i have pains in my hands,shoulders,elbows,lower back im 46 n lost my job recently cos of this
i sometimes have to walk round lent to 1 side cos of pain before loosing my job my 20minute walk to work took over an hour and sometimes getting home due to resting every few steps took 3 hours.how can i get my doctor to check for arthritus and not just keep giving me pain relief which isnt really working.
Sue, tell your doctor that the pain medication is not working and you're concerned that the joint pain may be something more serious.
If you need some background information on Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes, Risk Factors and Symptoms, click this link.
You can also try this Symptom Checker tool here. It will provide you with information based on the information you click.
Next, you may want to ask about specific tests to look for the possibility of Rheumatoid Arthritis. This link has a list of tests doctors use to help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis. Ask your doctor about these and talk about what tests you should take.
Your condition may not be due to rheumatoid arthritis, but it's best to check and be sure. Tell your doctor your concerns. If your doctor is uncooperative or unhelpful, then you may want to consider seeing someone else. Soem of the members on this site waited years to get a proper diagnosis! The bottom line is to see someone who is concerned about your health and it eager to help you figure out what's going on and help you figure out what to do.
Good luck!
-
- Ranked Helpful (2)
- Report Abuse
You really just need to be honest and ask the doctor to test you. Be honest with him and tell him your concerns. If he won't test you, then find another doctor. Sometimes many forms of arthritis are difficult to diagnose and some doctors won't test you unless you have had a family history of such conditions. The fact is that no one knows your body as well as you do, so if you know that something is going on then you owe it to yourself to make sure you are tested. I can identify with you on this as it took 2 years and many different doctors to finally get to my diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. If you have pain, and want to get to the bottom of it, then make it your mission to find out whats going on. Certain forms of arthritis can cause significant damage. Just talk to your doctor first and see if he will test you and then go from there. Good luck and best wishes!
- Thank you for your input
- Ranked Helpful (1)
- Report Abuse
Your Ideal Rheumatologist
Establish a relationship with your doctor that works for you.
