Going to a rheumatologist...

[njmuscleguy]

Hey guys,

Have some questions to ask... I've been referred to a rheumatologist by the knee / shoulder specialist I've been seeing.... been wrestling with bad joints for a while now and they're getting worse... not surprisingly, my cycles including deca have helped alot, but have by no means been a permanent "fix" - so I know the rheumatologist is going to run bloodwork to test for rheumatoid arthritis, just wondering if there is anything I should be concerned with if I get tested while "on"....they obviously won't be testing specifically for AAS but will anything show up? Should I even tell him? I'm hesitant to say anything because I don't want to get a biased opinion.... any thoughts or comments on this would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[njmuscleguy]

anyone?

 

[todoveritas]

A rheumatology consult is going to involve looking for signs of inflammatory arthritis. Some young men get abnormal growth and inflammation in the synovium, the membrane that lines the joint. This process is called synovitis and can play hell with your hips and knees. The laboratory panel he will probably run might turn up an elevated Hematocrit especially if you've been on high dose test. This will "clue" him in on AAS use and you might specifically get asked about it. Other clues will be high cholesterol and low HDL. But these are usually gotten by your primary care doc. There is no chance of him running a specific test of steroid use. The only concern I would have is that if you do have RA, therapy (e.g usually prednisone or other corticosteroid) will really screw up your BB. Also, use of Deca may minimize or mask early symptoms of RA. Whether you tell him or not really depends. Some docs see AAS use as another form of drug abuse and react negatively. Others are more informed and pretty cool. Some insurance companies will not pay for treatment they see related to AAS use. RA is not-related, however, so you should not have a problem.
Sorry for the lengthy post.