Arthritis Information -Hello from Jim! (possible RA)

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Hi everyone.

 
I am 46 years old and not yet diagnosed with RA but I am seeing a rheumatologist this coming week.  I've had disabling fatigue and other symptoms for about six years now that no doctor has been able to identify a cause for. 
 
Last Fall I became vegetarian for no specific reason other than to improve my diet overall.  I also gave up dairy.  After about two months I began to realize that my symptoms had greatly improved and I felt better than I had in many years.  Didn't know why I felt better at the time, but I suppose I just chalked it up to a cleaner diet.
 
For several dumb reasons, I decided to add red meat and dairy back into my diet several weeks ago and in less than five days wound up at the ER with edema, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sharp lung pain when taking a deep breath, and trouble walking because of pain in my ankles.  They found my d-dimer to be elevated but nothing else suspicious so they sent me home with tylenol.  This is not the first time I've had symptoms this severe, nor is it the first time my d-dimer has been elevated.  In fact, it has been elevated every time they test it.
 
I strongly suspect that I have rheumatoid arthritis and there is also a genetic link through my family along with several other autoimmune diseases.  I hate that I feel so terrible at the moment but do you suppose it would be a good idea for me to continue eating red meat and dairy while I go through the diagnosis process?
 
Thanks for any insight,
 
Jim
Why would you want to do anything that makes you feel "terrible"? If restricting your diet makes you feel better, do so. If you have RA, the shift away from dairy and red meat will not, to the best of my knowledge, put the disease into remission.

D-dimmer elevations are very non-specific indicators. Trauma, surgery, dental procedures, viral or bacterial infections, and a host of other physical events can cause elevation.

Follow up with an RD, take copies of all your recent ER labs, etc. as well as a comprehensive list of symptoms and duration.

Best wishes, Shug
Your question would receive more response if you post it in the section of this site dedicated to Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Click the Active Topics button in the upper right-facing side of this screen and you will see that much, if not most, of the activity takes place there.

Cheers.

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