Wrist diagnosis
Me: My wrists have been chronically sore for over 20 years and it’s basically everything except carpal tunnel syndrome.
Doctor: Maybe it’s arthritis?
Me: No, it doesn’t match the symptoms of arthritis, it’s some sort of chronic inflammation. Maybe there’s a structural issue that makes me extra prone to inflammation.
Doctor: Hmm. Well, let’s get a bunch of tests done, like x-rays and such.
Me: And soft-tissue scans?
Doctor: Sure.
Doctor: [orders a bunch of tests, including x-rays, but no soft-tissue scans]
Me: [does them, wonders what the point was]
Tests: [are for arthritis]
Doctor: You don’t have arthritis. But you do have signs of inflammation!
Me: You don’t say.
On the plus side, while most of the blood work was to test for rheumatoid arthritis, one of them was to measure my C-Reactive Protein which is a measure of inflammation factors. The normal range is 1.0-7.0 mg/L. My level?
27.
So, yeah, maybe this means this doctor will finally take me seriously about what the problem is and start to actually look for underlying issues that would cause chronic inflammation. And I have proof that the pain isn’t all in my head.
And at least I also got him to actually listen to me when I said it wasn’t carpal tunnel syndrome and not order those obnoxious tests that I’ve had done several times now.
Meanwhile, on the sleep side of things, I’m like 95% certain it’s not an obstructive apnea, and like 90% certain it’s central apnea with some room for it being narcolepsy. So of course, the sleep doctor ordered a test for obstructive apnea. Sigh.
Oh well. That just means one extra test before stuff gets ruled out.
This is why at my new job I went with the best insurance coverage, because 2019 is the year I finally stop letting my chronic issues kick my ass. Maybe I can even kick their asses.
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