Hi,
I'm 32 and have seronegative rheumatoid arthritis. And not one blood test showed any RA or even inflammation markers and I had a lot of blood tests. Eventually I had a bone scan. Wulla! A bone scan will show arthritis that a blood test or any other test won't. You have a dye injected into your arm and go through like an MRI machine.
I was being treated for Ross river fever for 3 months before I finally got to see my doctor (who had been away) she ordered the bone scan and result - high grade synovitis/seronegative RA, Arthritis' have all different names and the same one can have several names meaning the same thing. On a bone scan the bones or joints will come up black on the X-ray if they have arthritis. My entire skeleton was black! I was being treated for the wrong thing! And guess what I was on, tramadol and steroids. I'm still on steroids but a different dose and with other medications that actually help :)
I agree with sticking with one doctor, other wise every time u go to a new one there gonna do all the same tests u already had cause they will want to see the results not take ur word for it. Annoying, i know. And not knowing what is wrong will drive u nuts, it did to me. They were treating me for suspected ross river, because they couldnt find anything else. See a rehumotologist, go to the GP don't even ask them for advice just tell them u want a referral and that's all u need to do and then u can go to a specialist. Rheumatoid Arthritis can destroy your joints so u should just bypass the doctor maybe and go to the specialist. I have one doctor, one rehmatologist, one physio, one rehabilitation specialist. They all send letters and reports back to my general doctor. You need the same thing. And you can get that by telling them what u want. U want MRI's, bone scan and a referral to a rehumatologist.
I used to run, dive, very active and now I walk with a walker to the bathroom and any further then that is a wheelchair. And all my blood tests said I had no arthritis. But...they were wrong. Now, nothing is gonna stop me from fighting my arthritis (and as a result of it I also have fibromyalgia) and I know I cant get rid of it but 'we' can work towards a better quality of life. But u must find this so frustrating cause u don't know where to start. Cause i remember feeling the same way when they were treating me for ross river and the medications weren't helping. So if the doctors won't do it, then u tell them what u want done. Your their patient not their lab mouse. I told my doctor I wanted a referral to a rehumotologist and all other tests besides bloods done. And, ok I got crappy seronegative RA and fibro but at least then I was able to know what I had, what was wrong and then the doctors were able to give me the correct medications to treat it and now I'm starting rehabilitation.
Take the control back into your hands darlin. And u tell those doctors what u want done! It's your body.
