Need some advice before hospital visit

mrsdalloway2nd · 8. Dec 2008, 05:23

Hi Can you you help? I saw rheumy monitor nurse last Friday and was trying to stress calmly how bad my joints are getting and that Leflunomide isn't working. Flare up started Feb this year, esr averaging 50's, diagnosed Leflunomide in August but it hasn't kicked in yet. However, I got really upset crying the lot and she got me in to see doc straight away. Doc wanted to take me onto the ward for tests and to pump me full of steroids into the different joints, (both shoulders, feet, hands and left knee). What I need to know is this best course of action I will welcome the full exam of joints as I need to know full extent of damage can hear the cartillidge crunching in left knee and right shoulder, but is injecting them with steroid necessary as what will this achieve? I have had swollen joints injected before but the joints mentioned are not hot and swollen at moment they are just crunching and giving me grief. Sorry if this does not make much sense just needed some advice before I accept everything they want to pump into me. Thanks x

helpline_team · 8. Dec 2008, 06:33

Hello there,

Thank you for your enquiry to Helplines. Unfortunately we cannot offer individual medical advice. It's pretty standard proceedure for the rheumatology clinic to offer local steroid injections when individual joints are very painful. These injections are considered very safe, but are not guaranteed to always help, particularly long-term.

If you need a second medical opinion about your treatments then you may opt for a conversation with the GP. If you really feel you want to see another rheumatologist, then that may be a point to really talk things over thoroughly.

You are always welcome to ring us on our freephone, and we will try to signpost you to some of the options which we can think of.

I hope we can help further

Guy

Need some advice before hospital visit

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