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Well, I saw the rheumatologist today and he is definitely concerned because of the swelling and pain in feet, hips and knees everyday. I did find out his hesitation. He said that the way the tests are showing up, it is difficult for him to figure out if it is RA or Lupus. He said since I am running fever and have nose sores (TMI) that it is indicative Lupus, so he took 7 vials of blood!!! Certainly he can find something in THAT. LOL He said that even though my RA factor test and ANA test came back positive, it could be either of the diseases. He is starting me on steroids in the interim and injected a steroid in my hip, so that I can sleep. (Woohoo!) He said the fever, swelling and joint pain, and fatigue are signs of both diseases, so he is trying to narrow it down so that he may treat correctly. He said he was probably going to start me on?? plaquenil ? on my next visit after the steroids.Schell~ I didn't realize you were seeing your doc today.  I must have missed that.  Anyway, I'm glad he's taking all of this seriously.  But what does he think will happen in three months to differentiate between RA and Lupus?

 
Hope that shot will ease the pain in your hip.  I don't know if they treat Lupus with plaq, but they do RA.  I don't take it, I take methotrexate and enbrel.  But a lot of others on the board do.  Feel free to ask them about it.
Schell, sounds like you have a good rheumatologist, and if so, you are very lucky.  Best of luck and keep posting ~~ Cathy [QUOTE=Linncn] Schell~ I didn't realize you were seeing your doc today.  I must have missed that.  Anyway, I'm glad he's taking all of this seriously.  But what does he think will happen in three months to differentiate between RA and Lupus?

[/QUOTE]

Girl I am already running up and down my stairs happy (well not running because of my knees) but OMG it is SO much better without the hip pain being so severe.
He said that he thought a test would come out positive for sure if he waited that length (a test to show whether it was RA or Lupus) But he went ahead and took the blood today to find the answer that he needs. My question is..which is better to have (although neither is good) RA or Lupus? Which is the lesser of the evils? Or is there?Hmmm.  I don't know which is better.  Maybe RA?  The meds they have now can manage it very well, so permanent damage isn't a given.  People that are just getting it now have a lot different prognosis than people who got it 20, 30 years ago.  I don't really know a lot about lupus though.It does sound like you have a good doc who wants to find the right answers.  I wish you the best and I hope it gets sorted out for you.Oooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
 
I see! LoL
 
Okay well, then perhaps you do have a keeper!! Just.....poke him more to make sure he's TELLING you this stuff. Sometimes doctors forget that you're not in their heads. :)
 
I can't really say I'd wish for you to get one over the other, as they both pretty much SUCK.
 
Just know, no matter what DX he gives you, you can ALWAYS come here to ask questions! Lupus and RA treatments are very similar. :)
 
*hugs*
Well, Schell, you should know the answer soon. Start reading up on both just in case. I think it pretty well the norm to ck for lupus when you have ra. I know my dr cked and thanks to God, I didn't have lupus. I have read that the treatments are similiar. Keep us posted, in the mean time, get lots of rest and eat healthy. Maybe start taking a multi vitamin if you don't already.
Keep us posted.
Try not to worry, it does you no good.
take care
Schell, I agree with the others.  It sounds like your doctor is on the ball.  He's starting you on RA type drugs because he knows you have something, he's just not sure which and RA and lupus are often treated with the same drugs, so you'll be ahead of the game even if he's able to fine-tune your diagnosis later on.  If you start Plaquenil, ask him about getting a baseline retinal eye exam from your opthomologist.  You'll need eye exams every six months to make sure the medication doesn't have any adverse effects on your eyes.  It's rare but it could happen so you need to stay on top of that.   Also know that it may take several months for the Plaq. to kick in.  Most doctors treat very aggressively now so he may even add MTX or something else to your meds list.  Good luck, keep us posted and ask any question you want, even if you think it will sound silly to us.  It won't, because we've all been there. 
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