Question
In the year2000 I was told I had RA.All tests done like rafactor 45 sed rate ,proreactive test all showed low readings also got lymerix shot ,after first shot came done with lyme so Doctor take ,medication for a month .because I didnt have a lot of joint damage they wouldnt give me anything but vioxx and celebrex but gave me problems and so they said there was nothing I could do till I had more damage regardless of pain,I went to another Doctor and he said no I only had osteoarthritis,My new Doctor says go get checked again because there is damage and any time i try to work Im almost criple for the rest of the day or it will last a whole weekend,I sold my car no insurance and need to know the best way to deal with this what ever it is,could it be lyme doing this to me?I had to quit my job and now have just gotten one for a day a week and its almost killing me Im so tired Im tring to lose weight,I tooksome pill form hyaluronic acid pills for about a week or so and my knees and part of my legs had like a fluid making them swell some one had said it might help.what is the best way now to find out what this might be in the way of xray or mri?
Answer
Sometimes the cause of pain can be elusive. When all of the usual tests are negative, the chance is higher that this is fibromyalgia or possibly a result of a viral infection. The former can persist for a long time while the latter usually resolves over time. An evaluation from a rheumatologist is helpful in trying to sort out the causes.
