Confusing diagnosis

HectorsMum
HectorsMum Member Posts: 6
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:04 in Living with arthritis
Very confused about diagnosis. Following x rays, GP informed me I don’t have arthritis, rheumatoid or otherwise. The x rays revealed wear and tear in all joints of both hands. I’ve been referred to a rheumatologist despite not having arthritis! My ESR is 77 and I’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Anyone else as confused as me?

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Hectors Mum,

    Welcome to the forum it’s great to meet you.

    I can see why you are confused- you are told no arthritis yet referred to a rheumatologist and you have wear and tear in your hands which is often used to describe osteoarthritis too. Your ESR is a bit high, i believe between 0 and 30 is normal for women.

    Here’s our leaflet about arthritis, it’s nice and clear and offers ways to help relieve symptoms too

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

    Fibromyalgia has similar symptoms to arthritis, pain, fatigue, trouble sleeping, here is the information we have

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

    Do keep us in touch with how you are doing and if there’s anything we can help with

    Take care
    Yvonne x
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Purely a guess but I think your GP is just being thorough. 'Wear and tear' is just a euphemism for early stage osteoarthritis. Usually osteoarthritis and rheumatoid look different on x-rays but the GP might want to be sure especially as you have fibromyalgia which is sometimes treated by rheumatologists. I think it's good that you should get a definite answer.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I can understand why you are feeling confused. Arthritis is not a simple matter of having either osteo or rheumatoid and GPs do not know enough about the various forms of auto-immune inflammatory arthritis (of which there are many, some which can be disgnosed by blood tests and some, like mine, which cannot). I have psoriatic and osteo arthritis plus fibromyalgia and think your GP has done exactly the right thing in referring you to people who know more than him. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • HectorsMum
    HectorsMum Member Posts: 6
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you all so very much for the helpful and incisive answers. I will check out the links, especially about managing pain, as I can’t even open a ring pull can at the moment and each day the symptoms are spreading.
    I’ll let you know how I progress with your suggestions.
    Once again, thank you.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    HectorsMum wrote:
    Thank you all so very much for the helpful and incisive answers. I will check out the links, especially about managing pain, as I can’t even open a ring pull can at the moment and each day the symptoms are spreading.
    I’ll let you know how I progress with your suggestions.
    Once again, thank you.


    Opening a ring-pull can with a spoon: my best effort at describing my own two-step method... :D

    Insert long-handle metal spoon into ring-pull from the side of the can opposite to the ring-pull, holding spoon bowl in hand. The length of the spoon lies across the width of the can lid. The ring-pull is on the opposite side of the can.

    Lift the spoon *up*, using the opposite side of the can as a fulcrum to break the can seal and then remove the spoon and turn the can round.

    Now insert the spoon handle again through the ring-pull, this time from the "near side" next to the ring pull where you have just broken the seal.

    Lifting the spoon up again, this time uses the side of the can opposite to the ring-pull as the fulcrum, opens the can and the lid slides off the spoon...


    That was much harder to describe than the few seconds I take to do this every time I feed the cats :o:D

    Plus, I *could not* find any pictures of anything like this on the internet! Wall-to-wall J-shaped kitchen aids when all I use is a normal old breakfast spoon!

    We have also had a Kenwood Electric Can Opener for many years. Its brilliant!

    Brynmor
  • HectorsMum
    HectorsMum Member Posts: 6
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    moderator wrote:
    HectorsMum wrote:
    Thank you all so very much for the helpful and incisive answers. I will check out the links, especially about managing pain, as I can’t even open a ring pull can at the moment and each day the symptoms are spreading.
    I’ll let you know how I progress with your suggestions.
    Once again, thank you.


    Opening a ring-pull can with a spoon: my best effort at describing my own two-step method... :D

    Insert long-handle metal spoon into ring-pull from the side of the can opposite to the ring-pull, holding spoon bowl in hand. The length of the spoon lies across the width of the can lid. The ring-pull is on the opposite side of the can.

    Lift the spoon *up*, using the opposite side of the can as a fulcrum to break the can seal and then remove the spoon and turn the can round.

    Now insert the spoon handle again through the ring-pull, this time from the "near side" next to the ring pull where you have just broken the seal.

    Lifting the spoon up again, this time uses the side of the can opposite to the ring-pull as the fulcrum, opens the can and the lid slides off the spoon...


    That was much harder to describe than the few seconds I take to do this every time I feed the cats :o:D

    Plus, I *could not* find any pictures of anything like this on the internet! Wall-to-wall J-shaped kitchen aids when all I use is a normal old breakfast spoon!

    We have also had a Kenwood Electric Can Opener for many years. Its brilliant!

    Brynmor
  • HectorsMum
    HectorsMum Member Posts: 6
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Had an update on my previous diagnosis of ‘wear and tear’, now diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the hands. Waiting to see the rheumatologist.
    Strange that up until May this year I had no symptoms (aside from wrist pain on opening jars) and now every finger has pain and swelling and my thumbs limited movement, with grinding in the knuckles.
    Is it ‘normal’ for things to come on so rapidly over such a short period of time?
    I should point out I’ve had fibromyalgia for the past 8 years, I wonder if that’s a factor.
  • crinkly1
    crinkly1 Member Posts: 156
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I'm glad to hear that you are on your way to a definitive diagnosis, which will be confirmed by the Rheumatologist. I hope you don't have to wait too long for your appointment.

    The onset of my OA was with hand involvement and it became apparent in what seemed to be a very short time. In reality, though, OA changes to joints happen gradually - perhaps over several years - until most of us first become aware of them when they reach the point of being really painful and stiff. It can come as a real shock accompanied by immediate disabling effects that drive us to find alternative ways of coping.

    As the above message indicates there are often relatively simple solutions to many tasks while others need more consideration so make use of all the information you can find that will help you do things that don't cause lasting severe pain.

    Let us know how you get on and whether there are specific tasks for which you can't find any help. It's likely that someone on the Living with Arthritis forum will be able to suggest possible solutions.
  • HectorsMum
    HectorsMum Member Posts: 6
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you all very much.