First time on any site ever, here it goes! Joint pain, stiffness and fatique started 6 mo. ago, fever and swelling 4 mo. ago. Started in hands, thumbs first,now thumbs are deformed. Spread to feet, ankles knees and stiff hips. 2 mo.ago saw Dr. all blood test negative except mildly elevated sed rate and crp. Put on prednisone, much better while taking that, within a week of being off pain and swelling come back. Ive been on Pred. 3 times now. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 2 months ago and last month had a episcleritis in one eye and a keratitis 3 weeks later. Before 6 months ago I was healthy and active, now I cant open a jar. I have 2 swollen hammertoes now and walk like a old lady. I see the rheumatologist in 2 weeks, they are very hard to get in to. I have a hard time believing this is really ra when the test are negative, the first Dr. said right away he felt it was ra because of the swelling, my regular Dr. repeated the test and still were neg. but also feels its ra(he was gone the first time I was seen). Im a nurse and do not like going to Dr.s I feel bad complaining about pain when I have a friend fighting cancer. The tiredness is unbelievable, I keep thinking maybe it's a virus. Anyone been diagnosed with ra only to find out later it was something else?