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Waiting for test results, but in the meantime....

Posted , 6 users are following.

han75
han75

Hi all

I'm new to the forum and just wanted some opinons etc!

I'm 39 and for the last 10 months or so i've had hip pain,which has been getting progressively  worse. I went to the doctors about it a couple of months ago as it effects my sleep, woke me up with the pain when i tried to change positions. I was sent for physio but after complete rest from exercise there was no improvement and physio referred me bk to gp, where i had blood tests. gp rang to say my esf ( i think) was raised so referred me to rheumatology. To cut it short i had xray of hip which was inconclusive so had mri yest, won't get results until 16th when i go back to clinic.

I at first i thought there was no way it was RA but now not so sure..

I have in the last couple of months had what i can describe as an attack on my body! it feels like a virus/flu aches and pains throughout. But it kinda travels from one area to another if that makes sense.

I have really stiff ankles and achy wrists & elbows really ache when im holding my phone or sleeping with arms bent. my right knee hurts, right hip,which at times is really painful. upper back along the spine bone. shooting pains in fingers  and arms sometimes. it varies as to how bad though and it isnt symmetrical, my right side is far worse then the left. I am really tired but then i don;t sleep well because of it all!

Does it sound likely? i actually feel like i'm going mad with it all, i hate to complain when people have things far worse but it's really effecting me. I can't do my exercise classes as i feel like my limbs are made out of  wooden blocks!

Thanks in advance wink

2 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • dawn11045
    dawn11045 han75

    Posted

    Hi

    This is my first time on Forum. I'm  trying to help my sister. She suffers with TN.

    I was just reading about your pain. Strange..my middle finger started getting stuck in a C position. It would wake me up & it would feel like it was broke. Doc. said it was trigger finger.  Really I though she was joking.Then went to my whole right hand. Then to my left hand. My feet. My legs. Now my neck. this started about six months ago. My dr is doing test & now  and has me going to ra Dr.

    I don't believe it is RA. I think its stress. I can only sleep 3 hours and when my body starts to relax or I guess going into the deep sleep, I wake up. This happens

    no matter what time I go to bed. In exactly 3 hours I'm awake.

    Stay in touch. I hope they can help you.

    Been up all night.

     

  • poemsgalore55
    poemsgalore55 han75

    Posted

    Hello han75,

    It's difficult to know for sure if it is RA or not, The typical symptoms of RA are in the hands, wrists, feet and ankles. The hip is not usually one of the first joints to be affected. However, the symptoms in your other joints do point to the possibility of it being RA. The blood test you refer to is Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) which is one of the tests for inflammation. There are other tests you could have such as for Rheumatoid Factor, but this isn't always present. I myself have sero negative RA (no Rheumatoid Factor). Also CRP (C-reactive Protein) which is another inflammatory marker. I hope you don't have too long to wait for your rheumatology appointment, because if it is RA, the sooner you start treatment the less likely you are to have joint damage. In the meantime, perhaps you should concentrate on walking or swimming and possibly cycling, because if you put too much stress on your joints whilst they are hot and painful, you could cause injury. 

  • maryann62350
    maryann62350 han75

    Posted

    Hi Hans,

    I just want to tell you that I have had RA for the last 6 mos.  My symptoms are very symilar to yours. I get fatigued very easily and I have a hard time dealing with the summer heat.  I am on meds and it has helped since the way I felt before meds.  So meds will help, but I still have aches & pains usually every day.  Good Luck to You!

  • linda1947
    linda1947 han75

    Posted

    Hi han75.

    It certainly sounds like RA but don't get too anxious about it. There are a number of other things it could be. Even if it is RA it's not the end of the world.  I was diagnosed eight years ago and I couldn't believe it.  The worst thing I had ever had was a cold. 

    But the consultants do their job well and will work with you in finding a medication that is right for you.  Don't expect it to work overnight. Any medication for RA usually takes up to twelve weeks to work and even then may need refinement. I am now relatively pain free but it took six years to get to this point.  But at no point was I left in pain. As I said before, rheumatologists do their job well and will work with you to get you back to fitness.

     

    • jane4469
      jane4469 linda1947

      Posted

      Thank you for teh positivity. I am worried and this helps
  • han75
    han75

    Posted

    Thank you for your replies and advice etc.

    To update,i have felt awful over the last few days,my hands,wrist, elbows..well pretty much everything are so painful, i've had no sleep and it's starting to get to me now!

    I had to phone work and ask for the day off because i just knew i couldn't do it. Hard to explain what the problem is when i don't know myself. Really hoping i get some sleep tonight as i have to go in tomorrow.

    I still have 2 wks before my apt at hospital... i hopei'm not like this the whole time

    sorry to sound doom and gloom...

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