New here: is it RA? | Arthritis Information

Hello Everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read this post. I am a 41 y/o female; I live a healthy lifestyle and try to eat right. In December, I started having pain in both of my hands, specifically in the knuckles and main finger joints, as well as in my wrists. The pain is bilateral, and is very bad when I first wake up in the morning and lasts for a few hours before it subsides. When I first wake up, those joints are hot and aching, and I have a difficult time using my hands. Throughout the day, they hurt when I am doing activities that keep them held still, like driving, and they hurt when they get cold.

Ibuprofen seems to help, but overall I am not feeling well since this began - I feel tired and sometimes like I have a low grade fever when the pain is there.

I have an appointment to see my doctor on Feb. 23, but the wheels of the health care system move very slow here in Canada, so it may be a long time before I get any diagnosis or help.

Do these symptoms seem consistent with what some of you have experienced?
Thank you for your time, and have a great day.

Yes MJ, they do feel consistent with my experiences about RA.
Mine started in one wrist before spreading to the other.
Within a few weeks what started in one wrist was now affecting just about every joint in the body.

Hopefully your appointment with the doc will help clear up what it is that you have.
mjane,

Here are a couple of links you may want to visit. You really won't have a positive answer until a professional gives you the answer. None the less, let me just say that even if you do, many of us live fairly normal lives. If you do have RA, get ready, you're going on one crazy rollercoaster ride. Oh, welcome.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Screening Quiz

Take this 18 question rheumatoid arthritis quiz to see if you just might have rheumatoid arthritis.

http://arthritis.about.com/od/rheumatoidarthritis/l/blrheumarthquiz.htm

VERY GOOD RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS INFO
http://arthritisinsight.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=22109

LEV

Hi mjane and welcome, you may or may not have RA, you're going to have to see your doctor and have labs, physical and maybe xrays before you get an answer.

There are many types of arthritis and RA comes in several different forms, sero-positive and sero-negative, then there are some subsets to the disease. In some cases it's apparent that the patient has RA and in others it's not so easy to diagnose.

The one thing you need to do before your appointment is arm yourself with as much information as you can about RA and if possible take your spouse or a friend with you to the appt. They should be part of the conversation between you and the doctor. You won't be able to remember everything, your focus will be on the pain and the disease that you may or may not have. It's always better to have an extra set of ears along with you. Keep us posted. Lindy

LinB and LevLarry gave you good information. I hope you don't have RA, but your symptoms sound very much like mine were at my time of diagnosis. Feel free to post, asking questions, giving updates, or if you feel like whining. Thank you all for your kind replies, and I will definitely keep you posted. I am so glad to have found a place to talk about this, because sometimes I feel like others think I am over-reacting or a hypochondriac. Some people are so focused on the idea that any sort of arthritis is an "elderly person's disease" and they can't comprehend that I could be experiencing that sort of pain.

I do find that heat helps greatly with the pain. I wear double mittens in the cold and often soak my hands in warm water when it's especially bad.

You guys are all wonderful! Hugs!
MJ

You are very welcome.

LEV

Well I finally got to see my doctor today, and glad for it because the pain is getting progressively worse. She feels that I probably have rheumatoid arthritis, but has ordered some tests to be sure. I am going for x-rays of my hands and feet tomorrow, as well as bloodwork. They are checking the following: C-Reactive Protein, Rheumatoid Factor, TSH (Thyroid, maybe?), Vitamin B12, Ferritin, ANA screen (dsDNA, Chrom, RiboP, SS-A, SS-B, Cent B, SM, RNP, Scl-70, and Jo-1). I have no idea what most of that is, but it seems pretty thorough!! I will let you know the results when I get them!

Thanks again everyone, and hugs to the lot of you!
MJ

Hi mj and welcome. My ra symtoms started just like yours. After years of telling my Dr. and not getting answers I was finally referred to a Rheumatologist and diagnosed. I was so happy. Not that I had ra, but that I finally knew what it was. One thing that helps my hand and wrist pain is a warm wax bath. I think you can get one at Bed, Bath and Beyond or even on the internet. It feels so good on achy joints. Hope you feel better soon.

Gwen

Well I will certainly look into the warm wax bath, thank you for the tip!