Bone Scan Results – It's Good Bad News
Good bad news? What is that?! Well, the short version: Doc didn't find anything wrong. Good news because nothing is wrong — bad news because nothing is wrong. There is nothing further my doctor can do for me.
He suggested I go see a rheumatologist. In his experience, patients who present with "phantom" pain are often diagnosed a year or two down the road with a condition that gives hindsight to the pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Even though the bone scan showed no inflammation (I don't understand how that's possible), it is still in my best interest to get checked out. There is no cure for RA, however, early treatment can work wonders, apparently.
The doc did give me a blood test back in May that came up negative for RA, however, he mentioned it's not as detailed as a blood test a rheumatologist would give me. And since my mother has it, there is a chance I could get it too.
I just think it's so odd that nothing showed up. A bone scan can see inflammation, hairline fractures, ligament tears, infections… There was nothing. It looked exactly the same as my "healthy" side. Couple that with my doctor mentioning the cortisone shot I had didn't do anything for me, he just has no idea what's wrong with me.
I'd thought maybe my doc had missed something on the MRI, but you'd think whatever they missed would have shown on the bone scan. I just don't understand it. I do have other aches and pains in many of my other joints. My ankles and knees are stiff a lot. My shoulders ache sometimes. But I'm overweight. I don't have the best diet. I do chores throughout the day. I have five kids. A normal person is bound to have aches and pains, right?
Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe this is all a symptom of something that has nothing to do with my TFCC. But if the rheumatologist can't find RA, I'm back to square one. I suppose I could get a second opinion since all the various tests have been done, just to have another set of eyes on my films. I don't know. I kind of feel defeated. I feel like the RA thing is a red herring. But I'll do it, just to be able to say, "I did that, it's not that."
When/if that point comes, will I just have to live with this? That…kinda sucks. 
~~Becka
