Awaiting a diagnosis
Hello, I am new here and still waiting to see a rheumatologist for a diagnosis. My c-reative protein and rheumatoid factor test both came back within normal range so the local arthritis clinic refused to see me. I spoke with my doctor, emphasizing my symptoms and she agreed to send a referral to another specialist 3 hours away along with a list of all of my symptoms. I have many/most of the common symptoms related to psoriatic arthritis, along with some lesser common symptoms. I have dealt with psoriasis and severe lower back pain and stiffness for several years. I recently became plagued with sciatica and heel pain; the sciatica making it difficult to work as I sit for a large part of my day. The back and leg pain wakes me often in the night. I am quite active and do feel better when I am moving around, but winter brings challenges for activity. Other symptoms include nail ridges and splitting nails as well as an entire toe nail falling off, deformity in finger joints, Raynaud's Syndrome, dizziness, blurred vision with large floaters, GI issues, fatigue, and anxiety. My doctor tends to shrug off my concerns and I feel like I'm a hypochondriac for asking to see an arthritis specialist. I don't want to have this disease but if I do, I want treatment sooner rather than later; I have lost 5 years since I last attempted to see a rheumatologist. My doctor did prescribe 15 mg Meloxicam and it helped a bit for the pain, but after 1 week, I started to have severe stomach cramps and after 2 weeks I developed watery diarrhea and she told me to stop taking it and try Tylenol. Tylenol is of no help and prior to the Meloxicam I was taking 800 mg of ibuprofen 2 times a day for the last 5-6 years. I do have an appointment to start physical therapy next week and hope that will help with the pain. I apologize for the long post but would love to hear some feedback from this community. Thanks in advance!
Hi
. I am glad you got the referral to a specialist. You must be so frustrated. Unfortunately, you are not alone in your experience. PsA is hard to diagnose. There are no definitive tests and blood tests come back normal about 50 percent of the time. Sadly, many people are brushed off by doctors who are unfamiliar with PsA for years before they get a diagnosis. Does this specialist have much experience with PsA? With all of your symptoms and your history of psoriasis, it shouldn't be a hard call for someone who has treated PsA before. Here is an article about the diagnostic process that might interest you: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/how-doctor-diagnose. Please don't give up if this new doctor won't help you. Be your own advocate and keep pushing for answers. If it is PsA, the right treatment can be lifechanging. Keep us posted if you feel comfortable doing so. Wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member) Hi
. Thank you for your message and the link to the article. I found it helpful. I am very frustrated and a bit scared that I won't be able to find any answers. My referral was sent to a rheumatologist at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. I don't see any specific references to PsA on their website and they may not even choose to see me as was the case with the local arthritis clinic. In searching for information, I did find another doctor locally that isn't a part of the arthritis clinic that does treat PsA and I may ask my doctor to reach out to her. As I said, I start PT tomorrow and am hopeful that will help with the pain. Meanwhile I hope to find hope and solace in some of the stories shared here. Thank you again, Lori. Hi
. Have you tried calling the rheumatologist office at the University of Iowa to find out? I have found the office staff is usually quite helpful with questions like that. Does your insurance require a referral? If not, you might be able to make an appointment with the local rheumatologist of your own. Good luck with PT. I hope it helps! 😀 - Lori (Team Member)
Hi Skyblupink. Have you considered talking to a dermatologist? Sounds strange I know, but I didn't get a correct diagnosis until I went to my derm, who tied it all together. Good thoughts to you 😊
