Anyone else feel crazy? Wishing for DX?

It's a funny thing, I have been putting off blood work for some time now, but I finally did it. I think that I'm afraid nothing is going to show up even though I am suffering a severe amount of pain. My hands are swelling and red, but not deep red just pink. I get this in my knees and feet and they always feel hot, but just to me. My regular doc suspects RA. I want a diagnosis at this point, I want something to show up so I can stop being treated like a crazy person. The pain is real..anyone else feel like people think they are crazy? Or wished for some horrible diagnosis, so they could prove to everyone the pain is very real? I kind of find that wrong...but that's just how I feel.

I understand the frustration, I hope you find out what it is and hopefully the treatment will be a smooth transition.

Noinsanity76,

In 2004, I was in a car accident -- I can't say exactly at what speed we collided as I hit the brakes a second before impact, but it was on the highway and I was traveling at the limit. Anyhow, my knee hit the dashboard and caused damage to my hip and SI.

I was in excruciating pain, but xrays showed no broken bones and MRI as well didn't indicate anything. At first, it was assumed to be routine soft tissue damage that would heal. But for 2 years I couldn't walk without at least a cane, couldn't sit, etc..

I must have seen 10 doctors and no one had an answer. Eventually, the physical therapist I was seeing took note of when the pain was most intense and came up with a diagnosis. With his idea, I went to another doctor who finally ordered an MRI with Contrast and that was able to image the cartilage in my hip socket.

The medical idiots until then never bothered to order one, nor come up with a diagnosis that my PT figured out. So, 2 years I was dealing with undiagnosed pain and on top of that, since it was car accident related, there was always the suspicion that I was just faking to get a big settlement (the other guy crossed the highway median).

Well, finally, I had surgery that reshaped the cartilage and now I can sit and walk -- there's still a lot of pain, but the hip moves correctly and I can get along without a cane.

It was total luck that I happened to be seeing someone smart enough to figure out the problem. Doctors so often think too narrowly and so I encourage you to do your own research and bring ideas to them.

Good Luck.