Re: My story so far.

Sean wrote:
"hugh_j" <wildpoppy@invalid> wrote in message news:45ef43c2$0$32021$fa0fcedb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sprocket wrote:
On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:27:56 +0000, hugh_j <wildpoppy@invalid> wrote:

Coats wrote:
chimera wrote:
I am currently undergoing the diagnosis roundabout and recently on a
whole bloodcount the receptionist at my GP's said I have "slightly
elevated blood viscocity". On seeing my GP and questioning him on
this he said "she shouldn't have told you that it just gets you
thinking all sorts and as far as I am concerned it's normal". I have
also have thyroid, anti-immune and god knows what other blood tests,
7 in all, but my GP always told me they are normal (after what the
receptionist said it leaves me wondering if I'm being told the whole
truth).
Sounds like my test results.

My sister has aggressive seronegative arthritis which she got at
about the same age I am now. I am displaying a lot of the signs of SN
arthritis like lower back pain, neck, shoulder and arm tention in the
muscles which is almost all the time.
Same here, I've had back pain and swelling hands since I was about 14 but no-one ever bother to see why. The GP told my mum to take me to an osteopath for pain relief cos there couldn't be anything wrong with me cos I was only 14!

I also have (after an MRI)
discovered that I have minor wear on the right side of my 3rd and 4th
vertibrae in my neck. I'm not a hypocondriac and I don't think I'm
suffering depression but my GP is treating me by giving me
anti-depressents and diclofenac sodium which to be honest don't help,
they just make me drowsy a lot of the time when I am usually quite
mentally active.
I'm on low dosage antidepressants, they use it as a pain control. It seems to change the way your brain reacts to long term pain making it more tolerable. In my case it seems to be working. The pain is still there but not as annoying, especially on waking, as it used to be.

I used to horse ride but found I lost a lot of core
stability over a short time so stopped. I have had some short-lived
sharp pains in the odd finger/thumb or up my arm on occasion. I do
get a lot of stiffness in my back if I'm sat up or stood up/walking
for about 20-30 mins. My feet and ankles ache even sat down some
times but especially when I have been for even a short walk. I have
felt a soreness before like I've burnt or grazed my skin on the top
of my right arm but there is no mark on the skin itself. I cannot see
any signs of swelling in any of my joints and I do have very "clicky"
joints in general, especially wrists, shoulders, ankles and knees.
No clicky joints here but I do have the start of swan-necking on my little fingers and, very disconcerting, my first fingers seem to have a mind of their own. The knuckle joints are swollen and red, the middle joints have started to swell outward and the end joints are swelling the opposite way so my nails are turning in towards my middle fingers. I have achy feet and knees, my wrists get the burning sensatons you describe. My shoulders have been physio'd to death and still I can't pick anything up with my arms outstretched because of the pain or because the muscles just give up half way through.

Currently I am the only member of my blood-line family that doesn't
have one form of arthritis or another so genetically it is a concern
but nothing I'm extremely worried about because I know if I catch it
early the prognosis can be very good....and that is what I am
attempting to do. I am pushing for a prognosis for my symptoms. I am
seeing a rumatologist at my demand in just over 2 weeks, GP says he
thinks it's a waste of time.
I'm 40 and my rheumatologist has seen me 3 times now, each time he has sent me away saying I haven't got anything cos my blood tests were negative. He does not believe sero neg RA exists. I am currently waiting to see a new GP after a house move with the hope that they will refer me somewhere else to a competant rheumatologist.

Wondering what this community thinks.
I thinkif you get a decent rheumatologist you should be ok, and be able to start treatment that actually works.

In the circumstances it might be worth trying cannabis. I find that when I do it switches off all my symptoms. I have no idea how.

hj
I have no idea how either, but it's *the* single most effective
substance for pain-relief I have tried, and without any of the side
effects of the prescribed variety either. I only wish I could get a
regular supply. If I have some cannabis at bedtime, I get a whole
night's sleep, instead of the usual toss-and-turn-and-soddin'-ouch
experience, and I'm not nearly so locked up and painful in the
morning. Anne
Dealers are bad news. The only regular supply is the one from your back garden.

All drugs have side effects it's just that some arn't all that obvious. I think I'd go down the homeopathic route before taking any controlled/illegal substance personally. Anyway...

Ever get the feeling GP's know very little about this? My GP told me that money is spent primarily on high-profile things like Cancer and heart conditions - leaving a lot of more prevalent illnesses, but less life threatening, unreasearched. So they have to just treat the symptoms a lot of the time.

We'll see what the Rumatologist thinks on 19th. My sister went misdiagnosed for 2 years with Seronegative Arthritis - I may or may not have it but if I have, and all the signs are there that's it's possible, I'm not going to allow the docs to misdiagnose me until the tendons in my hands snap, then an xray reveals the truth. My sisters is very agressive now because of the lack of the properly diagnosed treatment. Her latest problem was a very agressive blood infection that went up her right arm and if it had got to her heart... The infection was killing her flesh as it went, she has to have skin grafts because of the dead skin.

I've had to push my GP I feel a lot of the time to take me seriously. His opinion is MRI scans can show something or nothing but it doesn't dictate whether you are in pain, X-rays are useless and at the end of the day I'll just have to take pills for the rest of my life as pain management.

Sean.


That's a terrible story. I am sorry to hear it.
So far as pain is concerned the plant would most likely put an end to that, if my experience is anything to go by. I wouldn't care to recommend it for anything other than the pain and associated symptoms of arthritis, although some people claim more benefits for it.

I don't know how it affects you, but the cost of prescriptions is a major disincentive to me. I'm not quite old enough to get a pension, and I don't claim any benefits, so it's six pounds whatever nowadays. And I don't much like bothering a doctor. Frankly I don't trust them with my typical ailments. I have in the past been prescribed things which were on special offer from the pharmaceutical companies and yet quite unsuitable. I know there are good and bad. And of course in the surgery you have one eye on the clock.

It's a major life-decision to set out to grow cannabis. I don't grow it at the moment, because I want to get things done, and it causes introspection and reflection and a general disincentive to press on with jobs, but when I retire I want to have it available.
Under the present arrangement that means having it in a greenhouse under lock and key, looking over your shoulder as it were, and feeling somewhat at odds with society, for no good reason at all really. It's none of their business and you're saving the NHS money.

And in the meantime it's just a case of having to get on with whatever the physical situation is when I wake up in the morning.
I don't know anything about this new Sativex thing. If it's anything like what they did with opium and the coca leaf, turning plants into major global problems, then it's not the answer. Perhaps someone will contradict me there.
.

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  • Re: My story so far.
    ... elevated blood viscocity". ... I've had back pain and swelling hands since I was about 14 ... sharp pains in the odd finger/thumb or up my arm on occasion. ... of my right arm but there is no mark on the skin itself. ...
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  • Re: My story so far.
    ... Sean wrote: ... elevated blood viscocity". ... I've had back pain and swelling hands since I was about 14 but no-one ever bother to see why. ... sharp pains in the odd finger/thumb or up my arm on occasion. ...
    (uk.people.support.arthritis)
  • Re: My story so far.
    ... elevated blood viscocity". ... I've had back pain and swelling hands since I was about 14 ... sharp pains in the odd finger/thumb or up my arm on occasion. ... of my right arm but there is no mark on the skin itself. ...
    (uk.people.support.arthritis)