Reply to I suspect that I have ankylosing spondylitis. My GP is dismissing me.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I was diagnosed at age 28 after having recurrent severe iritis. Yes, that is a manifestation. I was tested and B27 positive.
I had terrible gnawing back pain that worked its way up my spine.  This was before OTC NSAIDS. Later, Aleve was helpful. Now in my 70s, I have little pain and low inflammation scores on blood tests  but a very inflexible spine and must be careful.
I did not do the one exercise I was told to do....spend 15-30 minutes a day lying in the floor chin in hands. As a result, I fused bent forward a bit in that old lady stoop. Stupid me!
I am sure there is better treatment now. Get a rheumatologist. Mine retired. 
[/quote]

THIS is consistent with AS. A lot of what other people are describing is not.[/quote]

I posted above, with symptom descriptions for peripheral or axial spondyloarthritis, a precursor to AS. There is a lot of interest in catching the disease before anything irreversibly fuses, hence these newer diagnoses.

I was living out of state when my rheumatologist, who herself has AS, diagnosed me with axSpA. The average time until diagnosis for women with AS 
is something like seven years. For axSpA it is 2-6 years from symptom onset. Why discourage the OP from consulting a specialist?[/quote]

Spondyloarthritis in all forms can be very painful.  There is one poster who seems very hung up on the ankylosing spondylitis form, I suppose because that is what OP put in her header. But the AS term is often used to refer to spondyloarthritis more generally.  And you can definitely have it with negative HLA-B27 and negative X-Rays. Where those are negative but the person has symptoms, they definitely should not be discouraged from pursuing help, including by their GPS who, indeed are often dismissive, especially to women.

[/quote]

I am that poster and didn’t discourage her from seeing a rheumatologist. I discouraged her from repeatedly insisting to her GP that has a specific uncommon disease (Ankylosing spondylitis) that she almost certainly does not have, and for which she has tested negative. She could see rheumatology to ask whether she might have a different one of the seronegative spondyloarthropathies.

OP, try over the counter NSAiDS while you’re waiting (ibuprofen).[/quote]

She hasn’t “tested negative”. The HLA-B27 is not necessary to get a diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis.  Now if her xrays or MRI are negative I may agree, but not yet.  [/quote]

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