Hello, first post here and need help.
Been having problems for years with low back pain, then hip joint pain, plantar faciitis and now pain in both hands and shoulders. My GP sent off for the HLA-B27 test to settle my mind mainly and to see if their was anything to my pain. After getting the HLA-B27 negative result, I went on to the rheumy appointment that she had set up for me. It was a total disaster, and I have not been back. This guy was crazy, but anyway, he said you dont have AS or anything else, but we might want to look at an xray. Well he did the xray and said that I did not have AS, SI looks fine, but you have multiple discs in your lower back with great amount of degenerative disc disease. How old did you say your were? I said 43, he said this is way more advanced than your age. He said that he had no idea what had caused it and said that I would be in pain the rest of my life, and pay up front when you leave....Well I left and told my GP that I would not go back. Months later, I was having more pain in the SI joints, lower back, buttocks, hands and ankles, and she wants me to go to another rheumy. I went last week, and this guy is totally different from the first one. He give me the best exam I guess I have ever had, went over every joint in my body. Asked history questions all the way back to my teenage years. He brought up several things that pointed him to AS? He described AS to me and said that he would bet money that was what I had. I did not tell him any history of the other rheumy or the negative test, probably should have but I was in shock when he said AS on the first visit? Anyway, he marked my back and tested me while I tried to touch my toes (forgot name of test) and said that I was 4 cm ? and then he tested my chest expansion also 4 cm ? Does anyone know normal ranges for both of these tests? I told him plainly that I was not in a flair up and that I was doing better than I had been in at least a month. He said that he wanted xrays of my hip and my hands and that he wanted to see me again in two weeks. He give me a Kenalog 80mg injection and put me on Indocin SR two times a day. He did the following blood work, GHP, CRP, RF, UricAcid, and HLA-B27 again. He said the meds were only the start of my treatment and if it was not AS it was one of the 3 very close diseases. He would setup my treatment plan at the next visit.
Anyway, are the measurements out of range?
Are the meds the normal first attempt items for AS treatment?
Has anyone heard of multiple prostatitis problems being from AS? He said it was a sure sign, since it begin in my teenage years.
Prostatitis was before my low back pain started in my early 20's.
I still find it hard to believe that he was so sure after my exam, and the history of my case that he told me what he thought it was, without knowing for sure?
Are NSAIDS supposed to do great wonders? Cause the Kenalog shot and Indocin SR is not helping as much as I wanted it too. I can tell a big difference in my hands and ankles, but not my hip pain and low back pain?
I still do not think it is AS, but not sure now? I know something is wrong and it is getting worse. Is there anything else I should do?
Any thoughts to help me with the next visit?
Thanks for the help and I am so sorry it was so long.
Thanks
Pain241
