Seeing the new specialist tomorrow

Pain level: 5/6
Dislocations so far today: left middle finger
Subluxations so far today: Right shoulder, left elbow, nearly my right hip
Meds: Naproxen, hardcore dose.
Major complaint: stiffness, weakness, throbbing pain and swelling in the joints of my hand--right worse than left by far.   Lower back pain.

10 inches of snow tonight?  Really?  UGH.  Seriously, people.  No.  More.  Snow.

If my appointment tomorrow gets canceled after how long I've had to wait, heads will role.

That said, I am so nervous about seeing the Rheumatologist tomorrow.  I've got all of these fears that I've been trying to ignore during the two month wait to see this guy, that have been building since then.  I'm scared he'll be another doctor who thinks I'm full of shit and a complete hypochondriac.  M keeps reminding me that I'm not seeing him for the EDS, but for my joint symptoms that can't be explained by EDS.  And that I have abnormal test results that need to be sorted out so my complaint isn't based solely on symptoms and my word about my dislocations.  I'm just nervous.

On the other hand, I'm scared he'll tell me I've got something more serious to worry about than my Ehlers Danlos.  Lupus is always there in the back of my mind.  And now with how bad my hands have been, Rheumatoid is too.  So I keep seeing my mother's hands and how her wrists have fused on their own from the disease. 

The swelling in my hands is about the same.  My right hand looks much knobbier than my left and the fingers are visibly puffy.  I've been having a hard time straightening my fingers all day.  Sometimes the throbbing has 2-3 pulses of very severe pain that makes me flinch and guard that hand because it feels like someone is stabbing it--but it's all internal. 

I've been getting some similar pain/throbbing in my right elbow and right knee, but not nearly as bad.

I've also been noticing that the pads of my fingers closest to my palm of my middle and ring finger on my right hand has been thickening, hardening, and turning yellow.  Sort of like a callus, but I've done nothing to explain one being there.  The same thing is on my left hand to a lesser extent.  And it hurts!  That's another reason I'm not sure it's a callus--the thing actually causes pain which makes no sense to me.

I guess we'll just have to see what the doctor says tomorrow.


Time: 8:19 PM
L
Can touch forearm?  Just barely
Angle of extension of the center joint of finger: 80º
Angle of extension of the last joint of finger: 120º
R
Can touch forearm? Not even close--and OW it hurts to try!
Angle of extension of the center joint of finger: 70º
Angle of extension of the last joint of finger: 105º