I know I should know this but I cannot get a straight answer. I have
seropositve RA, diagnosed a year ago. But my RD said I have no evidence of
joint erosion or damage. I am now on Plaquinil since September. I know I
have had this disease for at least 2 years and everywhere I read, it says that
most joint damage occurs within the first two years. Does this mean I will
never have any joint damage? I mean, if that is the case, why the heck am I
on Plaquinil? Do I even have RA? My ankles and feet hurt like there is
damage but xrays do not show any. Can someone explain this to me? Can
you get the damage and not have pain?Not a clue - I am seronegative and some joints have damage and some don't but it seems all of them hurt. I actually have a friend that has serious visible damage and other than being stiff in the mornings she has no pain (stiffness isn't really pain but she hobbles a bit then). Go figure - This drives me nuts!!! Well, the stiffness is really the worst part for me and if I do something
stoopid like clean my house like a mad woman, then I suffer for days, but
other than my ankles and feet, I have no pain. I just wonder if I'll ever have
damage and if not, do I really have RA.
The question I'm trying to ask here is...have any of you who have had RA for
many years, never had joint erosion or damage? Or is this a disease where
eventually every person with RA, will experience joint damage?
I think eventually as the disease progresses eronsion will happen. It is a progressive, degenerative disease. If you have no erosion yet the plaquenil will help keep it that way. That is the aim of the DMARDS and Biologics, to stop the disease and prevent damage. I'm sero negative and was diagnosed a year and a bit ago. I have erosion in the hand that I had the MRI. I also had knee replacements 5 & 6 years ago (pre-diagnosis) They deteriorated in less than 3 years to bone on bone. Erosion doesn't necessarily show up on x-rays, MRI is needed to show it. As each individual joint is involved over time, erosion can develop if it is left to its own devices.
Keep taking you plaquenil and avoid future erosion and joint destruction.