I’ve been under the care of my GP (6 years) and hematologist (1 year). I’ve also been to neurologist and rheumatologist. Basically, whatever it is that is wrong has not showed itself in full form. However, I do believe I am close to a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. My hematologist said I have some "autoimmune" issues and my RA is up but said he is "watching it". I had to look some of them up to see if there was a RA link and it was mentioned. &n bsp;
My symptoms/blood tests are as follows:
1) peripheral neuropathy – lower extremeties
2) low grade fevers
3) chronic fatigue
4) occasional anemia
5) A/G ratio and albumin – high
6) Excess homocysteine
7) Haptoglobin – low
8) RA Factor – 55 high on <43iu/ml scale
9) Normal SED at last check
I have not had a recent ANA test.
Here’s to the question. I just started having what I will call "real" joint pain about 2 weeks ago. I didn't realize what "real" joint pain was until I started all this. It is symmetrical with most pain being in my hands. Knees, elbows and feet is here and there during the day. I’ve started having pain when I do tasks like carrying something, typing or shaking a thermometer. And my joints feel hot but it is an “inside” feeling of hot…not hot to the touch. I don’t really see any redness or swelling. I'm not really what I would call stiff in the morning. I don't feel perfect but I can move around. I know with this autoimmune stuff everyone’s pain is different. But is this the type of pain any of you have?
Thats pretty much what I experience, except my knuckles would go red when they really hurt. And looking a bit like bony overgrowth.
Sorry I have no diagnosis either!
Let me know how you go!
I don't have a diagnosis because I'm not a doctor but can tell you that some of the pain you are experiencing is similar to what I have. Especially the typing part. You said that you are what you wouldn't call stiff in the morning. Has there been a difference lately in how you feel when you get up in the morning? It sounds like you have some stiffness in the morning but not a whole lot. If you are somewhat stiff in the morning, how long does it take to go away? It took over 8 years for me to finally get diagnosed with RA. A lot of the symptoms you are describing sound like mine did, especially the hand pain without noticable swelling. The fatigue is a classic hallmark and your rheumatoid factor seems somewhat high. I'm not a doctor, so I can't really help you. They keep adding on to my diagnosis because autoimmune diseases seem to go together. You can have more than one. It's a matter of patience and keeping track of all your symptoms so that you can corrordinate with the various doctors you see. Good luck.Sounds like it could be RA. You won't get diagnosed until you meet certain criteria. The DR needs to see actual inflammation in one joint over a period of time among other things. I believe Lovie posted the formal criteria in the "New here?" section.