any swelling. I'm also told it's osteoarthritis. I've had xrays done on my hands and they showed very mild osteoarthritis. I also had an ultrasound on my hands which showed no damage to my joints at all. I don't believe it can be wear and tear, it makes no sense. How can all of my joints be affected at once over a short period of time. Doctors are also fobbing me off because I don't tick all of the boxes for inflammatory arthritis.
I've rang my doctor this morning to get a second opinion and hopefully an MRI. I would like to know what's going on once and for all.
I know this is a late reply but wondered if you got any answers?
Feel free to get in touch
Helen