Hi y'all, I am a newbie here and right now pretty confused.
For a year I have been treated for RA with my RF being high and my ANA being negative.
Earlier this month I was re-tested by a new Rheumy. This time my RF is normal, my ANA is high and the CCP test for RA was negative. That is supposed to be pretty accurate for RA. The Rheumy says I probably don't have RA but have "an inflammatory arthritis with tenosynovitis in the hands and inflammatory arthritis in the feet."
Other tests show a positive for Sjogren's Syndrome. Does Sjogren's mimic RA that much?
Anyone know how accurate these tests are and why things are jumping up and down?
Any info would be great. I am still waiting for my Rheumy to get back from vacation to talk to him.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Jacy. I'm new to all of this too. Prior to November I was a healthy person just going about my business! I found it interesting that your diagnosis has changed, and I have been wondering if my diagnosis (RA) is correct. My Rheumatologist seems very knowledgable, but a few people have recommended a second opinion. Never having had many other health problems, I'm startled to learn that medicine often is not an exact science but often a series of educated guess and trial & error! Yikes! Anyway, here's hoping you wind up with a diagnosis of something easier to treat and to deal with than RA!
You don't need to test positive to have RA. You can be sero-negative, and many of us are on the message boards. That test isn't always accurate indication. There are people that test postive for RA and do not have it. Your RD will look at the other indicators.
Sjogrens is secondary many times to RA. This is me, RA primary, sjogrens secondary
Kieye
Hi Jacey,
It was my understanding that when you are treated for RA, and you said you were treated for a year by a differenty rheumy, your numbers tend to yield to the normal end, including your RA factor. This is all assuming that you are receiving medication designated as RA treatment and not only an anti-inflammatory, and that you are responding positively to that treatment. Personally, my RA factor has always been negative. But they say that about 20% of RA patients never have a positive RA factor. All other bloods were initially out of whack for me. After almost 2 years, I am pretty much stabilized as far as my blood work goes. My SED rate has come down from 90 to 25, my platellets have come down from a whopping 1100 to normal at 300, my red cells have increased, white cells are still a bit high, my anemia has all but gone away, yet the extreme fatigue persists and I can't ever get enough sleep. So if I were you, I would get yet a 3rd opinion about your condition. You never indicated what treatment you were receiving, what medications you were on.
Regarding that syndrome, lol, can't spell or say it, I have a friend who has that and suffers no symptoms similar to RA, only that persistent dry sandy feeling in her eyes and dry mouth. Do you suffer from pain, swelling, fatigue, stiffness for more than 30 minutes in the morning when you get out of bed? These are some of the criteria that are used when diagnosing RA, along with the blood tests. So if you have any of this, please, go for another opinion and don't stop going for opinions until you are satisfied. I beg of you.
From an Oldtimer. I have had inflammatory arthritis for 24 yrs. I have been diagnosed as having RA, not having RA and back to having RA again. I have always been RA factor negative and HLA-B27+. My Rheumatologist told me a long time ago that it doesn't matter exactly what kind of arthritis I have; RA or some other inflammatory type, plus OA, DDD, Sjogrens.The important part is to find something that will help and hopefully prevent joint destruction. She has been doing research in the field for 20 yrs so I figure if she's ok with it so am I. All I want is to feel better now, I'll worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes. Find a Rheumatologist that you trust and that listens to you and then work with them as a partner. I went to 2 other Rheu..... before I found the one I have had for the last 22years. She and I have a good working relationship. Don't pass up a dr starting their practice. I was one of my dr first patients.