Does this sound like Rheumatoid Arthritis?

[Picklypickles]

For a few years now I've been getting increasingly worse pain in what feels like all the bones in my feet from toes to ankles, now I also have issues with my knees randomly seizing up/clicking and pain in the bones of my hands particularly around the base of the thumbs. It's worse when I have my period. My dad suggested it might be arthritis, I've had a google of the symptoms and RA sounds a lot like it. Has this been anyone elses experience?

Pointless trying to get an appointment with a GP these days, I have tried with no luck!

It could be any number of things and you need to actually get it properly investigated and treated rather than play guess the disease.
It may be hard to get a gp appointment where you are but with perseverance you will be able to get some kind of consult - e, phone or in person which opens the door for further investigation.
It doesn't sound like my RA - when I was diagnosed I was quite ill with it however I started quite acutely after illness.
I had intense bilateral (both side mirrored joints) pain, morning and evening stiffness which meant I couldn't move for almost an hour after waking, red hot swollen joints, severe fatigue, severe weakness, inability to bend my fingers or knees, I could barely function and I was 19. My diagnosis was via bloods, X-rays and observation. I'm seronegative which means I'm not positive for rheumatoid factor however my inflammatory markers and observation of my symptoms confirmed my diagnosis.
With treatment this has settled somewhat to functionable pain and fatigue, I have some joint pain but due to aggressive treatment it's been minimised. Mine does get worse with my period but hormonal changes can affect lots of issues.
You should also get your thyroid checked as problems can present similarly, especially at your age and low level symptoms.
Your going to have to persevere with the GP I'm afraid. Email might be a good way to get a foot in the door if you are struggling to get an appointment.

This happened to me during permenopause - my poor old health insurance got a I beat you are not sleeping properly and not going into a restorative sleep. Acupuncture solved everything for me.

If it's RA then there are lots of treatment options but they are all pretty much open to you through a dr. most of them have revolutionised the treatment and outcomes for patients in the past 20yrs
But I wouldn't be second guessing treatment options until you've at least had some basic investigations.

I have RA.
Mine started with morning stiffness, like I had dead hands and feet then pain and swelling in my hands and wrists.
I had a blood test which confirmed positive rheumatoid factor then was seen by rheumatologist three weeks later who confirmed with a scan.
It's easy enough to to ask for bloods, but your symptoms I don't think are typical for RA

I'm not planning to do anything, I'm fed up and exhausted. I have one child with autism and ADHD and another who has just been diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, I'm up to my armpits with appointments for them on top of all their school stuff and everything else, a partner with adhd and autism who barely helps and I honestly feel like I'm drowning! I've been to the GP for multiple other problems recently and I just get fobbed off. My mother has a whole host of serious health problems and the NHS do next to nothing to help her so I kind of feel if they wont help a woman with Parkinsons and anklyising spondylitis etc why would they give a fuck about my sore feet and hands?! I'll be rushed out of the door within 5 minutes as usual and if I try to pursue anything further I'll be made to feel like a hypochondriac. If I kick off and demand to be taken seriously I'll probably get kicked out of the surgery!

I'm supposed to have a yearly blood test for both kidney function and potential diabetes, booked an appointment and sat waiting for an hour before walking out unseen.

Do you mean they were running v late so you got up and left? I appreciate them running v late is difficult but if you want to see a doctor you need to wait.

I'll be rushed out of the door within 5 minutes as usual and if I try to pursue anything further I'll be made to feel like a hypochondriac. If I kick off and demand to be taken seriously I'll probably get kicked out of the surgery!

You should try first before saying this will definitely happen.

My mother has a whole host of serious health problems and the NHS do next to nothing to help her so I kind of feel if they wont help a woman with Parkinsons and anklyising spondylitis

V sorry about your mum. Sadly there are many chronic conditions that have limited treatments available. There are treatments available for RA so if you think you may have it then you should pursue a diagnosis.

NHS recommends regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight as first options so try those first.

Change your GP, you'll be able to find out which local GP surgery has the best ratings online, when we moved the difference was incredible. We had just one child with a chronic health condition, if your whole family have issues it'll make a big difference to you if you go to a better surgery.

You seem determined not to see the GP. You won't be able to move forward without a referral from them so you'll have to find a way. How does anyone else see a GP at your surgery? We ring on the day and the GP rings back for a telephone appt or calls us in for face to face appt.

So your mother has arthritis too?

I was diagnosed with RA last year after scans and blood tests. You need your doctor to refer you to a rheumatologist or go private if not. Before I was on RA medication, ibuprofen didn't touch my pain, it was severe, so hopefully it's something else. Although like previously mentioned, there are many types of arthritis. Good luck, don't give up.

GP's and nurses aren't the only people who are busy, I can't just not collect my children from school if they are running late! I had already mentioned to the receptionist I'd been waiting over half an hour, she apologised and said it wouldn't be much longer. The waiting room was practically empty.

Gout?
hypermobility?
peri menopause?
vitamin/mineral deficiency?
dehydration?
exhaustion?

I'm not really sure why you've posted. You can't expect Joe Public to diagnose you.

I'm undergoing treatment for something at the moment. My last two visits to the hospital were exemplary. Today was an absolute shit show. No one seemed to know what they were doing and it turns out that the treatment I received last time wasn't the correct course of action. Thankfully it won't have a long term impact.

You don't need to lose your shit, you just need to ring for an appointment. If you're not getting what you need you just need to be persistent. You will get far better treatment if you are polite and courteous. The NHS is a huge beast that is very difficult for the staff to navigate. Shouting at them won't help anyone.

If it is arthritis, you will be far better to get a diagnosis and get it under control. I had an elderly aunt who became disabled from RA.

If that's what anklyising spondylitis is, I haven't had a lot of time to research that what with daughters Turner syndrome to read up on etc. She also has scoliosis.

I just wanted to know if anyone else experienced something similar and it was arthritis, obviously I'm not expecting a diagnosis from some random person on the internet. I don't know how I will ever get any kind of diagnosis. I am a polite and courteous person, probably too much so as nobody ever takes me seriously. When I was in agonising pain in hospital after a major kidney operation, with post-op pneumonia having been given NO pain meds at all, I was labelled as a "difficult patient". I've had a blocked ear for 3 years, went to see an ENT consultant who shoved a camera up my nose and when I found it uncomfortable and winced he yanked it out with a big sigh and told me I'm "too sensitive" to treat and it would probably sort itself out eventually. It hasn't. I've never shouted at anyone but I don't get help.

I'm not really sure why you've posted. You can't expect Joe Public to diagnose you. Blimey, no need to be quite so snippy.

The OP has come on here to ask because she's concerned, and wants to know whether her symptoms match those of other MN'ers with the condition. She wants some help and advice, which is one of the reason MN exists in the first place. She'll then know whether to pester the shit out of her GP until she can get an appointment, or not bother.

AS is a type of chronic inflammatory arthritis which can be hereditary.

Thank you! Reading all the comments it seems it could be any number of things, all of which from what I'm reading are difficult to actually diagnose so not even sure where the GP would start with it all!

I guess I'll try to get an appointment, not that I'm holding out much hope of anyone actually looking into things in any detail. I'll get fobbed off and left to it again like usual I expect. I can't afford to go private so my only option is a GP who wants me in and out of their office within 5 minutes and possibly a referal to the worst hospital in existence for some more torture and humiliation yay, can't wait!

So change GP? Not that I am the first to suggest this.

Hugs handhold from me I now have ibuprofen gel as well as tablets paracetamol for mine it’s the ibuprofen that has made a huge difference on it for life with out it the codeine has to be used so it’s ibuprofen. It’s stopped me cooking stuff can’t chop stuff anymore I own jars etc stairs I avoid because it’s hell going up them. At least warmer weather here now.

I'm in a rural village we aren't exactly spoiled for choice when it comes to GP surgeries, there is one in a bigger village a mile away and another in another village 6 miles away which has the same GP's as my surgery and is only open a couple of days a week. People in the nearest town have been struggling to get registered in the GP surgeries there.

Agree with emailing the doctor and telling them the impact it is having on your life. If that gets ignored, email the practice manager. Please don't let it continue. If it is RA, It will only get progressively worse and harder to treat the longer it is left.

Thank you, my hands aren't as bad as my feet, walking has been really painful for me for a couple of years now. I used to walk miles, now my feet and ankles are killing me after half a mile if that. I'm starting to struggle a bit with squeezing stuff out of bottles, it feels like my thumb joints are rolling about and I might dislocate it or something.

AS is also related to RA - get an appt, get some bloods and get a referral if required - I was diagnosed with RA last year. As soon as I had the blood results and I mentioned that I’d a strong family hx of RA my GP was only too happy to bounce me on. Realistically RA will destroy your joints, along with other systemic problems if left untreated. Nowadays, with modern treatments there’s no need for that to happen. I know you feel a bit overwhelmed, but this is the time to prioritise you x