So Confused | Arthritis Information

 

Howdy, my name is Thomas.  I am under investigation as of now for a possible RA diagnosis.  It started out as a single joint in my right hand being sore.  I went to the doctor and he ran some blood work.  My RF was 23, with the cut-off being 20.  I was referred to a Rheumatologist, and he said that there were no inflammed joints on the physical exam, but there was some minor pain in various joints.  He performed some blood work, and my Anti-CCP came back at 33, with the cut-off being 5.  So, as of right now, I haven't been diagnosed with RA, but I am being intensely watched for the inevitable.  I have become frightened of what may happen.  The Rheumatologist said that even if I do come down with the disease that I can expect to live a normal life and fulfilling life with the advancement of new medications...that RA is a very well managed disease.  However, I see many post in here with various people being in terrible pain and various degrees of disability.  How can the Rheumatologist say this, when I see post such as those mentioned.  Any information would be of immense value....please help!

It is scary and I think most of us feel that we have been misled as to the effectiveness of the medications. However, it is not the disease it once was and from the Rheumatologist's point of view, I'm sure he sees it as a vast improvement.

In the last couple of years, a lot of new medicines especially the biologics, have made a tremendous improvement on the outlook of having RA. But it is a complex disease and finding the right combination of treatments is difficult as each person is different. Your doctor may be looking at your test results and seeing that your prognosis is pretty good because at this point it is very mild. That may be one reason he sounds so optimistic.

My doctor was very serious from the beginning because my onset was sudden and dramatic. It has been a difficult journey. Untreated symptoms are painful. But the more aggressive the treatment in the early stages, the better the overall outcome usually is. If the doctor, or even the patient, ignore symptoms that is when damage can occur.

Work with your doctor and learn as much about the disease as possible. Come here and talk to others. It will give you a good support system. The more knowledge you have, the better care you will receive and the more you will know about taking care of yourself.

Of all the scary things you read, you can never have all of them happen to you. Just ask questions.

Welcome to the forum. It's a journey, not a destination.

 

Good advice Deanna.

Also there are varying degrees of RA. Some people have it mildly, others severely. Some go into remission after a year but most do not.I think a lot of people on the board are on the severe end of the spectrum. This is a place where we can gripe and compare notes. Many of us lead perfectly normal lives working, caring for families, travelling despite our RA. If we complain here, we don't bother our loved ones so much.

It may take a long time to diagnose exactly what you have and you can have more than one kind of autoimmune disease. I'm currently diagnosed with RA, OA, Fibromyalgia and Sjogren's Syndrome. It took more than 8 years with a rheumatologist to find out what was going on because my onset was very slow and varied. I wouldn't be surprized if they added a few more diseases to my list. Welcome to the board and good luck in getting your diagnosis. It seems like you are in good hands with your doctor.

   Hi and welcome, Thomas.
   I was DX with RA, last June. My RA was caught in the early stages. However,I have OA and puesdo-gout too. The Ra is under control as is the puesdo-gout. Now if I could get the OA under control. With the right medication mix and if it's caught early, you can have good results. There's alot of people on this board who are working and leading good lives. We all have our bad days where we overdo and the stress will cause us to flare. This is a great place to come and complain, ask questions or just sit back and learn from other's posts.
RA isn't a death sentence! It's just a bump in the road. So please join us. Learn, ask questions, we're family and support each other.

Marisa

Welcome to the forum.

Pain is different on many levels.  Some you will find have pain that is for them a 10 while it is a 5 on my scale.  I am one of the rare with full body that was called recently one of the worst RA cases.

I have lots of pain but I am in my 1st year.  During this time you will be tested on medications, easiest being first like methotrexate which takes time to take effect.  Doctors like to slowly add more pills a month at a time to see how it does since it takes about a month to work.  This is why many are still in bad pain within their first year.

Others are in pain due to how they are only on over the counter meds and haven't gotten into big RA drugs.

Some have tried all sorts of big RA drugs, but their bodies don't agree with them either from allergy attacks, stomach problems, or some just don't get relief from the meds.

You will also find many who come in to talk about their pain who won't take drugs for thier condition.

All people are different and have different reasons why their pains are so bad.  Your treatments will work or won't work depending on your body and how it handles medication.

I wish you well.

Welcome!

I think the problem is the word "normal." Doctors toss that word out fairly casually. Once you have RA, I don't think you'll ever forget it. It's a chronic, managed disease. If you have it, you'll take some combination of powerful, nasty medicines. You'll find a new normal, and ways to cope. It's a challenge, but it's not the end of the world.

Good luck! It sounds as though you're being diagnosed early, and that's a good thing.

There are so many different degrees of RA and different responses to medication, I hope you can just stay calm and wait and see.  I know people on these boards that have never had extreme symptoms.  Most of us have improved drastically with the meds.  RA is not exactly fun but you can learn to live with it.  All this coming from a major whiner

  I am also new to this board. On Friday I go to my G.P for tests. I have similiar symptoms to yours,and feel i may be in the beginning stages.of R.A.  Also like you I have been reading some of the posts and getting a bit anxious about that possible diagnosis. I,m glad that you articulated exactly what i was thinking.  I'm hoping to be one of the lucky ones whose symptoms stay fairly mild. I'm glad at least that I found this site so i can ask the questions I need to ask ,and get responses from people who are going through it. it's comforting to know that here is help out there.
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