Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
After waiting for 6 months.. I'm finally going to see a rheumatologist on Wednesday. I was told it would take more than a year to get an appoint as I'm in Canada and it's a triage situation here. So I feel lucky in a weird way. I'm having some horrible pain and swelling in my hands, wrists, shoulders and elbows right now but I'm getting nervous that I'm going to be dismissed as my blood work shows nothing in the usual tests. I have high immunoglobulin A and high something else in a test they did looking for lupus I believe but it had been further investigated at the time with nothing to report. What ever that means. My GP told me to not be surprised if I come back with a Fibro Diagnosis as she suspects this. So I just don't know.. I have a lot of close family members with MS but don't have any obvious symptoms of MS. I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm very nervous about my appoint and I just don't want to walk out of there without any answers or suspicions at least, that need investigating. Is there anything I should know about the first visit and the next ones for that matter from your experiences?
Thanks for reading this!!
Thanks for reading this!!
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My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
Perhaps taking someone with you.
List if any questions &/or concerns. Any test results or films you may have.
I have swelling on & off. To many times appointment day the swelling is not present. So I take pictures now & this got my doctors attention.
How many things can cause swollen joints? Some things are hard to ignore
I'm thinking the doctor may order his or her own blood work/tests.
I'm not sure how things are done there but I know some doctors use their own labs.
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Hope all goes well for you.
Update us.
Blessings,
Sammy
I've never seen a dermatologist to confirm psoriasis. I've had skin and nail issues my whole life and have been on every cortisone known to man! But never been told it's psariasis... Hopefully the Rheumatologist will want to look into this because I've read that it can relate to my abnormal amounts of immunoglobulin. I believe I have 2 types of psoriasis.. So we'll see! I also take pictures. Hopefully they'll be well recieved. I have photos of the weird ganglion cysts I keep getting on the joints of my big toe. Swollen and red wrists, thumbs and fingers. And my elbows. I'll be going alone, it'll be better for me because I tend to start worrying about the comfort of the person with me rather than myself.
I've bee trying to think and remember when I first started with all these symptoms but I can't really remember. It's been a long time but everything seemed to go hay wire 3 months after my daughter was born so I guess I'll tell the Doc that. Is it really important to know?
I hadn't even considered Lupus but I'm now on Plaquenil and Vimovo.
Just wanted to give an update to anyone that was reading.
As much as we do not want to know, I think that sometimes giving whatever it is a name gives us some sort of relief. It affirms that we are not crazy and that there really is something wrong with us.
Whatever your diagnosis may be, at least they will have a starting point with treatments.
Best of Luck,
Kim
Wendy
I happen to be on Plaquenil and Vimovo as well. It took quite a while for them to work but they definitely lessened the symptoms. Vimovo isn't covered by my health care plan but it is nice because it is much easier on the stomach than straight up Naproxen.
What I was going to tell you is, my symptoms started a few months after having baby #1 and only went away during my second pregnancy. Afterwards everything came back with a vengeance. But my rheumy definitely took that into consideration because I am also seronegative.