hi. I am a woman, 54 and woke up one day to severe joint pains..hips, knees so much that it hurts to get in and out of the car, or stand up from sitting on a chair or the couch. The pain has also gone to my shoulders in the last few weeks. My doctor said it was arthritis, but I feel it could be something more. Should he be doing blood testing? Possibly for a virus? I also saw my gynecologist because i heard that menopause can cause joint pain from lack of estrogen, but that is the last case scenario.