I don't think it's tendinitis

My doctor diagnosed me with tendinitis, but I am questioning his diagnosis.  I have severe constant pain in my knees, shoulders and fingers and mild, intermittent pain in my feet, ankles, and jaw.  I have developed lumps on my wrists, however they do not bother me.  My hands are the worst, with major swelling in my fingers, and most of the day I cannot lay my hands flat.  My pinky fingers are only mildly affected for some reason.  My knees hurt when I kneel down or when I stand up after sitting for a short time.  My shoulders hurt especially when I am trying to sleep, and sometimes they make a popping noise, which does not hurt but causes discomfort.  The pain wakes me up multiple times at night.  My fingertips are numb when I sleep, when I wake up, and while I am blow-drying my hair.  Everything aches badly first thing in the morning and seems to get a little bit better throughout the day.  I have quit drinking alcohol, been taking Meloxicam (anti-inflammatory) for several weeks along with Tylenol and physical therapy, but have not seen improvement.  Does anyone have any suggestions?  

[Raven17]

Look up psoriatic arthritis.  It is an autoimmune disease that will cause issues with your tendons, causing tendonitus.   My symptoms were very similar to what you described and I was just diagnosed with it (after twenty years of pain).  Any problems with psoriasis?  Or any family history?  85% of people have the skin disease first, but that does leave 15% of people (like me) who got the arthritis first (or the skin is so mild that it's barely there).  Here's a good website that talks about it.  http://www.medicinenet.com/psoriatic_arthritis/page2.htm
See if you doctor will refer you to a rheumatologist.  Only they can determine if you have an autoimmune disease.  Your doctor can be "right" when s/he says you have tendonitus, but the key is to find out why you have tendonitus.  If you not doing something to cause it physically, something is causing it, it doesn't just happen.  That's what you have to find out.  

[cmluthern]

Thank you for your input.  I am going back to my PC physician today, will ask for a referral.  Since you have been diagnosed, have the treatments worked to alleviate your pain?  I cannot believe it took twenty years to diagnose!  That is why I am questioning my doctor right now, because I want to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible, as he thinks this will just go away on its own with time.

[Raven17]

we working on it.  started on methotrexate.  had a bad reaction.  on Arava right now.  will be on it for at least 6 months, it takes a while to build up, so i'm still in a lot of pain right now, having a bad flare up.  the doc wants to put me on enbrel, but has to wait for 6 months for the arava to see if it will help.  hopefully it will, but i'm 2 months into it and it hasn't yet.  at least i found a good doctor that finally listened.  that's the key, don't give up.  sometimes these things are really hard to diagnose and it takes a really determined patient and doctor to do it.  

[TrudieC]

Yes, a rheumatologist is what you need.  I also was diagnosed with tendonitis and ended up being Lupus.  Good luck.