Arthritis Forum
Home.

News.

Personal Stories. Links. Message Board.  
Arthritis Forum  
Add your comments to this topic Start a new topic
Date: 15.04.2013
From: Theresa33

Subject: Possibly have RA

Where to start? Thursday last week i woke up to find one of my toes was red, hot and swollen. I cant remember ever bumping it or anything happening to it. I put it to back of my mind. I then woke up the next day to find three toes swollen on the right foot, hot and red too. This worried me. Something was up. Later in the afternoon i noticed the other two toes (big toe and one mext to it) seemed to get one red sore lump on each, on the bony area. Those two didnt swell up completely like the smaller ones. I struggled to walk that day. Saturday i was no better in the swelling department. I could walk but not for too long. And my lower back was killing me. Sunday my wrists took turns hurting too! My mum suggested arthritis when she saw my toes on Sat, so i researched RA and sure enough, symptoms and photos match me. I went to gp today, told him whatnhad happened while i sat there trying to massage my sore neck. He said he though it was RA. I was sent for xrays on my hands and feet and having bloods done tomorrow. This seems to have happened very fast.

The only other time i had swelling in a joint was in my knee a few months ago. I thought it was housemaids knee or whatever its called. I was fine until i bent down to clean the floor. It felt like i had knelt on a stone. I jumped up to check, nothing there. Knelt again and decided it was just too painful. It soon swelled, i had a huge squidgy lump, it was burning hot and red. Hubby had housemaids knee a year ago but his didnt go red or was hot. I told gp this too.

What does everyone think? I am 33 and mum to three x
reply | back to forum

Date: 15.04.2013
From: bsk

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Hi Theresa, sorry to hear you are going through this. It's impossible to say whether you have RA or not as diagnosis depends on lots of things. Your bloods might help if you are positive for rheumatoid factor. I wasn't and that makes things more difficult. Xrays have never shown anything up for me and I hope not for you too!

I had the thing with the knee too, felt like I'd knelt on a drawing pin, This before I got diagnosed. My then gp didn't think much of it in itself but, of course, in retrospect, these things take on significance.

Let us know how you get on.
reply | back to forum

Date: 15.04.2013
From: Patsy

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Sory hear u having hard time. I was tested positive and have all symptons yet rheumy doesnt think i do. It seems to be very hard cond to get diagnosed.
reply | back to forum

Date: 15.04.2013
From: kazz

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

i have all the syptoms was diagnosed sero neg inflammatory artritis which is ra but the ra factor doesnt show up in your blood
reply | back to forum

Date: 16.04.2013
From: Patsy

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

All comes down to you're consultant i suppose and how good he is. Heard of people that had to change few times to get proper diagnosis.
reply | back to forum

Date: 16.04.2013
From: Colin W

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Hi Theresa , as bsk said the blood test will tell them loads , about 80% of people with RA have positive Rheumatoid factor (RF) it's a autoantibody (antibody directed against an organism's own tissues)but the bloods will also show any inflammation

there is other causes it could be but atleast your bloods will only take a few days

RA is a lot better treated in the last 10 years & if it turns out to be RA they should be able to control it well

Kazz , sero neg inflammatory artritis dont mean RA , there is 200 arthritis conditions & even with positive RF it took me two years to get diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis
reply | back to forum

Date: 16.04.2013
From: Patsy

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Colin W im so glad hear you say that cuz starting to get fed up that rheumey wudnt diagnose me. Thanks hun. Xx
reply | back to forum

Date: 16.04.2013
From: Theresa33

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Do any of you have other auto immune diseases? I have an underactive thyroid, somof course, i wondered if i was more at risk of getting another auto immune disease. Had my bloods done today. So now its sit and wait. I feel very privileged tomhave a gp who has acted so quickly re tests and recognised my symptoms. Some are bad with patients. I had one tell me i had ovlation pain. Days later it was actually a kidney infection and i was very ill with it. She just didnt listen to me. I know my body!
reply | back to forum

Date: 16.04.2013
From: dianne

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Hi Theresa, sorry to hear your suffering at the moment. I'm 32 with 3 children and find a lot of tasks difficult at the minute. I've not long been referred to the rheumy and currently waiting for my bloods to come back and an mri scan. I get really stiff fingers and awful shooting pains in them, very tired throughout the day which I find just as difficult as the pain. I also suffer with my knees and feel very sore when I'm kneeling on them as if I'm on something sharp. Sounds like you do have a really good GP and hopefully you will get sorted pretty soon. This is a good forum to post in x
reply | back to forum

Date: 17.04.2013
From: Theresa33

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Thanks Diane x I also mentioned to my gp about constant lower back pain. Ive had it for years. I get shooting pains in that area, sometimes extending to the upper back. He says its mechanical and suggested a physio. I read the notes he gave me and it said this sort of pain gets better in 6 weeks. I always have it and i disagree about it being mechanical. I was getting shooting pains last night sitting on my sofa. Ive read it isnt related to RA but ive read on another forum like this in my search of others with same prob.
reply | back to forum

Date: 17.04.2013
From: Theresa33

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Waiting to speak to the dr as results back already! Receptionist said bloods and xrays were normal so. Asked to speak to dr. Im really surprised about the bloods. What else can cause toes to swell up one by one and two of them have red lumps on the bone?
reply | back to forum

Date: 17.04.2013
From: bsk

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Well that's a good thing Theresa. Believe you me, you don't want RA!
reply | back to forum

Date: 17.04.2013
From: marlene

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

It is possible it is OA !!!!
reply | back to forum

Date: 17.04.2013
From: Theresa33

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Just spoke to dr. Apparently we are still waiting for the rheumatoid test to get back. My white blood cell count is a bit high which could suggest inflammation or something else. Liver is ok. Xrays normal. I told him i thought they might be anyway. My swelling has gone down but ive taken photos to refer back to or show dr etc if i need to. Thanks for the replies :)
reply | back to forum

Date: 18.04.2013
From: dianne

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

I also have suffered with chronic lower back pain for several years and its only the last 6 months I have started to have other symptoms. My rheumy has ordered me for a MRI spinal scan. My xrays were normal and most my bloods were ok but he still thinks I may have RA!?! Still awaiting more tests and results though. My back pain has been awful to live with so I do understand especially when you have children to run around after x
reply | back to forum

Date: 18.04.2013
From: Theresa33

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Dianne, re m y lower back, i remember when i was having an epidural 11 yrs ago today with my eldest, the man doing it was struggling with the needle. He asked me if i ever had back trouble, but i dont think i did back then. Lots of thngs making me think now....

Today and last night im struggling with pain in my left knee. Its not red or swollen just painful to bend.
reply | back to forum

Date: 18.04.2013
From: dianne

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

my knees are painful when I bend down they feel really sore. My eldest is 11 to lol, my back pain came on after my 2nd child and have suffered since. Ive had a feeling of warmth from my knees at times to x
reply | back to forum

Date: 19.04.2013
From: Theresa33

Subject: Re: Possibly have RA

Thing is a year or two ago, hubby got something called housemaids knee. I cant remember how it happened. It swelled up. So around two months ago or so, i got what i thought was the same thing. But there was a difference, mine was hot and red, his hadnt been. But i just left it until my toes started swelling more recently. I think they are linked!
reply | back to forum

 

Add your comments to this topic
Subject:
Please type your comment here:

Your name:
email:

1+3=
(This sum is to help prevent automatic spamming through this page - thank-you)


top

Site design: T - Creative Home | News | Personal Stories | Links | Message Board