Hi Weary,
I always seem to have symptoms without bloodwork to match it. I remember my rheumy saying that was quite common in sero negative cases. Often it may show up in your blood ages later and quite often it affects our tendons instead of our bones, so we get inflammation along tendon sheaths which are harder to treat.
I had a bad flare and ended up in hospital about 2 years ago and the interns told me similar stories, how hard sero negative is to diagnose and treat etc etc...
My Rheumy says she treats symptoms alone. So if I say I need a cortisone shot because my elbows or knees or wrists are killing me she does it.
I've been fighting off a huge chest infection, 5-6 weeks now. Had to go off all my meds to fight it, had intravenous antibiotics and feel much better now but its scary how sick we can become with these meds affecting our immune system. Anyway saw this Dr at the hospital on Monday when I went to get the canula out and she was like " I don't know why you bother with only 1 mg prednosone and this was obviously inflammatory condition not infection ...." Really opinionated and just horrible to deal with. I went back to my GP all upset and she had to remind me that this woman is only one opinion and had only looked at my case notes for 5 minutes and didn't know all my past etc etc but she really got me upset.
So I'll say the same to you, get a rheumy who listens to you, doesn't just look at the result sheet. I often have a lot of pain and not much swelling and other times swelling and not much pain at all. I don't know why, it just seems to be the way this disease works. Differently for each of us. You have some weakness in a joint and that seems to be where it will spark off or overuse a joint and ditto.
Well thats a long enough rave at you.
GO See a New Rheumy, one that listens to you. Is there any reccommedations from your local arthritis society or anyone you know or your GP may know of.
Goodluck follow your heart, golitho