I have my rhums appt on xmas eve and was just wondering what they do in the appointment. Do they scan me take blood etc!! The thing is i was diagnosed by my gp in june sayin i had fibro but i kept goin back with the pain in my knees grinding and cracking also my elbow i told them im not convinced its fibro i have to walk down stairs sideways as if i got forward my knees hurt when bending them and i fear ill fall. My gp said she would send me for an mri scan as id had a few xrays on my knees but all was clear. Then i recive a letter saying she was sending me to a rhums dr instead. What will he do and will i get a dianosis on the day??
Cracking and grinding sounds like arthritis to me. Many who deal with fibro (nerve pain) also deal with arthritis. that is me. I'm done with tests, there are no real fibro tests.....as I see things fibro is a LOT of our systems gone wacky....thyroid, adrenals, minerals, hormones.....I take all supplements for both these issues and do my own research and treatments....Drugs are not what I want..... Gotta work on fixing many issues. joy
Hi Sandra
Fibro is a form of arthritis......It sounds more like osteo arthritis but I'm not a doctor so cant give you any definite answers
The rheumatologist may send you for another X Ray just to check
I think that and talking to you will be all that will be done the first appointment
Have you had an MRI? if not you may get sent for one of those but that will take some time before you get an appointment for that.
The consultant should be able to give you a diagnosis that day or at least say he THINKS it is ???? or he DOESNT think it is
After he has talked to you or whatever ask him "do you think its arthritis" or my doc says its fibro what do you think?
What happened to me was he sent me for an X Ray, I went back to his office and he said.......you need two new hips
and that was it.
A couple of tips, write down all the questions you want to ask and all the symptoms you want to tell him about beforehand. Most of us forget once we get into the appointment and its not until we are leaving we think why didnt I ask ????
At the reception desk, or if you see the nurse beforehand {all appointments are different} ask to be copied into his communications.
This means that when he sends a letter to the GP [that referrred you} you will get a copy of that letter......I find its surprising whats in those letters that I have forgotten about
Good Luck
Eileen UK
Hi Eileen
Thank you so much for the advice. I will take it on board and definatly make some notes.
I think its osteo myself too but they are saying because im 31 im too young but time will tell.
I hope your ok 2 new hips wow thats a double whammy hope u got everything sorted x
Hi Sandra
I'm just going down for my breakfast now but thought I would answer this before I went down.
You are very young but there is no such thing as too you to have osteo ....arthritis is no respecter of age
You can get arthritis from being a toddler up until you are in your 90's
I do hope you get a definite answer because I find once I know that then I can try to cope with it.
there was four years between both THR's and the 2nd one.....well ....didnt go brilliantly. Fractured the bone four weeks post op....doing exercises I was given to do so now i'm on crutches for the forseeable future That was 10 months ago......apparently it was because I have osteoporosis {didnt know that beforehand} that if fractured so easily.
Let us know what happens with your appointment
Love
Eileen UK
At my rhms appointment all he done was talk through my symptoms and then done a physical exam, asking me to bend over etc. Then had a feel of all my joints to see if he can diagnose an arthritous condition. MIne wasn't arthritous and he wrote a letter to me and my go saying he agrees its fibro. The consultation took about 20 mins x
Hi hun i was with my Rhums for 2 and half hours he was amazing and so understanding and gentle i had to have bloods and xray and he ordered mri on my bones and that he said i have chronic arthritis in my Knees lower back and shoulder im back today to get my steriod injections in knees and that if hes like mine he will be carring and ressuring and he gave me a digonse straight away but hes know thinks there might be something else as well as fibro and arthritis going on but hope you get a nice specalist like mine xxx
It seems have different consultants.....I suppose they are all human.
Mine is lovely.....spends loads of time with you.
I've been lucky in that respect.....I see a back consultant and he has been called {not by me} The gentle giant
but it is true.....he is the same, spends lots of time with you and is lovely
Hope you get a nice consultant.....and dont forget fibro is a form of arthritis.....not a different illness.
I'm an arthritis care volunteer
Love
Eileen UK
I hope your doc is conservative with steroid as overuse will break down our bones MORE....it's a best and worst drug those steroids....J
hi there i had a jab in left knee and right shoulder today was fine walked slowly out off his room wgere within two minutes my legs gave under me and i collapsed good job hubby and nurses where there to catch me otherwise wouldnt of been so good ok now but consultant said it wasnt to do with jabs ive only got to back if shoulder one doesnt work, then got to have san of muscels and when i start feeking more pain in knees again for another jab but at moment part from fibro pain feeling very week now and legs like jelly put it down to lack of sleep but will take on board what you say xxxx
Hi
If he said it wasnt the jabs did he give you any idea what it would be?
Love
Eileen UK
Hello Sandra,
You have been given lots of good advice already, on here. Writing things down beforehand, and asking the right questions is very important. Most likely it will be arthritis, but it could be Fibro as well. You haven't mentioned widespread pain and fatigue, which are common symptoms of Fibro. When I had my rheumy appt he just talked to me about my symptoms, I had already had loads of other tests to eliminate other conditions. It seems that fibro is usually diagnosed by a process of elimination, and sometimes by your painful pressure points. Sorry you are suffering so young, I wish you luck.
Take care, Anne
He rekons where im losing weight quite fast and the fact i have Fibro could be the reasoni collapse alot, yet i eat 3 well healthy balacnced food withalot of fish fresh vetables and salad and a little breadand some meati dont snack or anything after 6pm and i dont drink caffiene after 7pm so really trying to eat more healthy mymuscles are that weaktou i cant even push myself out of a bath and cannot getfrom a sitting postion without holding on to something cant walk without a stick and have been know to collapse alot so have all other teast witch is always normally have lots of good stuffin body dont smoke dont drink so really trying to sort myself outon top of that i think my hubby is having an affair so trying to understand that as well so any adive would be good
Hi sandra
I got rheumatoid arthritis since 09, and walking sideways down and up the stairs was one of my problems. The first time I went I have to answer a lots of questions which seems a bit much but it's for the consultant to get the whole picture, I also had to undress for them to see me walking etc and had bloods tests and had to come off my steroids tablets and when I went back was told I had ra.
My consultant also said ive got fibro in may this year cos I thought my ra was getting worse and coming back big time.
So don't worry hopefully you'll ask the right answers soon x take care
It's good to have a Rhum appointment so you can get a definate 'label'. I get knee pain especially going up stairs. I get very stiff to go down steps. Fibro has the pain points, you need I think 12 out of the 16 I think. At my appointment, they asked me the pain, since when? They did the pain points checking and arm / leg movements. Remember to wear nice underwear x
I don't know why the collapse issue, I've dealt with Fibro since 1999 and OA all my life and I'm 76 and I don't collapse....
Sounds like you need to strengthen muscles with some therapy and exercises, and too much caffeine (coffee) is very acidic and cause cause havoc on our bones. I drink 2 cups of organic coffee daily and none after 3PM and add fresh lemon and a tad of baking soda to the grounds to cut acid. Fresh lemon once into the body creates a more alkaline body.
Just my thoughts on all this...J
Sugar and carbs don't help our joints.... There are alkaline acid food charts you can google.....there are many sites on this food chart issue.
Personally I get MUCH more help from my own research and other health minded friends and people than I get from docs... they are not trained in prevention.
Hi there hun i dont have sugar i drink blaclk lemon tea the hearbel one until 6 which i was told by a herbel place i go walking 3 times a week swimming 3 times a week so getting plenty of excersise i collapse alot and then sometimes have to wait for an hour for feelings in my legs to come back but i arthritis in lower spine shoulder wrists and knees but mri was normal been collapsing now for 8 months and so far have come down my stairs twice so im doing all i can and im eaty plenty of fish no carbs really at all plenty of veg stick to white meat only so god nows whats happenig but theirmsiising something i suffer with heart disease which has been checked all good there and copd all good there i also suffer with myleodydisplacer which is a blood disoreder of bone marrow and while i was in with he kept saying whens my next appoi,met with hemo and in the screen one of my blood tests was flashing red and even i know thats not write so will have to wait and see till 18 th dec plus all that he diagnosed me with chronic fibro lol hey hoy some days i cant walk and struggle to go up my stairs an old brain scan showed a slicht ilsion on my left temple but he said so far nothing changed so all normal
Well, it sounds like you have other issues as well, but also know that tea leaves are high in fluoride...you can check that out online. I'm an anti fluoride person and know fluoride build up in body can cause a lot of joint destruction as well. I know a lot of tea is consumed by the population....organic coffee is said to be an antioxidant.....
We wll pick our toxins...
Hope you find out what is going on.
thanks hun xxx
Hello, I have my rheumatology appointment this Friday, i will let you know what happens after I've had mine.