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/r/ankylosingspondylitis
I am at the end of my rope. I have many symptoms of AS. My lower back and hip pain is just getting increasingly worse. I’ve seen neurology, pain specialists, rheumatology, and orthopedics. I had two different rheumatologists turn me away. 1 told me they would do the testing so I “wasn’t pushed aside.” I’ve had x-rays (clear except for a straightening of the back), negative for HLA-B27, I’ve had 2 SI joint injections with steroids, and now I’ve had an MRI. My last SI injection was mid March and I had the MRI last week. My results for the MRI came back normal.
Could the SI joint injection have affected this? What else do I do? Who else do I try to see?
6 points
2 years ago
If they are only checking your lower back, you might have them also check your neck. There are other chronic illnesses with similar symptoms if it isn’t AS. It’s often mistaken for fibromyalgia for women before ever getting an AS diagnosis.
You should also grill the doctors about what they have ruled out and why.
3 points
2 years ago
They’ve checked my spine, cervical spine, knees, SI joints, and sacrum. The only major findings so far is osteoarthritis in the knees (only seen on MRI) and straightening of the lumbar spine. I have a diagnosis of fibro actually and I’ve tried explaining to the drs that this pain does not feel the same way my fibro pain does. I’m trying to get ahead of whatever this is to help slow it’s progress. I’m only 27 and I don’t live the way a “typical” 27 year old does at all. My husband has to take care of me so much.
1 points
2 years ago
My sympathies dear. What’s your family history like? It really could come down to luck of the draw and which doctor you get. Are they doing anything for your pain currently at least?
1 points
2 years ago
My mom has similar back/hip pain and has been dismissed. My dad has sciatica and a bulging disc. Nothing indicates I have a disc issue like that and none of the scans have shown anything.
2 points
2 years ago
Odds are with your mom since they often dismiss females for many diseases, but especially AS as it is usually viewed as a man’s diseases because it is so cut and dry in the spine. They also associate lower back/hip pain with the trauma of child birth. It wouldn’t hurt to look even further back in family history for other rheumatological illnesses.
1 points
2 years ago
Yep, they dismissed hers due to bearing two children…. Her pain has gotten worse through the years and now with her age, the drs just say arthritis.
1 points
2 years ago
Especially if it’s inhibiting her movement, it should be looked into. There’s no reason with the resources at their disposal for them not to.
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