Maybe. Some of the population has a positive rheumatoid factor test and never have ra. Seeing as you are having minor issues, it may be simmering below the surface. An illness, stressful event, or injury may be a catalyst in the future to turn it on full blown. Family history of of ra?Better chance of it being ra. If it definitely is, you most likely will be on lifelong meds to control symptoms and hopefully prevent deformities, unless you can get into a medical remission...something most of us are chasing after.
It's hard to say seeing as your pain and involved joints are minor at the time. It may be a while before your docs can say definitively yes or no on ra and or meds.

Nope. Several of us on here have found that we can keep our RA under control through diet alone.

I won't bore everyone here again with my entire case history. Let's just say that I've had RA for twelve years now. Classified as extremely severe during flares. Yet I've never gone on MTX or biologics. I've had success with Minocin, prednisone in the past. For the last 1.5 years I've enjoyed full pain free remission through diet alone. Turns out that I have multiple food allergies and my body's allergic response is rheumatism inflammation. So far only the slightest RA erosion of joints is visible on imaging.

My mother has extremely aggressive RA. Hands twisted in first four years. Then she tried Minocin. Was in pain free remission for the next 20 years on it. Then she went through breast cancer treatment. RA has disappeared completely since the chemo a few years ago.

I could give a few more case histories to show that life long meds are not always necessary. But not every case will be so lucky. The primary goal for all RA treatments are to manage inflammation and pain. Some will advertise that they MAY slow progression - but there is no guarantee and most are only effective for 39% of patients.

Chances are if your current treatment is working to reduce your symptoms to what's tolerable for you - that a good rheumy will not pressure you to go aggressive. Mine is thrilled to only see me for annual checkups and blood work. I'm one of his greatest success stories. And mom hasn't seen a rheumy in over a decade. She doesn't need one.

My blood test for RF was positive, around 300. I also have 1 swollen joint in my hand, some of the joints in my feet a tender but not that bad.

Based on that my doctor wants to put my on plaquenil daily. I'm wondering if that is drastic or the normal protocol?

Please check with your doc. The primary reason to aggressively treatment is to stop or slow down damage to your joints, bones and ligaments. Damage can happen even if you feel pretty good and don't have swelling.

Research has shown that aggressive med treatment in the first year can stop joint erosion in its tracks. Check with your doc. Mine had me on plaquenil, then added mtx since the swelling was NOT under control.

Stress sends my joints into a swelling frenzy! This summer, I will begin cutting back on my mtx with a goal of perhaps using much less or zero. So, talk to your doc about joint damage because that is irreversible.

Plaquenil is probably the mildest of the DMARDs (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs), and would be one of the first medications a doctor would try if the RA symptoms are not that aggressive. I hope they discussed with you the need to have regular eye exams (usually twice a year), because it can rarely cause retinal toxicity--make sure to see an ophthalmologist, who would have the special equipment that is needed for testing. Plaquenil can take a while to start working (6 months, give or take), so don't be surprised if it doesn't kick in right away.

Each person is very unique in how RA works in them, so there's no clear answer about how long or how many medications you will have to take in the future. There are lots of reasons to decide to take or not take medications that are available. It's important to find a doctor that you feel comfortable with and that listens to your input so you can make decisions together. If you need support or have other questions, we're always here!

These responses have been very helpful. I have my follow up next monday to confirm the diagnosis and get a prescription for the meds.