not sure if this goes here, but I’ve not been around for months (again…)
so…
over the last year, give or take, i’ve developed really unpleasant lower-back pain, to the point where i can’t walk straight.
i did the normal thing and went to an orthopaedic specialist. he did some xrays and sent me off to do an MRT
turns out i have spondylolisthesis (slippy vertebrae) of the last three vertebrae.
AND a little inflammation in my sacro-iliac joints
so, with that, he sent me off to a rheumatologist. she did some blood work, which came back negative (did the HLA-B genetic thing, most other rheuma-related tests, all the stuffs) and it all came back negative.
well, i do/did have high levels of an anti-streptococcus… thing (I’m sorry, translating this is hard and i don’t remember it exactly)
so, she said she’s rather optimistic it’s not rheuma, or, more specifically, it’s not morbus bechterew (which she suspected)
now… she sent me off to another rheumatologist, who said it’s only a mild inflammation and gave me NSAIDs to take for a couple weeks. thing is, pain didn’t go away at ALL, didn’t even get any better, and all i got was massive hearthburn.
i called him to agree to stop taking them and after that, i’ve reached a numb moment, where i really didn’t care anymore and didn’t want to bother going to another doc or re-visit the previous ones…
since the pain’s still there, and i’ve woken up with severely achy hip joints and achy, stiff hands again for a couple days now, i don’t know where to go now.
whenever i try reading up on the symptoms, it all comes back to either polyarthritis or bechterew/spondylitis ankylosans.
but the blood results were negative for the usual markers…
i am just… annoyed and the depression makes it so hard to get up off my ass to figure out who to go to, not to mention actually making any calls for an appointment.
is it possible to have rheuma without any of the blood markers?
if so, how can someone tell?
Yes it is very possible. There is something called seronegative arthritis. You have rheumatoid arthritis, but it does not show RA factor in the blood.
If you are waking up with aching hips and stiff hands, that means that you need to point yourself in the direction of a rheumatologist. Are there any visible signs of hand problems? Swollen fingers? Fat knuckles? If so, please be sure to take pictures so that you can show them to the doctor. Because you know how these things work: you will have swelling, and then on the day of your appointment you will wake up and the swelling will all be gone.
Bechterew/spondylitis ankylosans translates as “ankylosing spondylitis” in English. It’s a tricky disease to diagnose, because it’s one of those that don’t necessarily show up with abnormal blood work. Here’s a good article about how AS is diagnosed.
Can I ask you a question? How are your nails and your skin? Are they normal, smooth and clear, or you have any problems with them?
It’s so frustrating, isn’t it, to be feeling so awful and at the same time have doctors telling you that it’s all pretty minor. Please also remember that fatigue and depression are both symptoms that can come with various rheumatological diseases.
It’s all a puzzle, and the sooner you get it sorted, the sooner you’ll feel better. If only you weren’t so depressed, exhausted and achy, you could rush out and go find a doctor who might diagnose you. I know. I’ve been there.
Seenie from Moderator Support
Hello Dwaggie,
I don’t know, I have also been told I don’t have RA but I just have arthritis. I’m on Celebrex and it’s doing nothing for my joint pain and stiffness. My lower back pain is so bad that I walk with slight bend because standing straight up is a no no! I also have fibromyalgia so between the two I’m in pain everyday of my life somewhere. I don’t know where else to turn myself. My PD said she is referring me to a pain management doctor. I go to him on 17th of this month. I can’t wait because he is also a back and spine specialist. So I’m praying I get answers this time. Seenie as she said it’s very possible to have a negative RA diagnosis so I’m wondering if that’s my problem also. Hopefully you can get answers because I know it’s depressing to not really know what is wrong with you! Thanks for sharing your story. And pray I hear from you again. Have a blessed and painless day!!!
Shirley 