RA...maybe? | Arthritis Information

RA runs in my family. My grandmother is suffering with it now and almost all her family members suffered with it as well. I am a 26 year old female and over the past few months I have noticed sharp pains in my hands and now my hip is bothering me. I do have stiffness that recently has started with this hip pain. I am usually only stiff in the hip area. My hands get these sharp pains to where I cant move them but it will go away, sometimes quicker than others. Do you think my pain is RA? I am a very active person. 3 kids, married, college, work full time. I thought maybe I am doing more than my body should be doing. What do you think? Welcome Michelle.

I dont think anyone on here is qualified to diagnose you and if I was you I would try to get an appointment to see your doctor.

Stiffness is common in RA but it is normally all over stifffness .

Let us know how you get on

Lisa

My stiffness isn't all over, but occurs in my knuckles and wrists along with any joint that is flaring.

I agree with Pin that you should make an appointment with your doctor. If it is RA, you should start treatment as soon as possible.

Well you know RA is heridatary so you probably should see your doctor. Also I wanted to say welcome to the forum.Absolutely - you need a qualified diagnostician.

For what it's worth - and this may not pertain to your issue - I use the computer a LOT and have found that excessive mouse clicking sometimes causes inflammation. You might consider purchasing a truly ergonomic mouse [and there are few of them out there that are really ergonomic]. A better option would be to use the keyboard short-cuts in lieu of the mouse. In any case, it's a good idea to rule out pain caused by the mouse.

I think what I was trying to get at, is the pain more of a sharp pain? I dont have any swelling or redness, so is that something that comes later?

I just recently had surgery, so I guess I dont want to be a pain. Ya know, we just relieved one issue I was having and no moving to another. Sounds kinda silly, but I would like to be more sure before I ask my dr. Maybe I just need to get over that.

I know it can be diagnosed earlier in life as well as later. And my family has been diagnose at all different ages.

My hands are prob my biggest pain. Using a stapler, cooking, opening car doors. Some times the pain lasts for hrs and other times it lasts just a few minutes. My pain has been more frequent since my surgery, I'm guessing b/c my immune system is down so it could be a flare up?

Thank you all for listening.
Michelle,

I'm sure you'll get a wide variety of answers. For me it depends on whether it's a weight bearing joint and if I'm bearing weight at the time. If I am bearing weight on a weight-bearing joint, it's not a sharp pain but a dull pain in a specific area. When I use the computer the fingers of my right hand will be painful and swollen....again, a dull pain and very focused pain, but not a sharp one. If it's my shoulder, I'm apt not to feel it most of the time unless I reach up for something or if I've slept on it in the wrong way.

My pains are best described as the kind of pain you would feel if you were strangling the joint, if that makes any sense. [Which means that the swelling is causing the pain.]

Again, in MY case it's never a sharp pain. But I'll bet there are people who do have sharp pains.

I would definitely mention this pain to your doctor[s].

Based on what I've read and observed, no two family members experience pain in precisely the same way or have the same identical set of symptoms or presentation of disease.

Sam12342009-11-15 19:37:16Thank you very much for your reply. Most ppl I have talked to say a dull pain which makes me think its not RA. I could still be wrong. I could be making excuses to not have it checked too. I am seeing my dr this Tuesday and I will mention it then. The pain in my hips is a dull pain but the pain in my hands is sharp. I also have noticed my ankles feeling it too when I walk. I am a nurse and in school they taught us RA is associated with joint pain, but no one has ever mentioned what type of pain. There are so many different types of pain. Does weather changes effect RA? For instance, I live in Florida and over the past 2 weeks we have experienced much colder weather.

After my appointment I will let you know what the outcome is.
My RA pain is often more of an ache, but when my joints are really actively inflamed I will get a lot of burning. (sorry to add yet another kind of pain to the mix). I usually get sharp pains in my knees when I walk, however , my knees are quite damaged so I attribute that to the lovely feeling of bone on bone. But everyone is different..

I understand the feeling of not wanting to head back to the doctor so soon. The truth is that you either have RA or you don't. Going to the doctor isn't going to change your diagnosis. If you have RA, you'll want to get it in control asap. I think that's a good reason to get to checked out.

oh, and yes, my RA does seem to be effected by the weather.

Good luck to you!
Leila Mine is DEFINITELY affected by the weather. My knees can tell you when it's going to rain. [The local tv station ought to hire my knees for the weather broadcasts!] My flares seem to happen during the winter months.....almost like clockwork.

Yes, my pain is more like an ache. And when I'm inflamed, my body has been known to heat the bed like an electric blanket on a cold night.

Sam12342009-11-17 14:32:05Sorry to burst your bubble Michelle, but I get both achy pains and sharp stabs that feel like someone has stuck me with a pin or a knife or anything in between! They sometimes will wake me up if they are bad enough. I think we all went through the phase of not wanting to have the diagnosis but the reality is that the sooner you get it the sooner you can start fighting it. As a nurse, you know a lot more than we do about the disease and have all the more reasons to avoid getting the diagnosis. Glad to hear you are seeing the doc so soon. Let us know. Shell,

I wanted to ask if you've been using the computer much more than usual. If so, and you're clicking away with the mouse, and sitting in a weird position, this might be the culprit. So rule this out by getting an ergonomic chair and making sure your keyboard is where it should be.

As for the mouse, there are few truly ergonomic mice. And last I checked, none if you're left-handed. I've had good luck with the Microsoft "Natural" Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. Some mice claim to be ergonomic, but they are not. The key is to get a mouse that's constructed in a manner such that you're almost in the same position as shaking someone's hand. [That is, your hand is not OVER the mouse, but is on the SIDE of the mouse.]