Was i misdiagnosed? Also what can i take to ease pain?

thevisi0nary

Ill make this as quick as possible. I see a pyhsiatrist for slipped disc and sciatica pain. While going to him i asked if he could diagnose me with arthritis. I have been playing guitar for 8 years, i used to put huge demands on my fretting hand now there is what seems a permanent pain in the knuckle joint of the middle finger on my left (fretting) hand. There is no specific thing that eases the pain. For the most part it has not been limiting me lately but i would still like to figure out a way to make it go away, and what it is. Back on topic he had me get a blood test and said i came back negative for arthritis. Is it possible i could still have it? I dont have it anywhere else in my hands, just this finger. I have had it for a long time.

Should i get re diagnosed?

Also, what are the best supplements i could take to alleviate the pain? I tried glucosamine for month and a half, did not work.

bubbadog

It's best to see your G.P and ask for a referral to see an rhumatologist as we can't say yes or no as we aren't medical professionals. Hope this helps and you can find out once and for all.

barbara12

Hello and welcome to the forum
You could ask for an MRI of your back and ultrasound of your hands..blood test don't pick up on OA only inflammatory ones...good luck

dreamdaisy

Did you mean you're seeing a physiotherapist? If so then no, he is not the one to even attempt a diagnosis because there is no such thing as 'arthritis'. There are around 200 kinds of auto-immune arthritis and also osteoarthritis (OA); I have one of the former which has led to the latter. My auto-immune one is a sero-negative kind, i.e. no rheumatoid factor is present in my bloods but I have an inflammatory arthritis which my rheumatologist deals with. My OA was diagnosed via Xray and my GP deals with that.

You should go to see your GP, he / she may be able to diagnose OA and /or refer you to a rheumatologist if they think there is a need. Some supplements may help to reduce the worst of the symptoms but they won't clear it; any form of arthritis is a degenerative and progressive condition. Glucosamine may help but has to be taken for longer than just six weeks - three months is the usual minimum and, if you do have an auto-immune type then it probably won't help at all.

The best pain relief are the usual suspects such as paracetamol and codeine. They won't take all of it away for good - pain is the ground elder of our lives - but they dull the sharper edges.

As Bubba said, we are not doctors so please go and see one. Let us know the outcome and we will do our best to answer any questions you may have. I wish you well. DD

stickywicket

Hello and welcome from me too.

You need to go to a doctor for a diagnosis and a physiotherapist isn't a doctor. I wasn't aware that physios could do blood tests but, if yours did, he didn't know how to interpret the test because a blood test can only rule in some forms of arthritis: it can't rule out others.

It does sound like osteo in your finger. Your GP will know better than us and can prescribe anti-inflammatory meds and / or pain relief. Having said that, any form of arthritis is painful and many people have spent a lot of money chasing the elusive rainbow of 'no pain'. For most of us it boils down to settling for a tolerable amount.

Dietary supplements are unlikely to help unless you have a deficiency in some area. Having said that I believe there's some evidence that cod liver oil can help with osteo. Try here and scroll down to the Living With Osteoarthritis booklet http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Booklets

thevisi0nary

stickywicket wrote:

Hello and welcome from me too.

You need to go to a doctor for a diagnosis and a physiotherapist isn't a doctor. I wasn't aware that physios could do blood tests but, if yours did, he didn't know how to interpret the test because a blood test can only rule in some forms of arthritis: it can't rule out others.

It does sound like osteo in your finger. Your GP will know better than us and can prescribe anti-inflammatory meds and / or pain relief. Having said that, any form of arthritis is painful and many people have spent a lot of money chasing the elusive rainbow of 'no pain'. For most of us it boils down to settling for a tolerable amount.

Dietary supplements are unlikely to help unless you have a deficiency in some area. Having said that I believe there's some evidence that cod liver oil can help with osteo. Try here and scroll down to the Living With Osteoarthritis booklet http://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/PublicationsandResources/Listedbytype/Booklets

Thanks very much, I'm gonna try the clo.

thevisi0nary

Thanks to all for your help and insights.