Hi Wendy,
Yours is an excellent summation and actually a very good example of a path to diagnosis, imo. Symptoms do overlap and evolve over time and although not perfect, the criteria for these do work. The timeline, presentation of onset, which joints and manifestations are involved when and where, are all clues!
That you've been suffering with a serious dose of inflammatory arthritis would seem hard to miss, and narrowing it down to the specific one, as symptoms evolved, took education and experience and time, as one might expect. Hopefully now, you and your docs are in the best position to tailor treatments towards giving you the best possible odds to effectively manage your RA.
I agree with everything you've written.. and hope you are on a path to feeling better soon!
mig
