This is exactly the issues I am dealing with. As a long time marathon runner these tendinitis/tenosynovitis issues are what I have been dealing with. All of my Drs have blamed this on my running and tell me I need to quit running. Although even with not running these issues have continued to progress and none of the Podiatrist or PTs have been able to figure out why this won't heal. The most recent development has been tendonitis in my arms and hands. I'm sorry but the arms have nothing to do with running! Also, as a runner I know what normal running pain is and this is not it. In the last few months I have noticed swelling in the outside of my ankle at the end of my 12 hour shift at work. Unfortunately this swelling usually goes away by the next morning so I am unable to show my Rheumy this. This is so frustrating not being able to get a Dr to take me seriously!
Take pictures of everything. I never look bad at the doctor’s office, and you know they think we ladies are all hypochondriacs.
runnergirl, photographs are our friends. I was having all sorts of issues that managed to conveniently disappear whenever I had an appointment with my Rheumy, so a few folks on here suggested I take pictures and show them to the doc. Worked like a charm. Because of the pics, the doc has now started investigating other areas of affect for my PsA. Whenever something new shows up, I get pics of it right away for that very reason.
If the doc still won't take you seriously after you show him/her pics...switch to a new doc (if possible). As PsA patients, we need to learn to advocate for ourselves first and we need a doc willing to treat us as partners in our treatment, rather than the all-knowing, all-seeing DOCTOR. The latter kind of doc works okay for some people, but not for those of us who have a debilitating progressive disease. Good luck!
Thanks for the advise. I actually did take a picture of my swollen ankle on one particularly bad day but did not show it to the Rheumy as it seemed every symptom I expressed he brushed aside as nothing and even laughed when I mentioned my four month bout with severe vertigo.
tmbrwolf329 said:
runnergirl, photographs are our friends. I was having all sorts of issues that managed to conveniently disappear whenever I had an appointment with my Rheumy, so a few folks on here suggested I take pictures and show them to the doc. Worked like a charm. Because of the pics, the doc has now started investigating other areas of affect for my PsA. Whenever something new shows up, I get pics of it right away for that very reason.
If the doc still won't take you seriously after you show him/her pics...switch to a new doc (if possible). As PsA patients, we need to learn to advocate for ourselves first and we need a doc willing to treat us as partners in our treatment, rather than the all-knowing, all-seeing DOCTOR. The latter kind of doc works okay for some people, but not for those of us who have a debilitating progressive disease. Good luck!
Yep. new doctor, stat. Any doctor that laughs at his/her patients pain and frustration doesn't deserve to practice medicine. Doctors who blow off their patient's concerns are, in my opinion, far too prolific. Read my blog post titled something like. "what a difference." THAT is how you should feel when leaving the doctor's office.
What do you guys do when you overdid the excercise and hurt/flare up the next day? Do you rest and wait for it to pass? Or do you just carry on but try to do a bit less excercise? That’s normally where I fall off the bus and then it takes ages to start again. I am at the point where I am scared to start exercising due to a possible flare up or getting sick. I know that it helps A LOT but I have had a terrible year so far. I will normally flare up and if I really overdid it I will het the flu or sinus infection or something. Anyone else get sick often?? I know the biologics suppress your immune system but I am sick like every 6 months.
My doctor has advised me to do low impact exercise every other day. I choose the recumbent bike. I found this great pacing chart on the Goalistics website ....scroll down the page and you can download it. http://goalistics.com/2010/11/lower-back-pain-and-exercise-pace-yourself/
The rest of the website is very good. It is a chronic pain management program.