New here...questions about dx and tx

Hi.

I usually post on some of the GI forums, the chronic pain forum, and sometimes depression forum. As you can probably tell, I have quite a few health problems. I recently saw my primary care doc (a new one) about a new problem...about 4 months ago, I started getting achy feeling in my joints, worst in my hands/fingers/wrists, and also significant in my feet/toes, sometimes in my knees and elbows and shoulders. I do have pain in my neck and back, but been dealing with that for much longer and know the causes of that pain.

Anyway, often feel stiff in the morning or if I don't move around for a while, and then when I bend my fingers or whatever, it is painful. Rarely have swelling. Pain seems worst in the evening hours, best midday. So, primary care ran a bunch of blood tests and was able to rule out things like autoimmune stuff, lymes, and RA. I asked her "Ok, now what?" I'm very happy I do not have any of those things, but was hoping maybe she would actually spend a little more time trying to determine what's going on or at least help me figure out how to deal with it. Today, I got a message from her saying that lots of people get osteoarthritis as they age (I'm 36), and basically it's just a part of life.

I didn't realize something like this (osteoarthritis) would/could come on so quickly, going from no joint pain at all to rather significant pain daily, in a matter of a few weeks. Is that possible?

Currently, I wear "arthritis gloves" (sort of compression/support gloves that reach from fingertips to my wrists). Seem to help a bit. I use ice sometimes in the evening, mostly for my hands.

Feeling very confused, any advice or thoughts?

Thanks for your time,

Sunny.