Finally a diagnosis ... now what?

July 10, 2005

Hello,

I have only posted once before asking about inflamation after knee

replacements. Saturday my primary care doctor called to say that the

progression of deterioration in my x-rays compared to 6 months ago

is " dramatic " in my knees, shoulders and wrists and that since I have

high inflamation " markers " in three different blood tests, she feels

I have RA even though my RH factor stays at around 12 which is

considered negative.

I don't understand how I can have it but not have it show up in my

bloodwork. For the last two years she said I had fybromyalgia. She

wasn't going to even repeat any blood work or x-rays, but I went in

for pain when she was on vacation and the other doc in her practice

ordered it all repeated.

It's funny because I really thought if I finally knew what was wrong

it would make a big difference and I could cope better. The

fibromyalgia never seemed to truely fit in my mind. So now I know ...

I guess if I could have RA without having a higher RH factor.

My doc says I need to find a rheumatologist.She offered me two

choices, but I am hesitant to go with either because the 3 docs she

has referred me to before (neurologist, orthopedist and

psychologist ... because she thought it was all stress related)were

all really cold and condesending. After reading about so many people

here having bad doctors I hate to even try a new one. My doc gave me

scripts for predisone and another drug called Ebrian or something

like that. How important is it to have a rheumatologist if she can

just give me the medicines?

in St. Louis

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