Well as far as I know (which is about this far ---), that rheumy was wrong. I've been hounding my doctors about these very questions and I got very different answers.
My blood has never indicated anything abnormal. My latest Bone Scan revealed nothing either. My X-rays do show damage in the lumbar spine however and I am HLA B27 +. I also have Ulcerative Colitis.
The last time I saw my rheumy, I called him out on this very question and asked him to explain (read as justify) my diagnosis for me. He looked at the file for reference material before he responded and told me that there was NO wiggle room in my diagnosis. The fact that blood work and Bone Scans revealed nothing is completely irrelevant.
It seems that about twenty per cent of my rheumy's patients are in a similar situation. He is retiring this June and has walls covered with degrees and certificates from around the world and I respect his opinions a great deal. I asked him why this was and he told me "if you find out, let me know and I'll get a Nobel prize for coming up with the answer".
Oh and btw, he is not the doctor that diagnosed me so there is no chance of him trying to cover his [**BLEEP**] by telling me this.
I went through a period of self-doubt when all these tests came up negative and wondered if my condition was getting worse and I was suffering so much because I was mis-diagnosed. That was a bunch of worrying I didn't need.
These tests CAN be excellent indicators but they cannot rule anything out.
Chris
