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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Maybe RA?

FieryPrincess
FieryPrincess
I was "diagnosed" with Fibromyalgia for Christmas. It was the presumed diagnosis and no one really went further than looking for the little antibody thingie that always comes back negative.

My new doctor admits that fibro is a possibility but isn't completely sold on the dianosis since my issues lay in my joins more than my muscles. I am being completely sarcastic when I say how excited I am to be starting over after chasing this down for 4 years.

When all of this started, I thought that RA best suited my symptoms except for one issue: I have one of each joint that hurts a lot. When I am in extreme flare, they all hurt, but on a day to day basis it is my left knee and elbow and my right ankle and hip.

How many of you out there have single sides affected as opposed to both?

Thanks in advance for replies!
WarriorGal
WarriorGal
text book description of RA is both sides...but, anything is possible, i guess. my left knee was always worse than all othre joints because of a previous injury.
Rosemo
Rosemo
My RA started in my right hand. All sore and tender joints are on the right side. Now at the one year mark, my left hand has started to hurt, particularly in the thumb and forefinger. Some of us aren't "textbook".
deleted_user
deleted_user
Mine is hardly in both. Right now my right foot hurts and my right pinky finger is a bit stiff and swollen.
Angelpuss
Angelpuss
My RA originally started on both sides but, as it's gone on over the last ten months it can occur on one side or both, particularly in my hands,feet and legs. So, yes, anything is possible - my RA has been dx as severe and aggressive, but isn't "textbook", either.
LynnRivers
LynnRivers
It really doesn't have to hurt in both sides at the same time. What they mean by symetrical is that it has (at some point) affected both feet or both hands or both knees.... doesn't have to happen at the same time.

The pain playing hopscotch around your body is classic early RA and often will eventually settle into its "favorite" joints (ones that are worse off then the others). Personally I thought I was loosing my mind in the beginning because it kept moving around with no physical reason to be hurting. At the moment my worst spots are left toes/foot, left knee, right elbow, right fingers.

PS. Being sero negative is not proof of no RA - up to 30% of patients are in the beginning... don't let anybody tell you different. A large portion of of sero negative pattients also present with sed rates/CRP in the high end of "normal" or just slightly elevated. The lack of massive inflamatory markers in your blood is also not proof you don't have RA.

I'm sure your Rhuemy has done xrays to rule out Osteoarthritis in your most affected joints... so what else does he think it is?
CharlieBaxter
CharlieBaxter
RA has no "Textbook". My left foot, toes, and ankle have always been the worst. My left foot and ankle were swollen for months while the right one hardly gave any indication that it was involved. About the time I was actually DX with RA the right foot, ankle, toes started to present. Now my left foot is still the trouble maker but the right one has it's moments.
Lynn covered it well. Study RA carefully, it truely is a beast.
deleted_user
deleted_user
My RA was sporadic at first hitting a left knee then a right hip, then a right hand and a left hip and so on. It was like the pain would leave one joint and randomly land in another. The only reason I was diagnosed so early was I am rheumatoid factor positive and have an anti CCP over 250. It wasn't until later as things got worse that my symptoms became traditional-symmetrical with severe morning stiffness that lasted 3 hours. Lynn's post is spot on in her description of what they mean as symmetrical. I didn't realize that until much later. Good luck and don't be quiet if you don't feel good. The squeaky wheel gets the grease!