Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Tendency to Mistake other Ailments for AS

Hi Friends
I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this.
Since my diagnosis 3 years ago, I have fallen into the trap of assuming that every time I have an ailment that its just part of my AS. My awareness of 'something-not-quite-right in my body has been dampened down or confused by being an AS patient.
On one occasion I had influenza, but thought it was just a head cold, and assumed that the accompanying achey limbs and fever could be attributed to a flare. Dehydrated? Oh thats just the salazopyrin.
Another time, I had mild gastro, but thought it was some kind of AS-related IBD. It wasn't until the rest of the family came down with it that the penny dropped. Then there was a corneal lasceration, I thought I had iritis!
I have a friend with RA, and she recently dismissed a dislocated finger as just another arthritic inflammation!
So do any of you jump to the wrong conclusions occassionally based on a misguided 'educated' guess??
Go on, please, just one of you, relate to me, so I dont feel like a crazy woman!
Have a nice weekend all
Felicity

Hi Felicity,
No your not mad its very easy to dismiss things and assume its all because of AS.I think its something we all go through. If your ever in doubt get checked out (that's good it rhymes).

Kevin

Hi Felicity,

I can only agree with Kevin - you're not a nutter!

I'm sure we've all done it at one time or another.

Cheers,

I so know what you mean. So if you are crazy so am I.
I recently did a 9hr trip home from my daughters state titles. My left knee was quite sore and I just put it down to the AS as I have a lot of knee troubles. Then 4 nights later it was still realy sore and when I looked down my calf had swollen.
Had to go to emergency and turns out I had DVT (blood clot)
This could have killed me if it had moved.
Never again will I just assume it is the AS even if the doctors get sick of seeing me, which is another reason why I just blamed the AS.

You are def not alone.

Hi Feliciy, I will echo the rest here, you are not nuts. I think we all have just dimissed things as AS related and dismissed it. The key is have new symptoms or problems checked out, like Aussiegirl, her symptoms could have been AS related but thank God she had it checked out, it could have been devistating if she hadn't. Don't be affraid to consult you doc with new problems. Even if it is AS related, those new symptoms should be documented.
Cindy

Hi Felicity,

I used to do that a lot too, until I got tired of it, and then, being the type of person I am, I went to just the opposite extreme, and assumed everything was not AS related. My Dr., who has know me for almost 20 years, just sits, dumbfounded and amazed when I ask, "Is this AS related?" LOL.

I think one of my fears in all of this is to be thought of as an hypochondriac. (the "an" is for you Alan) Heheh

i think i do this sort of thing a lot.

examples:

no matter how bad my headaches are, i chalk them up to the migraines i've been getting since i was 8 or so. reading about brett michaels i realize that if it were more serious, i'd probably miss it, since migraines are just a common part of my life. i assume if it wre something else, it would feel worse somehow, but who knows.

was assuming bleeding after not having a period for 13 months just meant i was still perimenopausal. other doctors were making that assumption too. a doctor i saw today said it could also indicate uterine cancer and we had to get it checked out. i still think its nothing, but glad someone is taking it more seriously if it should be.

have had gastritis (and often bowel issues with it) for so long that i kind of chalk up bowel distress with the gastritis. finally going for a colonoscopy like i probably should have done already, upon the insistence of my doctors.

so maybe don't chalk everything up to AS, but definitely tend to ignore symptoms that have come and gone over the years, even when the symptoms are worse than before......unless things get a lot worse, then i go have it checked out. but i realize i probably shouldn't wait til it hits a crisis.

I wasn't diagnosed with AS until last year, but I always chalked up symptoms to other things or that my JRA was a little more active, going through menopause, out of shape, etc. I'm sure that is why when I was finally diagnosed with lymphoma, it was Stage IV. When symptoms are vague, but troubling, it is difficult to explain what's going on, like fatigue.

Ever since my GP said I had AS, I thought all my aches and pains were AS. My GP put me on a course of pred and everything felt better except my shoulder. I went back to GP, he gave me a cortisone shot in my shoulder and it felt better for a few weeks. Then it started hurting again. It's my shoulder pain, not my back that keeps me awake at night.

I think I need to get a referral to an Ortho doc to find the answer.

When I think about it, my GP made the same mistake, thinking it was caused by AS.
Donna

Thanks Guys
I really appreciate the replies. I dont want the 'hypochondriac' label either, but have a new resoultion now to get any new ailments checked out properly!