Welcome

My name is Shannon. I live in Kansas with my husband of almost 9 years and 2 kids. A few weeks ago I turned 32.

Last year my husband was deployed to Iraq. He was gone for 15 months. During that time I noticed my hands seemed to becoming weak. It was hard to lift my casserole dishes (not that I made too many casseroles while he was gone)and other items that previously were no problem. With two young children, we had all of the trick-knobs on the doors so they couldn't escape. Well, I couldn't even get them open, so I took them off and didn't think much else of it.

About mid-March of this year, 2007, my middle finger on my right hand started swelling. Around the same time my right shoulder blade started hurting. Jeff and I bought a new bed thinking that may help my back. I kept thinking my finger was jammed or I had injured it somehow. After suffering these for a while I decided to go see my PCP. By the time I made the appointment to see him my finger was looking really bad and the pain from my back was going to my chest. Also, I started having pain in my hips, and the tip of one of my shoulders. The nurse and I jokes that I was falling apart. I was almiost embarrassed to mention all of my issues.

The doctor thought I may have a deteriorating thorasic disc and ordered and x-ray on both my finger and upper spine. He also ordered an MRI of my upper spine. The x-ray of my hand showed nothing, but the MRI showed I did in fact have deteriorating and bulging discs. After some reading and confirmation from my rhuematologist I discovered deteriorating discs are not uncommon for someone my age. So many people suffer back pain at some time or another.

On May 15th I made the appointment to consult a rhuematologist. The first available appointment was 6 weeks out for a new patient. Evidently since there is a lot involved in making a diagnosis, they allow an hour or more for the initial appointment. My appointment was the end of June.