Rheumatologist appt- increased pain in hips and shoulders / after appt vent

So, I started getting irritation and pain in my L hip joint, and proggressed to include the R. It "catches" occasionally when I go to lift a straight leg. Xrays come out clean and my PM thinks it is the RA progressing. I also have increased irritating pain in my shouder. The L side also catches when I try cross-body lift, but not all the time.
It is that warm, itchy, gritty type pain. It it was colored it would be a burnt orange pain. I'm no good at giving this type of pain a number beause movement and stillness change it so much quickly.
I know that is infammation b/c of what I imagine would make it feel better. The gel doesnt cut it anymore, I imagine a injection of cool into the center would be the best. I havent talked to my PM about an injection just yet. I want to see the Rheumy first.
So I had my appt moved up by 3 weeks and here I sit waiting for my turn.
I took the MTX last night and so Im nausious and unbalanced and exausted and my muscles are sore. I had to rely on a driver to get me here, and I hate doing that, but it was only spot avaliable.
I also want to bring up that both my psychologist and the PM belive I have fibro, and im not sure how.
I gotta go. Wish me luck.

Post Edited (_Christina) : 8/27/2011 11:01:08 PM (GMT-6)

I left the office still digesting what happened. It took me till late that night to really figure out how disappointed I am with the results. First off, I tell her about the hip and shoulder pain and irritation. I told her that there was an xray done and the PM thinks it is progression of RA. She looked at my fingers. She felt my shoulders. I told her that the PM and my PSY think I have fibromialgia and I am aware that there are tests that are run to
eliminate other conditions that have similar symptoms. No single test, but bunches of them to eliminate anything else.
Her answer was to say there is no test for fibro. She did the pressure point pokes, but just briefly, lightly pushed and moved to the next. Didn't tell me to tell her if they hurt till shehad already done 3 sets. She said fibromialgia was just another name for chronic pain. Started talking about antidepressants. I am already on antidepressants. I told her that Idon't ever "balloon" up like on the pictures, but I feel the warmth, and the pain in the joints. I also feel the nerve pain in my arms and hands when they are squished in myelbows or wrists. My knuckles swell a bit, but never huge like I feel like she is looking for.
Other than simply stating that I have hip pain, she never looked at it or discussed it. She decided to write a note to have my Psychiatrist give me lyrica, but did not perscribe it herself. She is aware I already take cymbalta. On her way out the door (I say again, she was done and leaving and she had not once brought up the reason for the visit) I stopped her and asked her what do i do about the hip pain. She said that there was a chance that it was tissue pain near the joint that seemed like it was in the hip and I should try the lyrica and see if that helps. If it doesn't, then she wii order an MRI because an xray really does no good for RA except to see if major damage has been done in developed RA.
( Then why the h*** did she send me for knee and hand xrays earlier?!?)
I am on nearly 20 medications. It has taken me years to get somewhat stablized. I am disabled due to bipolar issues, so as bad as having RA is and having chronic pain, bipolar is my most serious issue. I am never free from those symptoms either. She asked me if I am stable right now, well, yes I am stable right now. But only because I havs made radical social and personal decisions.
When I increased my cymbalta in the late spring I wasn't. It took over a month and an increase in the mood stablizer to even me out. When I took a decongestant in early spring I wasn't. It took over three weeks to make my mind stop racing. Adding new medications can take weeks to recover from if it goes bad. Starting at lower oses and increasing to something that works can take months and each time it changes it can effect my mental status.
I am aware that that the docs wnt you to do less expensive things first, but why can't I do the test before messing with my medications. Why don't they LOOK to she what is happening before jeopardizing the rest of my treatments? Why is it so awlful that I told her that I suspected fibro? That the PM and the PSY that I see weekly suspect fibromialgia? My psychologist will never write lyerica dor me for muscle pain. I know she won't because of the fuss she made over increasing the cymblta just for decresing chronic pain. In the end she justified it because of increased depression with chronic pain. She isn't going to write a whole other script for a medical issue she is not treating.
Also, the rheumatologist left me without anything for my hip pain. Did not look at it. Did not discuss it, really. And certainly did not give a treatment to it.
I've already sent a message to my PM and my psychologist on Friday, and see my psychiatrist on Wednesday.
Oh, but I'm still so angry about it!

Christina, I have been reading up about Fibro to sort of refresh my memory. From what I have just finished reading it appears that many drs to this day do not believe there is such a disorder as Fibromyalgia, and they are dead wrong. They still do not have any type of testing that can be done to test for Fibro either. They use to dx people that had pain and tenderness in 11 to 17 different areas of the body. Well, apparently drs still were not comfortable dxing it based on this information so the Board of Rheumatologist changed it up somewhat May 2010.

Now they rely on a person with at least a three month history of chronic widespread pain index coupled with a symptom severity scale. This can be body aches and pain and tender ponits. They now have a 19 point checklist, trouble with sleeping, fatigue and cognitive issues. Some are still throwing in the tender points used prior and adding it the new program.

The bad with Fibro is they use pretty much the nerve pain meds to help combat it and many times out normal pain meds just do not give enough relief. I do hope someone is able to help you out with this and get you to feeling better. Take care.