reactive arthritis - advice please

susie123

Hi, so i had my first appointment with a rheumatologist today. After being told 6 weeks ago that i had vasculitis, i was now told it's reactive arthritis and not vasculitis. I have been feeling relatively ok, just small joint pain but nothing major. I was told by rheumatologist that i dont need to take medication and that i should be ok. I find all this strange because she didnt do any more tests. I mean yeah she took my bloods and said she will check if the inflammation has gone down but thats it. She discharged me. I wasnt explained things at all, i dont know why i got this or what caused it, i dont understand if i will now have this forever and if i need to be careful with things. My symptoms were severe ankle inflammation and pain all over my body but after taking prednisolone for a week and naproxen for 2 weeks, i returned back to normal - almost. My feet are still not normal, they are turning purple and i still get strange feeling in them but they are not swollen or painful.
Can someone please tell me if this is all good news or what should i ask my gp? Im really confused by all this as i was not prepared for this, i thought i had vasculitis so had questions prepared for that.
thank you

dreamdaisy

I can see that you have met a professional - they use these terms all the time and know what they mean, so assume that the patient does too. As I understand it you have a form of arthritis which is triggered by an infection so it can clear at some point with minimum treatment (well, minimum compared to some of us with the other kinds). It may well flare again if you contract another infection so the best thing to do is to not socialise with people with are ill, to increase hygiene when out and about to decrease your chances of catching anything (I do this by using anti-bac wipes on tables and cutlery, glasses or cups and using hand gel after using a lift or having to open a shop door, or even better getting others to open doors and press buttons ) and to encourage family members to become assiduous hand-washers when they come in.

Any form of arthritis affects our lives so yes, you are facing a change but you do have the chance for things to greatly improve after a rough patch. Be prepared for those around you to not comprehend the import of your arthritis, for those 'not in the know' arthritis means that Grandma walks slowly with a stick and you cannot have it if you're young. I don't know much about vasculitis but hopefully this will be the easier condition (in some respects) manage. I wish you well. DD

stickywicket

I can't tell you what to ask your GP but I can understand your confusion and think it's a good idea to have a chat with him / her.

I don't know which tests you have had done or which others you expected but, in any case, we are not medically trained, your GP should have the results of any that have been done plus the rheumatologist's report so he / she is the best person to ask.

If you have ReA you got it as a result of an infection, ie it's a reaction to something, but I doubt anyone could say what or when or even if that would be helpful.

I can't explain the purple feet. I've got both RA and OA and never had that. It might be pure coincidence. We are often inclined to attribute every problem we have to either our arthritis or the meds we take for it but sometimes it's just not so.

In your situation I would personally not go with a load of questions but just explain how perplexed I was and then listen. Questions mght arise and, if they do, ask.

If you put 'reactive arthritis' into the Arthritis Care pink search engine above you'll find an information leaflet at the top of the right column when the results come up. There is also more info here http://www.arthritisresearchuk.org/arthritis-information/conditions/reactive-arthritis.aspx I hope that might be of some help.

stickywicket

:oops: :oops: Sorry. 'Top right' should have been 'top LEFT' :roll: :oops:

theresak

Hi there,

I think the best course of action would be to seek an appointment with your GP, so that he/she can clarify any matters which need an explanation.

It`s not nice to be kept in the dark about what`s going on, and we don`t always think of the right questions to ask at the appointment.