Is this normal for RA? | Arthritis Information

 

At the end of last April I had a major flare. I'd never had any problems before, then all of a sudden one day my hand, feet, knees, elbows, basically everything swelled and hurt like there was no tomorrow. I went to the doctor, he took blood work and said my SED rate was a little elevated. He put my on 9 days of Prednisone, and things went away. Now, in all the time that has passed, I've had not one symptom of any joint pain/swelling until this past Sunday. While I was sitting in church I got hot and my hands only started to swell. Swelling has gone away, my my middle finger on my left hand, the middle joint is somewhat swollen and tender. Think I should call my doctor? It's not really bothering me, just knowing that it's a tad swollen and hurting a little bit is making my mind race. Any advice would help. Thanks!

Things change day to day. Its part of the disease. Depending on how aggressive you have it will also change how your body acts. They disease also progresses. Mine was not aggressive at the beginning, ten years later it is very aggressive. I understand. Breath though! If you need the peace of mind calling your doc call, thats what you are paying him for, its his job. I don't think you have a lot to worry about. Just a day to day thing! How long have you had it?Have you started on any other medication or was it just the 9 day course of predisone? Predisone calmed things down quickly and that's good; but you will likely needs other medications to keep things at bay. Well, that's the thing, I don't know if I do have RA. Last April is when I first had any symptoms, and since then I've had no problems up until this past Sunday. Sooo, I really don't know WHAT to think.[QUOTE=Lovie]Have you started on any other medication or was it just the 9 day course of predisone? Predisone calmed things down quickly and that's good; but you will likely needs other medications to keep things at bay. [/QUOTE] Keep a journal of your pain and the swelling, maybe even sketch your hand every now and then. Then when you go into the doc you can bring that in and maybe you will be able to get some answers quicker. I hope you find out, not knowing what is going on with you body is not fun. Anyway just jot down how you feel day to day and that will help you remember what to tell the doc. Stay on top of it though! Good Luck!Keep track of all the locations for your symptoms and how long and intense they are. A pattern will emerge that can help diagnose things. It might be a bit soon for a positive DX but if you have good records, it will make treatment easier. 

My quick reaction to predisone was one of the tools my doctor used to confirm her dx of RA. My blood work was negative; but I met about 5 other criteria for the disease so she confirmed it.

What is the criteria for RA?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheumatoid_arthritis#Diagnosis

• Morning stiffness of >1 hour most mornings for at least 6 weeks.
• Arthritis and soft-tissue swelling of >3 of 14 joints/joint groups, present for at least 6 weeks
• Arthritis of hand joints, present for at least 6 weeks
• Symmetric arthritis, present for at least 6 weeks
• Subcutaneous nodules in specific places
• Rheumatoid factor at a level above the 95th percentile
• Radiological changes suggestive of joint erosion

At least four have to be met for RA.

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