Sue
I looked at that web site that you posted. thank you...
I was reading over it and some things popped my attention.

Advanced gout. Untreated gout may cause deposits of urate crystals to form under the skin in nodules called tophi (TOE-fi). Tophi usually aren't painful,

The reason it made me take notice was because of these nodules I have on my shine. As I have posted before in a past post that I have nodules on my shins. I had the bone scan and my ortho told me they were caused from inflamation. When I saw my new doc tuesday I told her about the nodules and how when I pushed on them that they felt like sand or crystals being released and spreading through my leg. One of the blood tests that she ordered was uric acid. I had no idea why she was wanting to test that but now I am wondering if she might think I have gout as well as AS. My older brother has had gout a few times but like I said earlier he is an alcohlic. I do not drink alcohol and I really don't eat much red meat. Mostly because I don't like to cook. hee hee. I will now be interested to find out why she did that blood test on me and how it came out. However if it was advanced gout I would think I would have seen more inflamation like my brother had. His ankle was as big as a softball and he said it hurt like bleep. He had to walk on crutches.
I think someone else in my family has had gout but right now I can not remember who. I was thinking my Grandfather who is also a alcoholic.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm??????

Oh the mysteries of our bodies.

boel
Are you saying that you have not had a diagnoses of AS yet? I don't know if AS goes to the fingers or not but my rheumy looks at my fingers everytime I go for a visit and he always askes me if I have had any pain in them. I never have had any pain in them but it is only my guess that if he is asking me that...that it might be that AS can effect the fingers.
Please forgive me if you have already said what tests were run....Have you had bone scan, MRI, blood work?? Or was your doc only going on symptoms?

kell