New diagnosis

EdT
EdT Member Posts: 3
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:08 in Living with arthritis

Good day to fellow arthritics!

My journey started out with a swollen toe on my left foot, the one next to the big toe. The GP suspected gout, but this just shows a lack of familiarity with my medical records as I've been on 300mg of Allopurinol for gout for at least 20 years. So the blood test came back with urates on the low side of normal. So off for an X-ray which revealed osteo arthritis, but is it usual just in one toe? As a spin off, he had my hands X-rayed also, and this showed severe arthritis, but I think the hospitals tend to err on the negative side as they are not as bad as my mother's hands at my age (68). Yes, my fingers are stiff and occasionally painful if I catch them at an odd angle. The best the GP could suggest was taking Ibuprofen or Paracetamol when experiencing pain, but neither are good for my stomach, so it looks like I'm going to have to grin and bear it. The practice physio suggested some exercises to push the joints against resistance and noted that my right hand has better musculature than my left, which fits as I'm right handed. I like to make things and do DIY, so I'd like to keep my fingers working as long as possible and would welcome any suggestions.

Thank you for reading!

EdT

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