Is this a Diagnosis at last or not

shandy4greenday

I have been trying to get my doctor to diagnose me with Arthritis for a while now he has never said if I have it or not blood test came back clear still got lots of pains in my hands and swelling.I have been prescribed napraxen one other doctor has said she thinks it is Arthritis and I have just been talking to another doctor to see if I need more Napraxen as it has been helping even though the swelling still there and pain in joints especially with lifting things ,and he informs me even though the blood test came back clear it does not mean I don't have Ostiarthritis it only shows if you have Rhumatoid Arthritis so would you say this is a diagnosis or not still?

constable

Hi there,

I am sorry you are having these problems at the mo. Glad that you have found something that helps with the pain. Have you not been offered xrays, thats how my doctor found out that I had OA. Worth a try the next visit to ask for xrays to be done.

Keep us informed as to how you get on wont you. It is horrible when you dont exactly have a clear diagnosis isn't it.

shandy4greenday

Thankyou I have been thinking about changing my doc if I don't get any proper help but hoping to use it as a last resort as location is good for me but my health is more important,that was mentioned to me before from another user as it's in my hands I use them at work all the time and have to work quick with them and at times its very hard and painful so I just want that diagnosis so at least I can get on with it and accept it as this is all new to me and sometimes I feel like all I am doing is complaining about it and they get fed up with hearing it.

listy

Hi there,
obviously I don't know all the details but to my mind your doctor (GP?) seems to be doing quite a good job. Sometimes people are told that they have 'wear and tear' arthritis, osteoarthritis in other words, and no further investigations are done. In your case it does sound like your doctor is considering other possibilities which means more waiting for a diagnosis but could be for the best in the longer term.
As for the blood test, well they probably tested quite a few things. I don't know for certain whether osteoarthritis shows up in blood tests or not but I've always thought it didn't. I think the question you've posed here is one you need to ask the doctor. If I was you I'd ask them straight: "have I got a diagnosis of Osteoarthritis or are you keeping an open mind?" And if they are thinking it might be something else you could then push for more investigations and/or referral to a consultant of some kind if that's not happened already.
Glad to here that Naproxen helps, I have inflammatory arthritis (they are not sure whether it's Psoriatic Arthritis or Rheumatoid Arthritis) and I find that Naproxen helps a lot too.
Good luck with trying to get an angle on this.

dreamdaisy

Hello Shandy4greenday, it's lovely to see you 'over here'! People scatter the word 'arthritis' like confetti without considering which one they are talking about. There are bascially two sorts, osteo and all the others (which are the auto-immune versions). Osteo is usually straightforward to diagnose (Xrays are the usual route) whereas the other sorts begin with blood tests (which can be misleading). It took five years or so for my inflammatory arthritis to be 'diagnosed' as that, after a further four years the correct label was attached but that changed nothing in terms of treatment. I now have OA in my knees and ankles, diagnosed by Xray in April 2011.

Each and every one of us is different in how we began our individual versions of this but we all began with a GP as our first point of call. The fact that the Naproxen is helping should clue in your GP that arthritis is the problem but both sorts (OA and the others) use anti-inflammatories as a form of treatment. Keep talking to the doctors, we usually recommend keeping a diary of your symptoms and things that help or aggravate as that will give them another tool to help with diagnosis. I wish you well and please keep in touch to let us know how you are getting on. DD

Nicchick

Grrrr!

Why do x-rays play such a prominent part in the diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis? By the time there is evidence in x-rays the damage has occurred! A simple follow on blood test for anti-ccp after a negative rhuematoid factor test (not very accurate) would mean earlier diagnosis and treatment!

By the time x-rays show damage it is too late - I speak as one who knows! If the anti-ccp had been done 3 years ago I wouldn't be a cripple now....

Nx

shandy4greenday

Why are so many doctors taking so long to diagnose people, I know they have to be careful they don't give a wrong diagnosis but I hear of so many taking 5 years + to be diagnosed ,my hands are constantly swollen Napraxen helps a little with the pain but not completely and the swelling it seems is never gonna go, the best I have is Osteoarthritis I think it is time for an xray to see what is going on does Osteoarthritis give you constant swelling as it's been like this for months now.

barbara12

Hi Shandy
You have some good advice off the others , we do have so many on here that struggle with there GPs...I do wish you well with everything xx

hileena111

Hi there
My GP wouldnt listen to me at first....I didnt even think arthritis. Just knew that i had pain my hips. Everytime i went he basically said there was nothing wrong but put me on paracetamol anyway.
One day I sat in his surgery and asked for a referral to the hospital.....I sat there until he agreed.
Got a referral to the hospital, saw the orthopaedic surgeon who said go for an x ray then come back. I got back to his room after having the x ray and he said "you need 2 new hips"!!!!!! I was "gobsmacked"
Try asking for a referral to the hospital and see what happens.
Love
Hileena

ShulaArcher

Hello

I do sympathise with you, particularly as I also have very painful hands. My diagnosis came only after X Ray. I would agree with the advice that you need to persist with your GP, especially explaining how the pain affects your daily life.

All the best
Shula

shandy4greenday

Thankyou everyone you have all been very helpful and I am grateful to everyone for the help I will request xrays and even seeing a rhumatolagist if neccessary I have to go back now anyway as I have only been subscribed 2 weeks of Lansoprazole yet a month supply of Napraxen rather silly when they have to be taken before the Napraxen so I am gonna be adamant that I want xrays or referal.