Undiagnosed athritis: help!

Options
Ben198718
Ben198718 Member Posts: 4
edited 9. Oct 2019, 07:34 in Chat to our Helpline Team
Hello,

I joined the forum today to ask some questions about my current situation.

I am a 32 year old male, I have been suffering with joint pain since I was about 22. It started with cracking in my neck (with associated pain and fatigue), at first this was really when I had over exerted myself. Over the years the cracking progressed and became more of a daily occurrence. Then I began to feel the sensation of sand or grating in my neck. In the past 3 years this has become worse and the cracking and pain have now spread to my shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands and sometimes my legs. In the last year the pain became unbearable and even the slightest amount of physical work causes me pain- standing for long periods, as well as sitting or laying also causes pain. My body cracks and pops even in the night and in the mornings I feel like an old man.

Worryingly this year I have started to experience fainting, shooting pain and have spent days in bed.

I have been to the doctors on multiple occasions, had an MRI on my up back (it was a very specific area), and now been referred to the athritis clinic (but have been waiting for my appointment since July- the appointment is November 22nd). They have now got me on a mixture of naproxen and codeine, which seems to help a bit.

This is really now taking a toll on my life and I don't even have a diagnosis yet, which I find seriously frustrating and depressing.

I wanted to post here to get some advice, to see what you all think about my current symptoms and also just to vent!

Thank you for reading,
Ben

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hello and welcome Ben198718 to Versus Arthritis Community Forum

    I'm so sorry to read of your pain and joints issues, you certainly have a lot to contend with at the moment. You have come to the right place for help and advice, unfortunately, our Helpline Team hours are during the day, I'm sure they will be along tomorrow to assist you. In the meantime, have good look through the different forum categories, we have some really great forum users who are always on hand to offer help, support and advice.

    Enjoy the forum.

    John
  • helpline_team
    helpline_team Posts: 3,494
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Options
    Hello Ben198718,

    Thank you for posting on the Helpline Forum and I apologise for our delayed reply.

    I am sorry to hear about the pains you are experiencing in your joints and the cracking and grating sensations in your neck. It sounds as if this has been going on for some time and is really affecting your daily life. It’s understandable you feel frustrated and want a proper diagnosis as soon as possible.

    I’m glad Naproxen and Codeine has given some relief from the pain. It is good your doctor has referred you to the arthritis clinic. It sounds as if this is a rheumatology clinic which specialises in diagnosing different types of arthritis.

    Just to clarify, we are not medically trained, so we can’t help with the diagnosis. However, if at any point, you would like to talk things through informally and in confidence, you are welcome to call us on our Free Helpline 0800 520 0520 weekdays 9am – 8pm. You can also post on our Living with Arthritis forum where you may receive more responses from others living with arthritis and experiencing similar symptoms.

    For information about managing pain, see: https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/managing-your-pain/

    For information about different types of arthritis and diagnosis, follow this link: https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/arthritis/

    I hope this is of some help.

    Best wishes,
    Fiona, Helpline Advisor
Back to top

Categories