My ESR is high and my platelets are elevated. So there’s definitely some inflammation present, even though my rheumatoid factor was normal. My CRP is also within normal range (although higher than it was last time, not sure if that means anything though). I’m surprised at the amount of relief I feel–it’s sort of validating, in a way. It means that this isn’t all in my head.
The doctor agrees that the swelling in my fingers, knuckles, ankles and lower back is most likely synovitis. Although my fingers feel all sausagey, my ankle joints are the worst–it’s not just a fluid build up there, the soft tissue is also inflamed and boggy. She was quite surprised when I told her that the rheumatologist had never actually explained what was going on with the swelling. The joint pain with the associated swelling was the primary reason I ended up at the rheumatologist’s last year, only to come away with a fibromyalgia diagnosis when all my blood tests came back normal.
Now I wonder whether he wrote me off too quickly–I mean, I DO believe I have fibro, but the symptoms specifically associated with FMS were never my primary concern. I don’t just have the ‘vague aches and pains’ the rheumatologist seems to think are my main concern–the FMS problems are on top of everything else, if that makes sense. My pain is very joint-specific, and I never really got a definite answer as to why that was the case. So I’m taking my partner with me when I go back to the rheumatologist’s next week. She’s better at describing my symptoms than I am because I’m very forgetful and tend to minimise things when I’m actually dealing with doctors.
Aaand in other news, my GP has set up my Team Care Arrangement, so I just need to make an appointment for hydrotherapy now. Lovely warm water, and nice helpful physiotherapists who are used to dealing with chronic illnesses.
posted by jeneli.
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