Feel like I was rushed, not sure about diagnosis

[WonkyFringe]

I somehow managed to get to see a consultant about my painful elbows. Pain started almost six months ago. There seems to be no pattern, it comes and goes in either arm. It is painful when extending my arms, lifting things (like a mug of tea!), but also shooting pains in the joints at rest, plus dull ache-y pains, tender to touch patches around my elbows and just below them which also move around. The pain is having a major impact on my life and making me miserable.

The consultant did a quick physical exam, said tennis elbow. He suggested painkillers, maybe a arm strap thing from Amazon, and said it might take up to a couple of years to resolve.

GP had run blood tests a couple of months ago which were all within normal parameters, though after Googling I think the inflammatory markers were towards the top of the range, and the thyroid results showed my thyroid was working harder for less effect than in previous tests.

I just feel fobbed off. The pains I am getting just don't feel like they are just tendons hurting, it feels more joint related. I also have more longstanding pains in my wrists which can flare up too.

I am perimenopausal, on HRT. Also experiencing poor memory and concentration, weight gain and fatigue.

It feels like no one is either looking at a bigger picture, or listening to me when I say it doesn't just feel like an injury, but more a joint/pain-focussed issue.

Does anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, sympathy?!

Did the blood tests include Vitamin D and B12/folate?
Drs can be very quick to report results as ‘normal‘ even if they are only just within range and patients are symptomatic, it can be frustrating.
I know I have read that some patients feel the thyroid test results ranges aren’t good enough but I can’t remember why and can’t come up with anything on google because I can’t word it correctly-sorry, I hope someone else can pop on with help as to why.

Hi @Didntgetmydiamondring
Thank you for replying. The blood test did include B12, but not Vit D. I have been taking heavy duty vitamin supplements for years though so wouldn't expect to be low in anything.

It is difficult isn't it, when you feel there's more to it? I explained my fatigue and poor concentration and my GP said I sounded depressed and should try antidepressants. I don't feel like that's the solution.

I have to say before reading the diagnosis I thought tennis elbow. I had it and the pain 3asexactly how you describe it. It went away with rest and ibuprofen treatment.

my GP said I sounded depressed

Well, yeh, chronic unmanaged pain will do that.

It's lazy and negligent of doctors to label the mental health difficulties caused by a physical problem as the root cause without proper investigation. But so common.

@dontdisturbmenow thanks for your answer. From what I have read, tennis elbow seems like more specific pain on specific areas, and ongoing. Mine manifests in elbows, arms and wrists, moves, is sharp, dull, ache-y, shooting. Painful at rest and when moving. Sometimes both arms, sometimes only one. It just feels too erratic to be injury related iyswim?
How long did it take for the pain to go away for you?

@user17163254865 Yes, it felt like an easy catch all thing for the GP to say. I don't want to mask my symptoms, I want to get to the bottom of them.

The ongoing pain is certainly getting me down, but I am really wary of taking anti depressants for pain (over the counter painkillers are doing nothing for it mind).

When my tennis elbow is bad, then I have the same symptoms as you. It def gets better and worse, and really random things will set it off. Acupuncture does wonders for mine (and I've had steroid injections, anti inflammatories, physio, ultrasound, supports) and is the only thing that damps it down enough to get it under control enough for stretching exercises and being super careful with how I do things to put it back in its box. I get acupuncture done by a private physio

@CMOTDibbler. That is really interesting. Does anything have to happen to set it off, or does it just get bad for no reason? Does it swap arms? How long have you had problems with it? I am really desperate for a solution so if what I'm describing does sound like tennis elbow that does help.

I am just worried it's something like fibromyalgia and no one is looking closely enough. The pain is just weird, not like an injury at all

When it wasn't under control, I couldn't tell you what made it worse. But now I know that things like whisking, DIY, pulling a suitcase behind me, the dog pulling on the lead, mopping can all set it off - its gripping and twisting that does it.
When its bad I can't lift a mug of tea, and I have tender spots (one coat manages to press beautifully on an annoyed nerve if I raise my arms). The pain is shooting as well as a deep dull pain.
I only have it in one arm, but my other arm doesn't work and so thats why I have particularly chronic issues as I can't rest fully, but my physio says she sees more people with issues in both arms than not as you try and do things on the other arm, do it more awkwardly, and it increases

Was it a rheumatologist you saw? Apologies if you've already said.

Have a read up on psoriatic arthritis, then come back here afterwards because I'd like to hear your thoughts.

@CMOTDibbler Thanks again. I'm sorry to hear your tennis elbow compounds existing issues. It also sounds like it's a chronic issue for you - I thought tennis elbow healed itself, given time?

@BoulangerieBabs - I've not seen a rheumatologist, no. It was a GP and then a hospital consultant. I've looked up psoriatic arthritis, and it's not really ringing any bells. I've definitely not had any skin issues, aside from the sensitivity which comes and go. I'm quite relieved though, as that sounds pretty distressing.

I mentioned my pains to a friend of mine last week and she said it sounded like nerve pain, but I have no idea where to go to with that! Who could check that for me?

You can get nerve pain from supinator syndrome which is often coexistent with tennis elbow - its just compressing the nerve from the annoyed tendons. I should have said that, as I have both.
Mine is ongoing as I do things awkwardly, and can't rest my arm fully ever - I type one handed, drive one handed and son on

I developed horrendous joint pain as I approached 40. Inflammatory markets were high. Was sent to rheumatology and diagnosed as hyper mobile. But I’ve always been hyper mobile, There was no reason for the pain.

I tried a number of things including going gluten free. The pain diminished within a week. I’ll never go back! Apparently as our bodies age we have a harder time digesting gluten and this can manifest in a number of different ways. I’m not sure how true this price of information is, but it was told to me by a fellow joint pain sufferer.

Worth a try?

@CMOTDibbler - thanks for that. I have looked supinator syndrome up and it is definitely ringing bells, with a side order of tennis elbow too. Back to the GP do you think?

Your situation sound very difficult - must be hard to cope with

@Antmiddletonswife - I have been gluten free for a few years as it aggravates my IBS. Interesting that my body could be rebelling in a different way though, although I am definitely not hypermobile - quite the opposite!