Kickas.org Forums Rheumatoid Arthritis General Discussion #1 RA Web Support Group RA Diagnosis

Hi
Just wondering if someone could help answer,
How they diagnose RA?
The blood test of RA factor, is that influenced while you may be on anti TNF's?

I am getting slightly paranoid about it, either RA or peripheral arthritis. Wrists, knees, shoulder, heel all hurting, especially if i use them more than on an average day. None of tendon/ligaments tend to heal.

i was dx'ed with undiff spondy, largely due to my tendon/ligament itises, pulls, and tears.

i "injured" them much too readily, much too easily, much too severely for what i did, and they took forever to heal.

but at least the LDN has helped. i don't get it as badly. and they heal up in a fraction of the time now.

enthesitis. one of the main symptoms of spondyloarthropathies.

but i am RA negative (though of course there is seronegative RA). but also, i have asymmetrical inflammatory arthritis, only borderline elevated CRP and ESR. thus nothing for me points toward RA. but the peripheral enthesitis, that's classic spondyloarthropathy. and then with the gut involvement; that's also classic spondy.

even my stepfather with crohns has similar peripheral arthritis: the classic achilles heel pain and a torn rotator cuff - two things i do / have experienced as well.

and i have osteo in my knees: getting up from a squatting position near impossible anymore. assuming that perhaps the inflammatory arthritis has caused the fairly early osteo in my knees.

hope this helps.

Ansh - read the ASAS/EULAR papers here on KA. You will note that peripheral arthritis is fairly common with AS.

I have peripheral arthritis in feet, ankles, knees, fingers, wrists, right elbow, both shoulders, with a hemiarthroplasty in the left shoulder. As for tendons/ligaments healing, they get inflamed, enthesisis, LDN helps keep inflammation under control.

I do no have any RA factors. I do not have any blood elevations - this last can be typical for AS patients.

If you have concerns then suggest a quick chat with your rheumatologist, or doctor, would be most helpful to you.

Go well -

HI,
I am taking several arge asprin, that seems tohelp as much as anything for the kind sof pain you mention.
It gets old..
R U done traveling?

Your friend,
Lon

I was diagnosed with RA in 2009. My blood work confirmed my visably swollen joints. My swollen joints were shoulder, knees, wrists, thumb and elbow(not all at once, joint swelling migrated around my body). I had no positive rheumatoid factor, but I had high sed rate and crp, and I think they used one more blood test called anti -ccp. Then 6 months into RA, my si joints started hurting all the time.?.

Right now I am doing the NSD because it has proven the best help for me. I can only eat chicken, fruits and veggies, minus potatoes, corn and tomatoes. Not much to eat, but I am feeling so much better I want to see if this will get me to remission.

I have read little on genetically modified foods like corn, but after watching a couple videos about how they cause auto-immune disease, I'm interested in finding more about them.

Hope you feel better, and I really hope you don't have RA. Take care!!

I forgot to say one more thing- I have a layman's hunch that I might have AS and not RA. My hands have had no pain for months and my right wrist just started flaring up this past week.(I read that pain in the hands are the hallmark of RA).
I get most of my pain and swelling in my knee or knees and lower back/s i joint. I am not a dr. but after feeling a lot better with the nsd, it kind of confirms my hunch that I may have AS and not RA. I never had a positive RF, just a high sed rate, like 53. I just wanted to pass on my experience to you, just in case it helped. My ligaments/tendons around my elbow hurt alot and Molly posted that it is part of AS too.
What makes you think you have RA? Do you think you have both RA and AS?

Hi All,
Just keep hurting my ligaments/tendons too easily and they just dont want to heal up. Flares up in winters (Southern hemisphere, so just went thru winters) and if it rains.

Fingers are swollen, had to re size the wedding ring.

A bit over it, the rhuemy isn't exactly paying attention to it. Enbrel doesnt work on me, so I am grumpy 'ol fart these days.

Oh Lon, yes I am finished traveling. Indian monsoon and pot-holed roads killed my back though,. And 14 long flight hours killed my knees too.

that was always one of my biggest issues from the day it started.

the LDN doesn't help everything equally.

but the one thing that the LDN helps the very most is this.

now i tear them less severely. and they heal in days to weeks instead of months to years.

really.

i've been amazed by that.

for the last 6-12 months, i've been wondering if my fingers are "swollen" from arthritis or if its the added weight i've gained this past year?

but as i've lost about 1/2 of what i put on, the rings are just as tight.

if i get back down to the old weight or lower and my rings are still as tight, i'll let the rheumy know that my fingers are bigger than they used to be.

i'm having a lot of trouble getting them on and off anymore.

ValsM,
Every 3-4 years a doctor things I have it and checks me for it. But the tests are either negative or border line.. When I am NSD and get to feeling a little better, I always seem to get a terrible sore joint that keeps me from enjoying increased mobility from the diet.
I sure hope you get to feeling better.
after our trip to Philly, I want to be serious again about diet.

keep me posted, ok?