My appointment with the consultant today

crabby85

Hi again.

As some of you know i saw the consultant today. To cut a long story short he thinks i have the beginnings of Rheumatoid Arthritis in my wrists and knuckles and he mentioned something about my achilles tendon, too. I guess i am feeling shocked. I didnt think i had any swelling but he said he can feel the swelling in my wrists and knuckles. I have pains in other joints but he said these were the only places he could see/feel 'markers'.

He gave me a steroid injection in my buttock (still hurting now, 5 hours later!!) but says this should give me substantial relief. I see him again in 4 weeks to discuss what happens next.

I dont know anything about RA, really. I never thought he'd say it was that purely because i thought i'd have visibly swollen joints. I dont know what to think, really.

Just thought i'd update you guys. x

Kittkat

hey
Hope you get some relief asap. I have arthritis without obvious swelling. Still got damage though.

dreamdaisy

RA is a devious disease, mind you I reckon that all forms of auto-immune arthritis (there are around 200) fit into that category. It presents itself as it sees fit and if it doesn't meet the mere human expectations of what it is (and what it does) then so be it. Take comfort in the fact that you have seen someone and will be seeing him again soon, try not to place too much faith in the steroid injection because sometimes they won't do what is promised on the tin - as he said it 'should' so I hope it does. DD

Mat48

The shock and disbelief go quite deep for a long time for some of us and it is really hard to take in at the beginning - takes a big leap of trust in the consultants. You just have to keep reminding yourself that they see people with these conditions day in day out and are very experienced at diagnosing or dismissing. Good luck with everything. Mat x

dreamdaisy

Hello, how are you feeling now? I hope that the steroid shot has had an effect for the better and given you some relief, no matter how temporary. DD

bubbadog

How are you feeling today? it does knock the stuffing out of you when you get a diagnosis you weren't expecting. It takes time to sink in. But once you've taken it all in you can start getting on with life. Hope your pain has eased.

barbara12

Hello crabby
Of course you are in shock, we go along to these appointments not knowing what to expect...sorry I cant be of any help but I am sure the others have given you good advice...I do wish you well with what ever treatment they give you..and hope the steroid jab brings you some relief.x

crabby85

I'm feeling pretty much the same as always. So far the steroid hasn't helped - don't know if its worth holding out any more hope now! x

dreamdaisy

Steroids are temperamental beasts, sometimes they do their thing and sometimes they don't. I've had one which helped (that was into an OA-affected ankle) but that was many moons ago. You still have time for it to kick in however, so let's wait and see, yes? DD

fortuna

Do hope it will do some good even if a bit delayed. I was in shock for a little while but things moved fairly quickly and somehow I have begun to accept it.
Good luck Fortuna