[Willow34]

Ok, I need to ask those of you who know if I am being silly or not. I am trying to get up the courage to ask my doctor questions on what is going on with me. I have gone to a specialist in another city, and he has been sending my family doctor the consultations and what he thinks.

I have had a type of arthritis for a long long time now. Since I was in my teens, and have seen arthritis specialists all these years, but I still don't know what it is that I have. I have had bad pains in my knees, wrists, ankles, and elbows. TMJ, which I saw another specialist for (really nice doctor too. Really great with kids as I was an early teen when it all started). My sed rate has been high, never below 35, as high as 50. My CRP has been high... the highest I saw was 20. I have always had a positive ANA (speckled between 1:140 and 1:180). I have been tested several times through the years for my thyroid, and it always came back alright.

Two years ago, I had a major episode where my ankles, wrists, elbows and knees all flared up one night. I had gone to bed fine, but woke up all swollen and unable to move. I had to have help getting dressed, and doing everything. This lasted for around three weeks. After, I was tested again and my tsh showed that I was now hypothyroid. I also have iron deficiency now.

My question to everyone is should I be concerned about this? I had been given celebrex a couple of years ago. The last time I saw a specialist for this was a year and a half - when I left I was not told to make another appointment. So that is that? I am popping Celebrex like there is no tomorrow, and I still can't sleep at night because I am in pain. I feel so tired all the time. Yes, I am going back to school and working full time, but I know what i can handle. Some days just sitting in my chair at school or here at the computer... if I slump any lower, I will fall off my chair! It just seems like I have no energy, even to sit up!

I am shy when it comes to doctors. Do I have the right to ask next week what the specialist has said about me? I want to ask questions, but I don't know where to start. I guess I am scared I sound stupid or that I am looking for something wrong with me. I am just so tired of being tired, but I want to know if what I said in this post suggests that there is something going on?? Sorry this is so long. :blush:

 

[Katharine]

Oh dear Willow (((((((hugs))))))

It is time you sat down and told you doctor all this. Not only should you be asking but you have a right to know. Things sould be explained to you. You should have a copy of all test results and letters about you!

I think you need to start at the beginning and explain to the doc what you are thinking. Explain that you want to know and don't know where to start.

sorry I'm up to my ears in complex arty translation but just wanted to say that quickly...
Katharine

 

[cad]

Hi Willow,
sorry to hear you are having such a rough time, i really empathise.
I also know what you means about doctors, i am diabetic and hypothyroid and now suspected SLE and i know that when i had my first lot of ANA tests that were positive my doctors didn't tell me what they were looking for or what this might mean.
I think you should try to put aside your fear of sounding stupid and perhaps write a list of some questions that require very clear answers and take the list in with you and just go through it, that way you have a focus.
You have a right to ask the doctors for information on your results and what they mean and potential diagnosis.
Some times its us as patients who have to encourage our doctors to look at things more cloely and all our symptoms together in order to open up less likely possible causes for our symptoms.
Good luck, i hope everything goes well for you.
Take Care
Cassie

 

[LolaLola]

Dear Willow, I feel the Doctors should have understood that you would be anxious. Please do not be shy of making your worries known.
As you say you are at school, I am assuming you are rather like my Daughter, who finds any sort of social life impossible at bad times. It gets so you are just existing. I do feel for you.
x Lola

 

[Willow34]

Thanks for the replies. I feel so much better.... thank you so much. I have a lot going on right now. I am just overwhelmed. Some days I feel like I should just live with it and forget about it. Other times, I wonder why I am just popping pills and not really finding a solution to what is going on with me. Even if they would just say they don't know. That would be a comfort.

Right now, I am studying nursing (going back to university). In two years, I hope to write my MCAT entrance exam for med school...so I have lots going on and this pain/feeling tired is just getting too out of hand. I get home from college and I am so exhausted. What is worse, I can't stop working (bills need to be paid). So there are weeks like this one where I go to school from 12:45 pm to 4:00 pm, and work from 4:00pm to midnight. Four days a week. I get one weekend every three weeks where I have no school and no work.

I know what I am doing would make anyone over tired. But I know this type of feeling. I seem so much more tired than I should be. Like I am constantly walking in hip deep quicksand with weight on my back. Just writing my notes feels like I did a half marathon! I don't know what to do anymore. I might just look my doctor in the eye and tell him something is not right and how I would like to know what the specialist said last year. I really would like to know.

 

[Maia]

Good to hear you are getting up the courage to ask. I second the idea of writing a list, with very specific questions and then going through each one and writing down the answers. You may want to also ask for copies of recent bloodwork. While the positive ANA could be due to autoimmune hypothyroid conditions, all your symptoms certainly are not due to hypothyroid.

I would be careful about taking too much celebrex, particularly if it's not helping too terribly much. I believe the most you should take is 2 per day!

Good luck at your upcoming appointment, please write back to let us know how it all goes!