I had lots of blood tests that showed nothing, finally got a diagnosis with an MRI scan that showed severe spinal stenosis in my neck and lower back. If you have not had a scan yet then I would ask for one, I had to ask them before I got it done, they didn't suggest it to me. X

Scope
Yes my poor hubby has to trust me knowing that I'm doing everything through feel cos I can't judge distance at all, things look further away than they actually are. I had a very bad squint when I was a child and it's left me with a lack of steriopsis, this means that my eyes don't work as a pair, you can't tell from looking at me because I had a cosmetic operation to make them look straight, they did a wonderful job but couldn't do anything about my eyesight. People don't realise how bad my eyesight actually is. They have a go at me if I drive a shopping trolley too close to them but don't understand that it looks different to me and I don't see how close to them I am. People have no sympathy for hidden disabilities and I have suffered a lot of abuse from strangers in the street. X

I say seek out another rheumatologist if they aren’t looking at the whole picture. I had to move out of state, thank goodness because the new rheumatologist is the only reason I finally got a diagnosis. I had very similar blood test with negative test results. They need to look beyond the blood exam. Best wishes going forward. :-)

Julie Mason
I understand your need for a diagnosis, I too wanted to know what was wrong with me and was sick of doctors making educated guesses based on what it's most likely to be for a woman my age. They all guessed wrong anyway but the treatment was the same so they think it doesn't matter. Here in the UK it's important to have a diagnosis to claim benefits when you are too sick to work, without a proper diagnosis they won't believe a word that you say. Is it the same where you live?

At Scope220. The question has absolutely nothing to do about choosing to be happy or not nor about enjoying my life. I enjoy my life very much and am blessed. For your information, I'm seeking diagnosis so i can get treatment sooner than later. You obviously don't understand the pain that can go with this type of inflammation. I have burt myself out on ibuprofen. I exercise, eat right and know my limits. I do have multiple things that I do to relieve pain without medications too. I do choose to be happy and surround myself with nice, happy, intelligent folks. If you read my actual post over about 10 times, maybe you will figure it out.