New here! Questions about possible GPA

[Chelly84]

Hello! I have not been diagnosed with GPA, but was hoping to find some advice from those with experience. I have a rheumatology appt (1st one) coming up in two weeks and I’m not sure what to ask for/about or if I should ask about GPA at all based on my symptoms.

I’ve never had health issues. After running a race in August I developed some neck pain (not uncommon for me) followed by clearing my throat and a strange feeling near my larynx. Not painful, just different (?). ENT has scoped twice and no issues seen. I also had a PFT and my results were excellent. CXR shortly following the race showed no abnormalities. CBC, CMP, and CRP x2 all excellent.

My main concern is my nose. It looks like the bridge has dipped down slightly just below the bone over the last few years. I had rhinoplasty in 2008 and I do have a deviated septum. My nose drips often, but that’s pretty normal for me. I also get tiny amounts of blood on the tissue from time to time, which clears up on its own after a few days. Sometimes the septum gets dry, sore and cracked. This happens infrequently. I’ve always attributed this to dryness and my deviated septum. I don’t have crusting, major nosebleeds or sinus infections. I had a brain/head mri recently and the visualized sinuses were normal. I did have one small spot on the left frontal lobe but the neurologist was not too concerned about this.

My ears have been bothering me lately too. Some minor pain that comes and goes. No ear infections. I have been having issues with tmj and thought maybe this was the cause. Some minor joint pains that come and go, but nothing too noticeable or interrupts my day.