Hello im new at this site , please help me.

[Agony_84]

I'm a 26 year old male and live with moderate to severe pain everyday of my life. Every joint in my body throbs and around them ache,it is very hard to walk. I dislocated my knee 10 years ago since then pain is all I feel. Its been about a year and half since the rest of my joints started giving me trouble. I always feel exhausted and seems to have had a little bit of memory trouble. I don't sleep to great to often. When the pain goes down enough I can get some rest, but most of the time when I wake up my feet ankles and legs have a weird sensation. It almost feels like knives stabbing me from toes to hips, and sometime have a numb feeling and the big veins in feet and legs get bigger. My doctor did some kind of blood test a week ago  but he said it was ok. I'm gonna talk to him tomorrow so mabey they can fit me in their schedule soon. I hope someone out there can help me with some advice.

[MC4314]

I agree - that sounds quite odd on your doctor's part in regard to the diagnosis issue.  Personally, I would mention to his/her staff member that handles referrals that "rule out (then possible diagnosis)" IS considered a diagnosis.  For example, you can be referred with the diagnosis of "r/o lupus", "r/o RA", "r/o arthralgia", etc.  Then, the rheumatologist takes it from there.

Good luck getting the appointment set up - hopefully you don't have to jump through too many hoops given your amount of pain!  :)

[carolanivey]

[[they wouldn't accept me because I have no diagnosis]]

Um...what??? A rheumie IS the person who has the best chance of making a firm diagnosis, not your primary care doctor. That's BS, IMO.

As soon as your doctor gets back in town, call again and, as my Dad would say, "Raise some sand!" :) Hang in there!

[Agony_84]

Thank you for sending me a message. I wanted to go see a Rheumatologist but the person at my drs office in refer alls  said that that they wouldn't accept me because I have no diagnosis. Idk why they would do that because they would get more in depth than my dr would. I've about lost my patience :) but I hope one day soon they will get me figured out. Thanks again.

[Agony_84]

Thanks for sending me a message. I work a hard job so I stay active. I feel lucky everyday that I make it through my day. At the end of my work days I'm useless and can't hardly walk, but I got to make a living for my family.

[Agony_84]

Thank you for replying to my post. You have some good advice. Unfortunately my Dr left the office for a few days, but when he gets back I will be sure to get him to check those levels.

[carolanivey]

In addition to the excellent advice above, I would ask for a referral to a rheumatologist, if you aren't seeing one already. These specialists are specifically trained to deal with all kinds of auto-immune diseases like monsterjam mentioned.

Keep in mind that one blood test won't tell the whole story. You could be what's called "sero-negative" and still have all the symptoms. A good doctor will know this and look at a broad range of evidence to determine the best treatment - blood work, xrays, MRI, and most important, laying eyes and hands on your sore joints to feel for tissue swelling and ranking each joint 1-5 or 1-10 in pain level. This can be a long, frustrating process, but hang in there. That's why they call us 'patients'. :)

[monsterjam2]

There are a whole bunch of things that can cause these symptoms.  Just a few include Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome.  Best to continue working with your doc until you have a diagnosis. Meanwhile, stay as active as you can without overdoing and increasing your discomfort. Regular, gentle exercise and stretching often help, but best to get the green light from your doc, first.  Good luck!

[MC4314]

I'm sorry to hear that you're dealing with so much pain.  

As far as the bloodwork, I'm assuming they tested for inflammation and infection, but did they also check your potassium level?  If deficient, it could cause pain, fatigue/exhaustion, foggy memory, and muscle cramps/spasms that some people describe as a stabbing or pins and needles feeling.  

Research shows that most people who experience chronic pain are deficient in potassium, vitamin d, and magnesium, so it's a good idea to have testing done to see where you're at.  

I hope all goes well when you talk with your doctor tomorrow, and that he's able to order tests and get to the bottom of what's going on so you can work on feeling better.  Good luck and take care.