Advice on what to ask doctor

annloftus

Hi after being diagnosed with an under active thyroid and being put on levothyroxine 9 months ago I have developed really debilitating knee pain, also wrist pain, recent blood tests show abnormal results for rheumatoid factor and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, I have a doctors appointment to discuss these results and would appreciate any advice on what questions I should be asking thank you

helpline_team

Hello @annloftus and welcome to the Community. We are a friendly and supportive group and I hope that will be your experience too.

I am sorry to hear about the debilitating pain you are experiencing in your knee, and also wrist pain, in addition to your underactive thyroid. It is good that you have an appointment coming up with your GP to discuss your blood test results and talk through things further. It can be a worrying and uncertain time when you are experiencing new symptoms and waiting for a diagnosis.

It sounds as if you may have an auto-immune inflammatory type of arthritis, usually diagnosed with the help of blood tests and raised inflammatory markers. Positive Rheumatoid Factor and raised ESR may indicate rheumatoid arthritis (RA)? We are unable to offer a diagnosis as we are not medically trained. Osteoarthritis (OA) is more of a 'mechanical type' of arthritis, usually confirmed on X-ray, with thinning and wearing away of joint cartilage and changes in the bone.

Asking your GP to refer you to a rheumatologist, to help ensure the right diagnosis and treatment, is probably the most helpful thing you can do at this stage. You could also ask the GP to explain the blood test results, what the diagnosis might be and the treatment options available.

If you have injured your knee, and if the GP thinks you may have osteoarthritis (OA), referral to the musculoskeletal (MSK) service, physiotherapy or an orthopaedic specialist may be worth considering.

In the meantime, an anti-inflammatory gel for your knee and wrist may help to reduce the number of pain tablets you are taking. Heat or cold may help too. The right kind of gentle exercises may help you to move more easily and be in less pain. Eating a healthy balanced diet and keeping a healthy weight will help to put less strain on your joints.

You are welcome to call our Free Helpline on 0800 5200 520 weekdays 9am - 6pm, if you would like to talk things through informally and in confidence.

I have included a link to our Versus Arthritis website which explains how different types of arthritis are diagnosed and gives information about possible causes, symptoms and treatments.

I hope you will find the information given below of some help.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/knee-pain/

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

If you would like to have more replies to your post, you are welcome to repost on our Living with Arthritis forum which is a supportive space where you can ask questions and share experiences with others. 

Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on.

Best wishes,

Fiona, Helpline Advisor

annloftus

that’s very helpful l, thank you 👍