Guest guest Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 Welcome to the group and I’m sorry you have reason to be here. RA can be a hard disease to diagnose so I’m glad that you had blood work to rule out several other possibilities. For temporary help you might ask about Prednisone because that is a strong anti-inflammatory that usually acts quickly to help the symptoms of RA. However it is not very effective for slowing joint damage and has some bad side effects when taken at high dose for long times. If you have RA you will probably be given a DMARD (Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug) that takes a while to become effective and then get off the Prednisone when the RA medicine finally starts to work. RA Criteria (Any 4 qualify for positive diagnosis) 1. Morning stiffness, lasting for at least an hour, present daily for at least 6 weeks 2. Arthritis of 3 or more joints, lasting for at least 6 weeks 3. Arthritis of the hand joints, lasting for at least 6 weeks 4. Symmetric arthritis, lasting for at least 6 weeks 5. Rheumatoid nodules 6. Positive rheumatoid factor (blood test) 7. Joint changes on x-ray The above criteria were developed by the American College of Rheumatology for diagnosing RA and the disease is so variable that no single one of the seven is always required for a diagnosis. One I blood work, one is x-rays, and the others are patient information and doctor’s evaluation. If you do have RA it is important to be early and aggressive in your treatment because untreated or undertreated RA usually leads to permanent joint damage. I have heard of children as young as 3 getting RA and I presume you are older than that so you are a candidate for RA. I was very fortunate to not get RA till I was 74 but that is most unusual. I hope you get effective treatment because that is more important than a diagnosis. Many similar diseases need similar treatment. God bless. From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of klibas Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:07 AM To: Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: New to this... Hi there everyone. I am new to this stuff and I am looking for any info I can get my hands on. My dr and I are trying to determine if I do in fact have RA or if its something else. All blood tests for RA, lupus, west nile, & lymes disease have come back negative. But my symptoms lead me to think RA. I have horribly sore and achy hands. The knuckles in all my fingers hurt and swell and in the morning it hurts to straighten them or grip anything. I have a hard time brushing my teeth, washing my hair, etc. I go to a rheumatologist in October, but I am wondering if anyone else went through these things before being diagnosed. Any info would really be great. My dr is especially concerned because I am pretty young, but I guess anything is possible. Thanks to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 I've never replied before.... But this may be a good place to jump in. I've also tested negative for RA, lyme and all the others. The more specific blood tests that check inflammation levels (coming up blank as for test names?? ESR?? And others?? Sorry having a stupid moment. LOL) and an MRI (with contrast) of both hands along with from the list below #'s 1,2,3 & 4 (maybe # 7 if that also includes MRI) earned me a diagnosis of RA. I've also learned that I have ironoverload syndrome that may or may not play a role in all of this. It all started with what was thought to be carpal tunnel syndrome. My symptoms have been present for 10 or so years but it was easy enough to blame them on life's adventures..... My job.... Or many other things. I'm 46. I finally had had enough after having bilateral carpal tunnel release surgeries that only made things worse. (2003) I finally was dx'd with RA last July but am waiting until after I see the hepatologist later this month before starting on a DMARD. I'm currently on prednisone and double doses of Aleve. If my liver is involved it may dictate which script I can take. For what ever reason (maybe it's that the prednisone is finally kicking in???) I am finally coming out of a DUH moment that started upon hearing the dx of RA. SO glad that I found this group. Thank you for being here. PS. I LOVE the humor! -------Original Message------- From: Harold Van Tuyl Date: 10/5/2006 7:48:03 PM Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: RE: New to this... Welcome to the group and I’m sorry you have reason to be here. RA can be a hard disease to diagnose so I’m glad that you had blood work to rule out several other possibilities. For temporary help you might ask about Prednisone because that is a strong anti-inflammatory that usually acts quickly to help the symptoms of RA. However it is not very effective for slowing joint damage and has some bad side effects when taken at high dose for long times. If you have RA you will probably be given a DMARD (Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug) that takes a while to become effective and then get off the Prednisone when the RA medicine finally starts to work. RA Criteria (Any 4 qualify for positive diagnosis) 1. Morning stiffness, lasting for at least an hour, present daily for at least 6 weeks2. Arthritis of 3 or more joints, lasting for at least 6 weeks3. Arthritis of the hand joints, lasting for at least 6 weeks4. Symmetric arthritis, lasting for at least 6 weeks5. Rheumatoid nodules6. Positive rheumatoid factor (blood test)7. Joint changes on x-ray The above criteria were developed by the American College of Rheumatology for diagnosing RA and the disease is so variable that no single one of the seven is always required for a diagnosis. One I blood work, one is x-rays, and the others are patient information and doctor’s evaluation. If you do have RA it is important to be early and aggressive in your treatment because untreated or undertreated RA usually leads to permanent joint damage. I have heard of children as young as 3 getting RA and I presume you are older than that so you are a candidate for RA. I was very fortunate to not get RA till I was 74 but that is most unusual. I hope you get effective treatment because that is more important than a diagnosis. Many similar diseases need similar treatment. God bless. From: Rheumatoid Arthritis [mailto:Rheumatoid Arthritis ] On Behalf Of klibasSent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 9:07 AMRheumatoid Arthritis Subject: New to this... Hi there everyone. I am new to this stuff and I am looking for any info I can get my hands on. My dr and I are trying to determine if I do in fact have RA or if its something else. All blood tests for RA, lupus, west nile, & lymes disease have come back negative. But my symptoms lead me to think RA. I have horribly sore and achy hands. The knuckles in all my fingers hurt and swell and in the morning it hurts to straighten them or grip anything. I have a hard time brushing my teeth, washing my hair, etc. I go to a rheumatologist in October, but I am wondering if anyone else went through these things before being diagnosed. Any info would really be great. My dr is especially concerned because I am pretty young, but I guess anything is possible. Thanks to all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 Hello, Welcome to the group. This is Steph in VA. I'm 29 & was dx'd with RA in 1999 when I was 22. Before being dx'd I saw 12 doctors who couldn't figure out what was wrong. My RA affects the left side of my body, which is my dominant side. My worst symptom is my left hand. I also test negative for the Rheumatoid factor, but test positive for the HLA-B27 genetic mutation, which is common in people with AS (arthritis of the spine) and Reactive arthritis (ReA). I had the same problems with my knuckles & fingers when I was dx'd. Also, my ESR (sedimentation rate) & C-Reactive Protein (CRP) also were very high. These tests rate inflammation. For ESR, normal is 15-20 & mine was as high as 388. I have had rheumys in NY, PA, DC & MD. My current meds are Remicade, Methotrexate, Ibuprofen, Folic Acid, Azulfidine, Prednisone & Flexerill. I have also taken Enbrel, Vioxx, Naproxyn & Celebrex. Welcome to the group, again. Take care, Steph in VA klibas <klibas@...> wrote: Hi there everyone. I am new to this stuff and I am looking for any info I can get my hands on. My dr and I are trying to determine if I do in fact have RA or if its something else. All blood tests for RA, lupus, west nile, & lymes disease have come back negative. But my symptoms lead me to think RA. I have horribly sore and achy hands. The knuckles in all my fingers hurt and swell and in the morning it hurts to straighten them or grip anything. I have a hard time brushing my teeth, washing my hair, etc. I go to a rheumatologist in October, but I am wondering if anyone else went through these things before being diagnosed. Any info would really be great. My dr is especially concerned because I am pretty young, but I guess anything is possible. Thanks to all! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Never underestimate the power of a small, dedicated group of people to change the world -- indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead) AmeriCorps Alums -- We're Still Getting Things Done How low will we go? Check out Messenger’s low PC-to-Phone call rates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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