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Pocketsized
Pocketsized Member Posts: 2
edited 14. Apr 2017, 13:16 in Living with Arthritis archive
Hi, just joined in hopes that someone can confirm something that's been bugging me lately.

When I was a kid, I remember having these horrible lumps come up out of nowhere on my feet and my hands. I can't remember if they were painful or not, but I do remember them being quite frightening. They only lasted a few hours and I've never had them since. But my mum took me to see the Dr anyway. All I remember about the appointment was that the Dr said it was something beginning with 'R' and explaining it to be like a mild form of arthritis. I wasn't given any medication or advice or anything.

Since then, however, I have had quite a bit of joint pain, more so in winter and my bones feel very sensitive to the cold - for example, carrying a bottle of milk from the shop in my hands is a challenge because the cold quickly becomes very painful in the bones in my hands, to the point where not even after a minute of holding the bottle I am struggling. I've experienced this since my early teens.

I'm in my early 30's now and I've not seen a Dr about it since that first initial appointment because I've never really understood what rheumatoid arthritis really is and have never took it serious. My questions are as follows:

If this is rheumatoid arthritis, shouldn't I have been given something to help when I had that first initial Dr's appointment?

It hasn't as such gotten any worse, but it's never gotten any better as I've got older. I have always known though that somewhere down the line it is going to hit me like a ton of bricks. Is it worth checking out with a GP? I have moved gp's twice since and the original practice has since been knocked down and rebuilt on a different road, is it possible to obtain any medical records from that long ago?

I never realised that arthritis can have an impact on other aspects of your health as well (such as heart conditions) and that's something as I'm ageing, becoming more and more conscious of. Can it be really bad if my diet has been awful (a lot of junk food, sugar, sweets etc)?

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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hi pocketsized
    welcome to the forum, I am sorry to hear that you have been experiencing joint pain, and that this has been going on for such a long time without any diagnosis. I certainly think that going to your GP and telling him your history would be a good place to start. It would be a good idea to try and eat a balanced diet but none of us are perfect, try not to beat yourself up too much about these things or worry about other associated health conditions, it is early days and it may be a different form of arthritis. Here is a link to our book about understanding arthritis https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/do-i-have-arthritis/publications/299-understanding-arthritis
    and also our booklet on managing pain https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/do-i-have-arthritis/publications/217-managing-pain
    Also please ask as many questions as you need and keep us up to date with how you get on
    Best Wishes
    Sharon
  • trepolpen
    trepolpen Member Posts: 504
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    you should not worry , there are alot of use on the forum that have had RA for many year , I am well over twenty years & some alot longer than that

    A simple blood test will tell if you are positive to rheumatiod factor but there are over 200 forms of arthritis around , a blood test will also show if there is any inflammation & just get checked out , RA can be well controlled in most people so dont worry
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,712
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    Hello and welcome.

    I'm afraid we can't diagnose. We have arthritis in one or more of its various forms but no medical training. You really need to put all this to your GP.

    I've had RA since I was 15 but I don't recogise the lumps you write of. I've certainly always had lumps amd bumps but never any that came and went so suddenly. That, to me, sounds more like urticaria than arthritis. There's no connecrion between the two.

    Whatever you had as a child, if you have longstanding concerns abour joint pain you should ask your GP about ir. And don't worry about the future. R A can affect internal organs but it rarely does. Mine are intact after 55 years of it..
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dalek
    dalek Member Posts: 32
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
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    The lumps are probably related to the arthritis.
    I have enteropathic arthritis (a side affect of Crohns disease)
    Before developing Crohns or arthritis I had lumps on my legs..I remember being told they were a reaction to something. Of course until the Crohns presented itself, no one knew what it was a reaction to.
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