Do I have ra

Rickyw

Hi all just came accross this forum whilst looking up arthritis on google.
I'm just after a bit of help and advice as my doctor believes I have ra and the way I've felt over the last month something isn't right and I just need some answers.
Here is what's been going on.........
I'm a big lad and always have been lol,and have always had problems with my knees clicking and aching but last December they got a lot worse,I kept thinking my legs were just going to give way,also had a bit of swelling and lots of aches and so on.went to doctors and he said I may have arthritis in my knees.
He gave me some anti in's and all seemed to settle down and I got back to work.
After returning back to work after Christmas I started to feel pain in my right shoulder.this went on for a week were the ache's and pains got worse,then over the next weekend my left shoulder done the same so I went strait to the doctors.
He sent me for blood test,they came back not positive for ra so he gave me a few meds to ease the pain And said to come back the following week to update him.witch is what I did and he sent me for exrays which we are waiting for,he says to see if it's ra.as he now believes it is.
All I can say is I feel like something in my body has changed,most of my joints are clicking,Im getting aches and all sorts of niggle pains,my elbows have just started to feel numb,there is so many things that I've never had in my life all within 8weeks or so.
My question is,is this realy happening!!do I have ra.

Would realy appritiate your comments.

Rickyw

There are a few things I forgot to add that are happening,I've lost my appetite and lost a lot of wait.keep getting cramping feelings through my toes.and keep feeling verry tyred all of a sodden.and today has been strange as I have dropped a few things.

LignumVitae

Hi Ricky
Welcome to the forum. I'm afraid we can't give you a diagnosis as we are all patients and arthritis can take many forms and have many symptoms!

It sounds like your doctor is trying their best which is very important. It would probably help them (and maybe you) if you kept a diary of your symptoms recording things like what hurts, when it hurts most (morning/night/ before or after exercise). Any stiffness, soreness or swelling in joints and other things like that. Also consider recording what makes things better and what makes things worse. If nothing else, having those things recorded help you to answer the many questions medics often have and u dear stand what changes are occurring.

I'm sorry I can't give you a definite answer, your body doing unexpected things can be very frightening, I understand how you must be feeling. We are all here to offer support to each other so please let us know how things go with you so we can offer that to you too. What meds have you been given and have you been referred to a rheumatologist? They tend to be the best people to offer you a diagnosis.

Hope that helps you a bit,
LV

dreamdaisy

Hello Rickyw, it's nice to meet you. As LV said we're not doctors and therefore cannot diagnose but we do know our stuff about this malarkey and she's spot on with her comments about the diary and being referred. Has your GP mentioned referring you to a rheumatologist? They are the ones who deal with an auto-immune arthritis such as RA, GPs are the ones who deal with osteo-arthritis (which is not the same). I have a creaky foot in both camps! I think a referral would be a good idea so please ask your GP to do just that. GPs know a little about a lot, rheumos know a lot about a little The appointment may take some time to come through but it is a sensible next step for both you and your GP. I wish you well. DD

Rickyw

Thanks for the replys pep's.
On Friday my doctor said he was refuring me to the rheumatologist strait away.
Thanks for the advice,I'm going to do a diary as I can see it could help a lot as lots of things are going on.
When I wrote the first post I didn't mean that I needed someone to give me a diagnosis online lol!(after reading it,it looks like it lol),just feel a bit head batter'd ATM and trying to get answers,as I've been signed of work and looks like it could be for quiet a while as I'm Ta carpenter,and it seems anytime I do work,walking pick things up I get problems.

Rickyw

The doctor gave me some naproxen 500mg to take,this was 2 weeks ago but I didn't feel right on them and had heart preparations so stopped taking them.
No he has given me co codamol piroxicam and amitriptyline witch I believe are anti depressant tabs,but I don't feel depressed!are these to help me sleep? As I'm having bad nights being comfortable.
My doctor should have results from the exrays tomorrow,so will let you no the results.

Thanks again.

elnafinn

Hi Rick,

Piroxicam is an anti inflammatory drug and amitriptyline has many uses. In high dosages it is an anti depressant but in much lower dosages it calms/slows the body down and aids sleep. Lots of us on the forum are or have been p rescribed this drug to aid sleep. It is also prescribed for diarrhea and migraines. Cocodamols help with pain relief.

I hope you get the results of your xrays tomorrow so that you can move forward with getting a firm diagnosis.

Elna x

Rickyw

Thanks elba,I haven't taken the amytrip's yet as I had a bad time quiet a few yrs back and was on venlafaxine,so didn't want to take them as I learnt to deal with depression and don't suffer,well not yet anyway.
If they will help me sleep then Ill give them ago,just don't want to get back taking anti d's.

elnafinn

Hi again Ricky

What strength Amitriptyline were you prescribed? I started off on 10mg and went up to 25mg and this was to slow my body down as I was suffering from diarrhea. I took this med for one year and it solved the diarrhea problem for me. It is also prescribed for depression but would be a higher dosage than 25mg.

Elna x

constable

Hi there Ricky

Just wanted to say, welcome to the forum. You have found a marvelous place where you will find comfort. Did you take the amy's last night and did they work. I hope so. And, let us know about the results wont you.

barbara12

Hi Rickyw

And a warm welcome from me
I have OA but have had the blood test on a regular basis to see if anything else shows up...there were slightly raised levels of something ...forget what it was called...but at the min the bloods are ok.
Its is so complex to determine what type of arthritis we have...has for the pains in the shoulders..I have one that keeps me awake and the others is not happy being left out, I think that x rays will show up if there is any damage or inflammation.
I suppose your GP is doing all the right things for you....this in itself is good...some people have such a battle with them.
Please let us know how you get on with it all.

stickywicket

Hello from me too, rickyw. I've had RA for over 50 years. As the others have said, we can't do diagnoses: all we can say is it might be. Your GP is doing all the right things and, if it is RA, a rheumatologist will get you on the right medication as soon as possible. Meanwhile it's the dreaded waiting game.

The others have given you some good tips so I won't duplicate them. If you've any particularly swollen joints a photo might help as we usually find that one look at a rheumatologist and all swellings etc disappear

I try to keep pain meds to a minimum as I find they pack a bigger punch that way when needed. However, at times I do whatever I have to do. I also try hard to stick to a routine - no kipping during the day - as, for me, that means I'm more likely to sleep at night. If I still can't sleep at night I brew myself a cuppa and, time lapses permitting, take some more pain relief.

I hope you get some answers soon.

Rickyw

10 mg amytrip's.didnt take any last night but will start tonight.
One strange thing that I have this morning is my calf muscles are herting,feel like I have just ran a few miles.is this normal?
I'm not the sort of person that likes to just do nothing,normaly verry active and can't stand just sitting Arround,but ATM anything I do seems to make things worse.
I have red that a lot of people get this later on in life,but I am only 34.

Just like to say thanks to all for the warm welcom to this forum.seems a nice place to be.

Rickyw

There is one thing I would like to ask you all,can things realy happen this quickly,I'm finding it realy difficult to understand how quickly this has happend,I would have thought things would get worse over a long period of time,not 2 months.

constable

Things can progress quickly once diagnosed. Even OA can spread quick. Maybe it's just that now you know something is amiss you are starting to realise there are problems elsewhere, Dont panick, we are all the same. We tend to go in denial.

Rickyw

Went to doctors yesterday for X-ray results.definate arthritis in my knees but didn't show in my shoulders.
Been referred to rhuematogist ASAP as he no's the symptoms im having,and could see the swelling Arround shoulders.

tkachev

Rickyw wrote:

10 mg amytrip's.didnt take any last night but will start tonight.
One strange thing that I have this morning is my calf muscles are herting,feel like I have just ran a few miles.is this normal?
I'm not the sort of person that likes to just do nothing,normaly verry active and can't stand just sitting Arround,but ATM anything I do seems to make things worse.
I have red that a lot of people get this later on in life,but I am only 34.

Just like to say thanks to all for the warm welcom to this forum.seems a nice place to be.

Welcome Ricky,
The calf muscle pain was my earliest symptom of R.A. I was 36 and the pain come on really quickly, really within days for me. It is good that you are being monitored and diagnosed so quickly as any medication will help prevent damage.

Good luck
Elizabeth

stickywicket

With some people things happen quickly: with others, more slowly. We are, as we keep saying on here, all different. It's good that you'll be seeing a rheumatologist, hopefully soon.