Question
My 13 yo complains with pain in her hands all the time. She says they go numb and then hurt really bad when the feeling comes back. She has complained with this for over a year and I have had her seen by three different doctors who really just blow us off and do not offer an answer. She also says that her toes hurt and now it has moved into her neck. Our family has a history of RA but she tends to complain more when when she is hot not cold. I have googled her symptoms but haven't been able to find anything. Please help.

Answer
Dear Angelia,

I understand your frustration with this.  Sometimes it is very difficult to come up with a diagnosis/cause for the symptoms suffered by patients.  I unfortunately will not be able to solve your problem through the internet either, but here are some thoughts:

1) A Rheumatologist is a medical doctor that specializes in arthritic and other painful conditions.  I think that I would start here.  I wouldn't go to general practitioner or family practice doctors anymore with this problem.  In fact, I believe that if they didn't have a good answer for you, they should have made a referral to a rheumatologist.

2) Another specialist that might help to give you some answers would be a neurologist.  These doctors evaluate neurological function, and help to determine if there are any conditions or diseases related to the nervous system that could be causing your daughter's hand and foot pain.

3) I don't know what kind of lab/blood testing has been done on your daughter, but if, as you say, you have simply been blown off, I doubt that any has been done.  Some conditions and diseases will manifest themselves in lab results.  Demand that these are done.  Before you do so, however, make sure that you have a DETAILED description of symptoms, that includes how it feels, when it is worse/better, how long it has been happening, if it spreads to other locations, health history, family history, etc.

I know that this is probably not the answer that you were looking for, but I hope that it gives you some direction to try and find your answers.

Good luck,

Keith Biggs, DC
http://www.eastmesachiropractor.com