Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Another newbie with questions

altoclef
altoclef
Hello, all.

A couple of days ago I got the official word from a rheumatologist that I definitely have a form of inflammatory arthritis. She's currently withholding judgement on whether it's rheumatoid or psoriatic. There seem to be more similarities than differences between the two anyway- true?

I've spent some time trying to figure out how long I have had this. I have had joint pain in previously injured joints for over 20 years. A few years ago I sprained an ankle pretty badly and it took about 3 years for the pain and swelling to go away. My worst pain and disability now is in a hand I had surgery on about 18 months ago that just never seemed to heal right.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone?
bcatz
bcatz
The anti-ccp test is super specific for RA...so if it is positive, it's RA. BUT (there's always a but), if it's negative, it could still be RA.

I don't know much about psoriatic arthritis as I don't have it.

With RA, typically (tongue in cheek because everyone is so different) you have joint pain on both sides of your body...like one wrist and later, the other, or both at the same time. Mine are usually not at the same time but I call it empathetic pain - one shoulder hurts and the other one "feels bad for it so it hurts too".

I wish you all the best. Treatment is similar for both diseases and it can bring your life back to near normal values.
altoclef
altoclef
Yes, mine has been semi-symmetrical- right hand is a mess, including bone loss, left hand is a nuisance. Left elbow doesn't unbend anymore, right hurts but functions. I'll give my feet points for being about equally messed up. All my bloodwork looked just peachy, but as you said, while a positive result means you have RA, a negative doesn't mean you don't.

I'm curious as to whether anyone else has noticed very slow healing in injured joints. Does the inflammation set up shop in a weak spot?
MeganElaine
MeganElaine
Regarding the slow healing injuries; I hyperextended my left foot two years before my first RA flare, and it never ever healed. This was 7 years ago now; it's not as bad as it originally was, but it's never stopped hurting, ever. My pediatrician once told me that JRA tends to latch on to old injuries and keep them from ever getting better. I would expect it to be the same with "regular" RA.