hi there, i'm new to this site but I'm not new to rheumatoid arthritis. I have had it probably since my late teens my rheumy doc says, however to this day I still test negative even though I have extensive joint damage. Hi Welcome! Love your cat. I have had RA for decadesand still test negative for RA factor, but lots of joint damage.Welcome to the board. I've had RA since birth but wasn't diagnosed until I was 3. I also have extensive joint damage. I had to have my hips and knees replaced because of it. From what I understand from this board, a lot of people test negative for RA but still have it so you're not alone there.
Hi & Welcome to AI....love the avatar
Peace & Love...Neasy
Hi and welcome! I have negative blood work also, with damage in some of my joints. I'm glad you found us. Oh, I love your bubble gum popping guy! Negative blood work here also with erosion. Welcome to AI!Hi there I test positive but the joint damage has been arrested, thanks to pred and enbrel. Welcome aboard. I like your little dude poppin gum too!Hi and welcome to AI. You're cat is super cute. I want one. Hi and welcome to the madness.....glad you found your way to us. Neat little black cat. LindyHello and welcome! HI AND WELCOME!! Welcome to the board, Hammerstein!Linda
Welcome! Lot's of information and support here!Hi, welcome! There is a great group of people here with a wealth of knowledge. I learn something new everyday. oh, and it's good for a few laughs as well.
Hi...welcome!thx for the response and if you are wanting any avatars that move send me a request and ill see what I can do. Hola!! Welcome to the crazy AI house! Hope to see you around!!Hi Misty,
Welcome to the board. A few basics. (1)There are no stupid questions. (2) type o's and misspellings are okay. (3) Speak up whenever you want,we can not read your mind. & (lastly) Most people are okay with being PMed (personal messaged) if you want a little privacy.
Jay
Welcome to the board. great avatars you have!! You make those yourself? Geeeze wish I had enough talent to make my own lol.
Well, I am sero negative also and have been for the past 13 years and don't ever expect that to change.
Living with RA has been some kind of ride for me. The type that I have is pretty aggressive. In my family they think that it could be hereditary as my mom had it and it was so aggressive with her that it took her life 2 years ago. She was only 64. Mine has been nasty with me for almost 11 years. I'm on more than enough meds and I wear a custom ankle-foot orthotic,(waiting for surgery),have a custom knee brace(don't wear it much doesn't help right now, also waiting for surgery on knees)I also wear custom wrist splints when the pain gets too much. My doc says that I dont need occupational therapy as my kids keep me moving whether I want to or not lol. Hi and welcome, It is great to have you posting. It is late and I've just taken 20mgs. of methotrexate or I'd write more, take care, LyndaWelcome hammer.
Sorry about the loss of your mother. Still waiting results but I firmly believe I have been living w/ a mild case of RA for the past 15yrs. My RF was positive twice and negative once. My panel 2 weeks ago all came back normal. This disease can be mysterious lol.
Hello and welcome. I'm new here as well. Everyone here is wonderful at answering any questions and giving imput.
My body is a bit of a mystery right now, I'm waiting on a firm diagnosis and trying to find the right meds for me.
Good luck to you, and I look forward to talking to you again.
Welcome Ham. Glad you're here. From your years of experience I'm sure you'll have much to offer this group. Glad you're here!
Would it be insensative of me to ask you to elaborate on your Mother's death? Did it effect vital organs? How exactly did it cause her death? If you'd rather not discuss it I can completely understand and apoligize for being intrusive; but we've only spoken briefly here about this possiblity. This might be a topic for another thread; but I'm sure the subject would be of interest to all.
Again; Welcome to AI. We're glad you're here.
Bump.
Ham~been watching for your response....wanted to bring this back around in the hopes of you responding.
Hi there sorry for not being in touch for the last couple of days unfortunately I had to attend my mother-in-law's funeral out of town as she passed away unexpectedly. Lovie in response to your question about my mom's death I don't mind sharing, it's a long story so I'll give you a condensed version. She went through alot of hell dealing with her arthritis. It nailed her in her wrists and hands quite badly and deformed them to the point that her wrists had dropped and her fingers were all bent in so that she basically had use of her index fingers and her thumbs. She had one hip replaced but wouldn't get the other one done because she was afraid of getting nerve damage like she did on the first replacement. She was a very stubborn lady and even in her wheel chair would use her feet to move the wheel chair where she wanted to go. Yes the arthritis did affect her lungs and her heart. She was a small lady and a lung infection and her heart getting enlarged is what finally took her life. Her death was an unexpected event. If you have anymore questions feel free to ask.I'm real sorry to hear about your Mother-in-laws death. Thank you for elaborating on your Mother's death. I'm sure that's not easy to talk about....especially since you live with the same illness. It's important information for us all to have though. RA is a serious illness. Some think (Mostly those that don't actually have it) think RA is just an illness that effects our joints. Sadly it can be so much more than that.
Welcome back....hope we'll see you here more often.
Hi hammerstein1200 and welcome. I'm new to this message board as well.Hi Ham -
Welcome to AI
Pip
Hi Ham
Another welcome. As Ray says lots of info to be given and received. We share on all sorts of topics, that said if you see a subject headed OT this means off topic (as in day to day chat not specifically RA)... Happy chatting.Thanks Wills it looks promising to finally find a place where I can talk to people that can actually relate to what I'm going thru.
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