RHEUMY APPOINTMENT GOT SOME ANSWERES

barbara12

Hello all
I had my rheumy appointment the first in 4 years, I have always been told I have OA, but due to other symptoms ie going back to my childhood, the amount of joints included,he thinks has a child I had JIA ,because of the back and leg pain I suffered, and said it would have gone into remission when I was in my mid 20s and then at 30 I joined the gym so that would keep it at bay,till my hip gave in :roll:
Anyhow to cut a very long story short he was lovely and I was in for an hour,he ask all the relevant questions..tested my joints and noticed swelling in my wrist,pitted finger and toe nails.
He has ordered scans of my sacroiliac joint this is very painful, and scans of my spine ,shoulders and feet..not sure what the others were..and all blood have been taken,and nail clippings, he also asked about rashes ie psoriasis, or any that comes with the sun, I said I do when the sun first come out in early summer and it drives me mad..
Thinks that's about it, wait for the scans now so I was wondering what you lot make of it..
Thanks in advance xxxxxx

hileena111

Hi Barbara
I think it sounds a fantastic appointment.
To be told these things you didn't know....things used to be put down to "growing pains" didn't they?
Good luck with all the scans.
You are certainly getting your moneys worth for the NHS {as bad as me}
Love
Hileena

mig

Good appointment Barbara,hope they can sort out treatment to ease things for you.(()) Mig

Boomer13

Hi Barbara;

Sounds like a very good appointment and a relief that you have some answers. I remember how great that felt.

Take care of yourself,
xxAnna

Megrose489

Sounds like an excellent appointment, Barbara. Pleased that you're finally getting some answers.

Meg

barbara12

Thankyou so much Hileena, Mig, Anna, and Meg..it was such a good appointment the ones you wait for and never seem to come, being told I had it in my teens and I am 64 this month is surreal.
To get all the scans done at once will be brilliant and hopefully something can be done about my back,the last time my back was scanned was a couple of years and go and there were a few probs, so hopefully its not gone any worse and its just old age.. love to all of you xxxxxx

stickywicket

I think you've got a good man there, Barbara, and I'm so pleased because you've waited long enough. I'm not surprised your diagnosis might have been missed as a child. I was diagnosed at 15 with Stills Disease. I was told that, if you got RA before 16, it was classified as Stills as more could go wrong. The term JIA never came into it then even though, at 11, I'd been very ill for 3 months with what they termed 'query rheumatic fever'. Much has improved in medicine since then – thank God :roll:

villier

Great appointment Barbara, lets hope you finally get some answers and soon.....................Marie xx

barbara12

Thakyou SW and Marie
SW this is extraordinary, but when I went high school, I would have 11 just like you, I only did 5 months then I missed the rest, I was poorly with something, I rember being in hospital for a week or two, and was put in icealation ward, they thought I had scarlet fever, we never did get to the bottom of it, it all makes sense now...still strange though
Marie yes he was brilliant, when I have had the scans he wants to see me again, to see whats going onwith this lumber..arent we soon pleased...well I am sad or what..but just knowing has helped
Thanks again xx

dreamdaisy

Pitted nails? Hmmmm, that can be one of the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis (mine are OK but there again my PsA has not followed the traditional route). That sounds like a very good appointment and I am pleased that he was so thorough. I hope you hear the results soon - I fear it may not be good news as such but at least you will know what is (and has been) going on. ((( ))) DD

Numptydumpty

Such good news Barbara I'm very pleased you've found someone who listens and acts, at last. He does sound to be very thorough.
Good luck with the scans etc.
Take care,
Numpty

DebbieT

I'm so glad it was such a productive appointment Barbara

Like DD I wondered about PsA due to pitted nails being mentioned & the questions he was asking.
He's certainly being thorough so I'm sure ul get more answers once all of the results are in & hopefully he'll be able to give you a definitive diagnosis then!!

It's fascinating that you've been able to possibly clear up ure childhood illnesses too. It's really impressive how far medicine has come in some instances.

Xxx xxX

barbara12

Thankyou DD and Numpty
DD all the time he was examining me, I was thinking I know what he is looking for , all down to the forum...but I never would have thought anything about my nails, just that they had sought of dents in them, anyhow he was just being thorough..but now I know I might have had this in my teens I feel has though it was all out of my hands and nothing I had done wrong..ie diet and such.. :roll:
Numpty yes he was very good, I saw a rheumy 4 years ago now and he just couldn't have cared less..and he had a trainee in so that helped...now just have to wait for the scans..
Thanks again both of you xx

barbara12

oops sorry Debbie you beat me to it there Thankyou
It feels very surreal to reach nearly 64 and then find this out.. :shock: I remember dreading having to sit on the wooden floor at school and the pews at church... :roll: suppose I will have to wait till all the scans and bloods are done and nail clipping then I will know for sure ..but yes it was a good appointment...
Thanks again x

DebbieT

No apology needed

My nails used to be pretty awful. I'd get psoriasis underneath them so they'd lift right up coz of all the layers, it was very tender & pretty gross really I still get ridges & dots/pits in them but they don't lift now, phew

This forum is fab for becoming a bit more knowledgeable about different types. Not just arthritis either, it's brilliant!!

Like you I've never been able to hack sitting on hard surfaces, assembly was awful!! It sends pulses, a bit like electric shocks, up into my back but I've no idea why or wot the cause is ... I've never thought to ask but it's getting worse, perhaps I ought to ask my gp at least? Ud think I'd have learnt my lesson but I clearly haven't :oops:
I can only imagine the surprise it must have been to hear about the JIA but at least it's made sense of some unexplained & probably quite scary times as a child for you, I hope anyway?!

((((Hugs))))

Xxx xxX

(Sorry for waffling on)

barbara12

Thankyou Debbie and you are not waffling at all,the other thing he asked about was psoriasis..I said we had none in our family has I knew of ..then he said do you get rashes in the sun... :shock: I have to take antihistamines every summer it drives me mad...it was like a jigsaw puzzle...
You make sure you get checked out ..likeI said has a child it was always growing pains...suppose some children today will get the same by GP that cant be bothered... :roll: xx

Boomer13

Hi Barbara;

I thought I had no history of psoriasis in my family either, until I started looking harder. My mum had horrible rashes that weren't like the common types of psoriasis-- not diagnosed for years. Her sister had a sun-sensitive full body rash that she suffered with for years before it was diagnosed. We don't seem to have any of the common types so doctors were consistently baffled. I think nail pitting is a PsA feature. Sorry if it's that but better to know. ((()))

Starburst

Hello Barbara,

So pleased that your rheum was so thorough! He sounds great, perhaps you could share him around. Autoimmune arthritis is like a puzzle and it looks like the pieces are slotting into place with you.

All the best of luck with the scans.
Keep us updated,
Sophie

dachshund

Hello Barbara
i'm pleased you have seen the rheumy it will be nice to know what is causing all your pain. good luck.
when does your son get his results i know you said he had to have more scan's done.
take care
joan xx

barbara12

Thankyou Boomer, Sophie and Joan
Boomer thanks for the input I find that very interesting..I used to use antihistamine for the sun rash but its seems to have got worse, think I will have to have a good look at my family history the trouble is there are not many family left to ask.. :roll:
Sophie if only I could share him round I would.. he was so pleasant and listened very carefully..he has ordered all the scan or maybe one big one,I have said a few time I think this sacroiliac joint is causing me so much pain, even after my THR..
Joan yes I am pleased to be getting some answers, my son had his second scan yesterday and went straight to work..I will let you know how he gets on
Love to all of you xxxxx

dreamdaisy

My mum's big sister had small patches of psoriasis as did my dad, but they cleared up without intervention and were rare occurrences. My dad's younger brother (who lives in Florida) has done the whole PsA thing (he began aged 60 or thereabouts) and now resembles The Singing Detective (aka Dennis Potter). His considerable life savings have been exhausted in paying for treatments.

As we know from reading on here everyone's version of the same arthritis is different, I don't think there are any hard-and-fast rules about what should happen and when, I reckon our bodies pretty much make it up as we go along. :roll: DD

barbara12

DD I learned how complex arthritis was when I joined this forum :shock: but my goodness its get even harder to understand..from what I read about your Psoriasis one I have my fingers crossed its not... :shock: xx

Slosh

Good to hear you were listened to. That makes such a difference. It's amazing how things from childhood can come back to have an effect in later life. I used to teach children who were deaf/blind due to their mothers contracting rubella during pregnancy and they had discoverec that the disease became active again when they hit puberty. Just goes to show why it is important to know your medical history.
Hope you get the right treatments and they help.

barbara12

Thankyou Slosh
We had to dig to get my childhood medical notes ..they are from the 1950s.. :shock: but like I have said I always remember the ache's and pains ..I was fine when I had my first THR 10 months ago , but slowly some of the pain has returned..but most of it is in my back so the hip replacement did help...that is why they are looking at the sacro joint between my hips,,those poor children that you taught..its so sad to think that they could also pass it on..xx

nearlybionic

Hi Barbara
Sorry I am late coming to see your post but not been online this weekend til now.
I am glad that you had a good experience with the Rheumy, he sounds like he was very thorough. I hope that you get some answers from the tests and they can give you something that will relieve you of the back pain that has been a literal pain for so long now!
Take care xx
NB

barbara12

Thankyou NB,
It was a Wrightington,,he was very good I went with all my notes and didn't have to use then he covered everything..it is all starting to make sense now...especially the long periods I missed school...so its a waiting game now for the scans but he did say he thought he could do something for the sacroiliac joint so that would do hope things are a little easier for you, how is your hip doing now after the dislocation...xx