Hello and welcome to the group.
I assume your appointment is with a rheumatologist - if not request a referral.
Keep a journal of your symptoms as it can all be very confusing and then when you get to the rheum appointment, you freeze and can't remember anything!!
I want to comment on one thing -- "no doubt all will be clarified" when you have your appointment. It may not so be prepared for that. This is a very complicated disease, with a multitude of presentations, and a (thankfully) growing list of treatments. But labs and other studies (MRI, ultrasound, etc) may not give a very clear picture. Diagnosis takes time (some reports say autoimmune disorders on average can take a year or longer to diagnose) - and treatment also takes time to see what works best for you.
Be patient with the process.

The appointment is with a Rheumatologist - thanks for posting your advice. Appreciated

Hi jamjarlid,

I 2nd doodlebug25, this disease can be ALL OVER the place when it comes to symptoms, labs & even physical exams. It takes all 3 sources & then some, sometimes to really dial in whether it's RA or not.

I've been in your shoes eve AFTER the typical symptoms where I was waking up with no major symptoms like pain, stiffness, swelling. So this disease also "ebs & flows" like a tide. Some days, weeks or months you're virtually symptom free, other times it can hit you like a ton of bricks!

There's a lot of experienced RA'ers on here so check back often if you can! I hope you DON'T have RA but just know that if you do medications & therapy have come a long way just in the past 20 years & if treated early & aggressively it could possibly save you a lot of pain/ damage in the future.

Welcome to the group. Everyone experiences it differently.

don't read so much about presentation and symptoms would be my non medical fraternal advice. sounds contrary but dr. google et al i have not seen to be a comfort with so many people. there is a process of diagnosis and RA is a chronic disease til death not an acute disease requiring minutes hours or weeks or months for diagnosis in order to turn the corner. also maybe if I was your friend I would tell you to look at your function and your activities of daily life - are you going to work and doing the family house thing? if so just keep trucking and see if you can turn your rumination off until diagnosis is done with you.

to also have empathy for where you are at, now, I also started with my wrists at least for the true diagnosis part, and had wrist mri's at time of ra diagnosis - i also had cervical degeneration and stenosis in my 30's so I was always wearing wrist wraps period in my 40's - I bought them at cvs and I also had the type that the weight lifting jerks use in the weight rooms (laughing) - they used to provide a cushion for me. point is that I never saw a particular difference to go looking for another diagnosis. it kind of slapped me in the face at the time and gave me context. I also had the flu like stuff - I just figured everyone that was a single mom working 50 hours felt like they had the flu 24/7. i kept chalking it up to environment. maybe I did not want another diagnosis. i think sometimes that the cervical degeneration and stenosis and osteo are quite more than enough thank you very much. :)

welcome glad you are here

depot

Jamjarlid, I was dx'ed in 2004. mine started with the wrist pain I thought carpel tunnel as I wrote most of the day and used a calculator all the time too. Well it happened to be a wet, rainy, cold day that I saw my pc. I could barely get up on the exam table.. She did the exam and said it may be r.a. but we will do the blood work first. Came back that I have r.a. and osteo. I have been on mtx ever since. I do the injectable and so far it has helped. r.a. doc wanted to put me on a biologic but I refused due to other health problems not to mention the monthly cost. (a house payment over 1,000.) so that was not for me.. I try very hard to ignore the pain as much as possible and do what I can when I can.. and that works well for me. Only pain med I can take is Tylenol.. whoop.... On a minor pain day it may take the edge off but that is it... Don't be surprised when people tell you that they have arthritis too.. or they know someone that has it.. It is not the same. and they just don't get it.... no one does unless they have it. don't get discouraged, keep a positive attitude, it helps a lot.. ask lots of questions. Good luck with your first appointment.

Hi, Jamjarlid, and welcome. This is a confusing disease because it presents differently in everyone. I have learned to keep careful records of my daily health, and I have learned not to assume that something isn't of interest to my rheumatologist. A surprising number of things can be relevant, so now I just go in and dump an accumulated three months' worth of data on her at every visit and let her sort it out.

Reading other people's experiences can have a place in the learning process, but you'll find that you are your own unique hot mess, and your path will differ from everyone else's hot messes. Find a doctor you can trust and then do so, keep good records and communicate clearly, and speak up if you feel uncomfortable with something for any reason. Good luck to you.