Hello! Am I Right to be Concerned?

QuieroQueso

Hi there and thank you to all for being here.

I am 34 and have had issues with my lower back and my knees for a long time. I am having an MRI scan of the lumbar spine in a couple of weeks time to investigate worsening back pain. In the last few months I have been struggling a lot with my knees and also experiencing joint pain in my fingers, wrists, elbow and shoulders. I am a full time student so spend a lot of time sitting down studying but I also work part time in a job which involves prolonged periods of standing as well as some quite heavy lifting.

The joint pains as well as a general feeling of being unwell are bad first thing in the morning but tend to wear off one I get up and moving about. They they tend to be moderately painful at points during the day. At the end of the day I rest and chill out in front of a movie or with a book and the pain seems to be a little better although I get random shooting pains every 15-20 minutes or so. When I try to get up or move about, however, I am in complete agony and I can barely stand sometimes. I end up shuffling around the house and crying out in pain as I am trying to move from the sofa to go to make a drink or get ready for bed. Often I find myself out of breath because of the pain and the effort to get around.

I have done a lot of research and I think I have a lot of signs of arthritis. I am going to see my GP to discuss the pain but I am worried that my issues will be dismissed because of my age and the fact that I am statistically quite young for such a diagnosis. Does anyone think that I have a case to put forward in seeking a diagnosis of arthritis??

Thanks for any help.

Anna

Hello @QuieroQueso and welcome to the online community,

Youve been experiencing increasing pain in your joints as well as feeling generally unwell. Sometimes you are in complete agony and can barely stand. You’re waiting for results from an MRI on your spine and after personal research you are wondering if you could have arthritis even though you are only 34. It’s a common myth that arthritis only affects the elderly and many in our community will tell you that you’re never too young to experience arthritis of some kind - I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 19, and there are many who are even younger. You are right to go to your GP and tell them all your symptoms- you have explained them here very well. Some people think that writing down a list helps, or keeping a diary for a week or so of your symptoms so that you won’t forget when you’re in the surgery. Your GP should refer you for blood tests and perhaps to a rheumatologist to investigate further.

If you haven’t already, you might find the attached information useful. It’s from the Versus Arthritis website and it gives an introduction and explanation of arthritis - including symptoms, diagnosis and treatment:

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/

Good luck with your appointment, and do let us know how you get on.

Anna ( Moderator)

stickywicket

Unfortunately yes. You have a case. That doesn't mean to say tou have arthritis but it does mean you're doing the right thing. Even OA is not ust an old person's disease. Inflammatory forms of arthritis can strike much younger. I was 15 when diagnosed with RA.. I think the youngest patienr whose parents posted on here was 18 months.

Get it checked out, keep those joints moving gently, eat healthily, don't smoke and do let us know how you get on. Good luck.