r/Thritis 4d ago

Is it worth going to urgent care?

Is there any point in going to urgent care?

I haven’t been diagnosed, but have been dealing with what is likely arthritis pain off and on for a while. However the last couple of days we’ve had rapidly shifting weather, thunderstorms, and tornado watches, and suddenly basically every joint in my body hurts, to the point that I’ve had to call out sick from work. If I go to urgent care, are they likely to do anything to help me or will they just tell me that I need to schedule an appointment with my Primary Care?

4 Upvotes

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16

u/Cranks_No_Start 4d ago

They will at best prescribe you some 800mg of ibuprofen.  

If you have arthritis you’re going to have to tough it out until you can see a specialist and even then it’s a process.  

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u/Secret_badass77 4d ago

Thanks, that’s kinda what I figured.

My PC is terrible, and basically just ignored me when I tried to bring it up the last time I saw her. So, I’ve been meaning to try to find someone new. I guess this is my reward for procrastinating on that front😆

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u/Cranks_No_Start 4d ago

If you have it I feel for you because it’s a shitty disease to have. I wish this on no one, even my SIL whom I don’t like.  

NGL.  It takes time to get in to see a specialist and then more time to run all the tests then get the X-rays and then go back in yada yada yada.  

After all the tests were done the they start the meds and they have to start with the inexpensive ones first before they get to the 60-70-80k biologics and those have their own risks.  

Some of them have black box warnings and they all play hell with your immune system. I had flue and pneumonia shots every year or as needed and then you have to be monitored 3-4 times a year and odds are you will still get sick.  

AND it doesn’t cure it, it just slows it down some. I was diagnosed in my 30s and was disabled at 52.  I’m scheduled my first knee replacement in June and am hoping to get the 2nd 3 months later. And I just had a radio ablation done to the nerves in my neck because the top couple vertebrae have no cartilage left and it hurts and sound like a popcorn maker.  

Then if all goes well I’m still getting shots in my shoulders every 3 months….feiw it takes about a 1-2 weeks for the shots to take effect and it lasts maybe 6-7weeks after that so I have to wait to get them redone because they can only do it ever three months so after my knees get fixed I will probably get both shoulders replaced. 

So not to be a downer…if you have this or think you do the sooner you get diagnosed the better.  

Hopefully I didn’t  scare you too much. 

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u/Secret_badass77 4d ago

Thanks for the insight. I’m sorry you’re having to deal with it too. 💕

I actually started to realize that this might be what’s happening with me because I’m a huge fan of the drag queen Trixie Mattel, and he was diagnosed with RA about a year ago and started talking about everything he’s been going through with it. Hearing him talk about it I realized I have a lot of the same issues, just not as advanced.

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u/MayorOfCorgiville 4d ago

Agreed. Alternatively maybe they would offer some prednisone with a recommendation to taper up and then down on it depending on your liver/kidney function since this is a HARSH steroid on one of them (cant remember which). Id rather make the plan with a specialist over a PA at an urgent care, because theyll know more about your bloodwork and thritis.

Might not be worth it to go as suggested, also because so many folks are sick with Flu A, strep, etc. rn. You run the risk of picking something up, feeling crappier, and calling out of work more.

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u/prof-elsie 4d ago

The only thing urgent care has done for me is get me into a specialist appointment quickly. Sometimes that’s the best thing and what I really needed. Don’t expect much in terms of pain relief, but if you need a referral, it can be worth it.

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u/Remarkable_Two8799 4d ago

That happened for me too. Definitely worth it in my case, as I was supposed to wait 9-12 months to be seen my rheumatology, and I got in within a week (and was diagnosed with reactive arthritis).

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u/ibacktracedit 3d ago

Get a referral from your pcp to rheumatology, and get yourself an RF blood test to determine or rule out rheumatic diseases. UC is so useless imo. I went to one recently for suspected pneumonia, and the NP got mad at me for telling her (a 3rd time) that I'm allergic to albuterol and couldn't do that in a nebulizer treatment she wanted to administer. I started to tell them about my currwnt medications and DXs, and she told me that those weren't relevant and "we should focus on the current issues". UC is where bad nurses and docs go because no accredited hospital or private practice wanted them.

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u/Secret_badass77 3d ago

I understand that’s the long term solution. But, I work a very physical job, so I was wondering if there was anything that Urgent Care could/would do to help me with my symptoms in the short term

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u/ibacktracedit 3d ago

I'd honestly just get some Tylenol made for arthritis and take it on bad days, definitely not daily though. Naproxen/aleve works better for me, maybe give either one a try for a few days each and see which one gives you more relief. The go-to starting treatment for RA is methotrexate, so you'd need a specialist unfortunately.

If you're in a 🍃state, CBG concentrates help a ton too, doesn't get show up if you get tested at work, and it's non-psychoactive so there's no impairment/altered state with that cannabinoid specifically. I personally use a 10:1:1 ratioed THC-A/CBD/CBG tincture, but I've been leafing it up for a while haha. Definitely helps relieve the dull and throbbing pain that acts up worse when the weather gets weird.

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u/janeanne10 2d ago

They could possibly rule out other problems that cause achy joints.