Blood test

spondy1959

Hi all,

Hope everyone is keeping as well as possible.

I’ve been getting some pain and a bit of swelling in my right wrist with pain extending down to the thumb joint. I have ankylosing spondylitis so I contacted my rheumatology department. So far I haven’t seen anyone but the nurse arranged a blood test. This came back as fine but I’m still getting the pain. Does anyone have experience of having a normal blood test but still experiencing pain and / or stiffness? Until I hear back from the rheumatologist the nurse has suggested taking co-codomol as I can’t take any- inflammatory tablets so I’ll see how that goes, but just curious to hear about any experiences with blood tests.

Thanks.

yaz239

Hello @spondy1959 ,

Hopefully the forum is useful for hearing about other peoples experiences with blood tests. In the meantime, here's some information on managing pain.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/hand-and-wrist-pain/

Best wishes, Yasmin (Mod)

stickywicket

Hi @spondy1959 . I'd say hang on until you hear from the rheumatologist.

However, if you want some sort of guess(!) I'd presume that 'fine' actually meant sero-negative just as AS is sero-negative. But RA can also be sero-negative and also, having an inflammatory form of arthritis such as AS doesn't exclude us from OA. Many of us on here have done the doubĺe.

However, as I said, don't jump the gun. Wait for a proper diagnosis fŕom your rheumatologist.

spondy1959

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/710980#Comment_710980

Hi Stickywicket, many thanks. Interesting to hear about the sero-negative explanation and the possibility of OA. However, as you suggest, I’ll hang on until I hear from the rheumatologist.

spondy1959

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/710979#Comment_710979

Thank you Yasmin.

jamieA

Hi @spondy1959

I've been diagnosed with enthesitis in addition to my PsA. According to what I've read enthesitis comes as a secondary condition for about 30% of people with PsA and AS. I was given ultrasound scans before they came up with the diagnosis. Funnily enough one place it manifest itself is my right wrist. I'm left handed so wear my watch on my right wrist and the first signs of swelling in the wrist is the tightening of my watch strap. Like you it extends down into my thumb. If I exercise my hand by opening and closing my fingers I also get a dull cracking feeling on the back of my hand where it meets my wrist when it is swollen. It increases the diameter of my wrist by about 1cm when swollen. I also get it in my right elbow and the heels of both feet - which was initially diagnosed as plantar fasciitis as it's very similar. I've been on Amgevita an adalimumab biosimilar for 2 years now and that has helped.

https://creakyjoints.org/living-with-arthritis/symptoms/what-is-enthesitis/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CEnthesitis%20is%20inflammation%20of%20the,is%20susceptible%20to%20this%20problem.

spondy1959

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/710993#Comment_710993

Hi @jamieA,

Thanks for your reply.interesting to hear about that. It’s certainly a possible cause if my pain. I have psoriasis and I think it’s probably linked to AS though I don’t have PsA.

Stephen