Okay, I got my results back today and I'm confused.... She said my sed rate was normal at 6 and the anti ccp was negative at 6.9. I've read different things about the anti ccp. One said the normal range was from 0 - 5. Another said the normal range was less than 20. From what I've read this test is a good predictor of present and future. So I asked the doctor if this meant that I did not have RA and would not get RA. She said, it just means you don't have it now. I then asked if she felt like I should go to an ortho. to see if this was OA and she said no she didn't think they would find anything.
So.... why do I have pain in multiple joints and muscles and why do I have an elevated RF? She said she understands my concern but is glad to not be diagnosing me. Don't get me wrong... I'm incredibly thankful, just unsure if I should just go on about my business, wait and see what happens, or pursue more answers.
Sorry this got so long...
Stacy
Well, I don't know about this doctor telling you don't have it now just because your tests are negative. All your tests can come back negative and you can still have RA. I do. It's called seronegative RA. I think you should get another opinion. Joint and muscle pain is definitely an RA thing. Do you have swelling in your feet and/or hands?
Susan
It is possible you are at the early stages of RA. If you have RA, it's going to develop in it's own good time. The medicines are so hard on our bodies that in this case I can see why your doctor is not being definitive one way or another. I think you are on a wait and see what happens. Your sed rate being normal means that you don't have a lot of inflammation which is excellent.
Did she give you any thing for the pain? Sometimes they will start with OTC Tylenol or Ibuprofen. The next step up would be like Mobic or Celebrex. If you were inflamed, they might add MTX and prednisone.
Unless you have a joint that's not functioning and are having considerable pain with it, the ortho doesn't do much good at this point. However, did they do any x-rays? That can be important in deciding if you are having any damage.
Although all the results sound good, it still concerns me that you are having pain. Did she also evaluate you for fibromylagia?
I guess the answer to your question is how much this if affecting you on a daily basis. If you are not satisfied with the answers, then a second opinion or another visit would be in order. But there is also nothing wrong with letting things go on a bit longer and see if you get better.
The only thing you don't want to have happen is if you need treatment, not to get it. You're going to have to decide how you really feel about this. Listen to your own body. What is it telling you. Then, you'll know what you need to do.
In the meantime, learn as much about the disease as possible so that when (if) things come up, you are prepared to ask the right questions.
Generally, I would take this as good news.
Stacy,Thanks ladies. Deanna, you are always so complete in your responses. No, she did not test for fibromyalgia, nor did she do xrays. This is not affecting me as far as accomplishing things on a daily basis. It is really more of an annoyance than anything.
I think I will just thank my lucky stars that so far I'm okay and get back to focusing on something other than myself.
Thanks for your valuable insight,
Stacy
Blood work can take years and years to show RA or other auto immune diseases. In the meantime you can have a lot of symptoms. I tested negative for 8 years and then finally was sero positive. The big difference is the meds. Those for RA are really rough on the system and are needed to prevent disability. I think most doctors would prefer to treat for a milder form of arthritis to avoid the heavy artillery meds if they can. Of course if you are having really bad symptoms and the tests are negative, the doctor might start you on RA meds. Many people on this board test negative but have RA and are treated as such because of severe symptoms/
Stacy - like all the others have said....you can be seronegative for RA. Like you - I have an elevated RF and I have slightly elevated ana's that are speckeled (most DR's don't even recognize this as a positive). However, I do have joint pain and flares. I have been to several (RD'S) in the past year - I have found one that's pretty good. I am on sulfasalizine right now, just switched from plaquenil. Mine started with an allergic reaction and was on pred for 8 months solid.... so....my advice to you would be to get MRI's if you've had negative Xrays - MRI's will show early damage, before it can be seen on Xray - you are, like Deanna says probably in the early stages of RA, that's what my MRI's showed. The earlier you get on medication the better - the quicker they can slow the damage... If your RD won't give you the mri's ask your gp. Keep seaching for an answer, it's your body - not theirs and if you think something in wrong, you may need to dig and push to your answer, whether it's RA or something else. I truly hope you get an answer.
I wish you the very best, Jody
Susan: Keep persuing this if you still have a problem. I had this stuff for a good 5 years before a medical professional even took the foot and hand/wrist stuff seriously. I had many lay people ask me if I had arthritis because of the damage to my hands and my feet and swelling in my hands several years before a doctor finally listened to me. 3 years before-- a lady in a wheelchair saw me walking and said to me she thought I should see a RA. Dr.--she was cripled with RA and was giving me very good advice. However, I was having problems getting the doctor to give me a referral to a foot dr. let along a RA dr. I fired all the doctors I had at the time. Went into met a new doctor and within 5 minutes of meeting me, she asked if I had been tested for RA. The rest is history. However, a have a lot of damage to my feet, hands and wrists. My message is--if you know something is wrong--keep persuing it-- change doctors if you need to. You are your own advocate.