Steroid injections

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rach41
rach41 Member Posts: 5
in Hints and Tips

I am having a steroid injection on Friday in my shoulder due to a non arthritis issue but am having an ultrasound on my hands and feet next Wednesday to aid a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. Will the steroid injection have any impact on inflammation in my hands and feet or it is just localised? Just wondering if I need to move the ultrasound as this is my one shot to be tested and get a diagnosis. Thanks

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  • jamieA
    jamieA Member Posts: 719
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    Hi @rach41

    I'm no medic so can only relate my experience. In 2020 and 2021 I had a number of steroid injections into my shoulder and left knee at the same time as these were my worst affected joints at the time. I'm pretty sure that for me they didn't help with my other joints. By mid 2021 my rheumatologist started giving general steroid injections into my rear which helped all over. I think these injections were significantly larger amounts of Kenalog steroid. I remember being in hospital and being seen by a different rheumatologist who said he could only detect osteoarthritis and not my psoriatic inflammatory arthritis and he put it down to the general steroid injection I'd been given on admission. I think the ultrasound tests are only part of the determination though and other factors such as blood test results and physical examination will also be considered. I once had an ultrasound on my wrist which showed little inflammation and yet only days before my wrist was significantly swollen to the point my watch was constricting the blood flow.

  • rach41
    rach41 Member Posts: 5
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    Thanks jamieA, that's helpful. The rheumatologist I saw couldn't see any swelling hence wants to send me for tests but he saw me in the evening and on one of my better days so I'm just concerned if the ultrasound shows nothing I'll be discharged without any conclusion to ongoing issues. Ultrasound is in evening too which isn't ideal. I had positive anti-CCP but not very high and other markers were normal and my joints aren't red/warm so he didn't sound convinced but I have too many joints in pain/stiffness for them not to be related in some way. Feels a long process to get a diagnosis so far

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