Yes, 30 year olds and younger can get RA. And yes, the blood test can come back negative when you have RA. The way it first manifests in individuals very much change from person to person - I had parallel pains in my hands and wrists, others had issues with their feet or knees, or other joints. It sounds like you are a in a major flare-up.

You need to see a rheumatologist who is aggressive in treatment and understands what we go through. Good luck to you. You have come to a very supportive site with a lot of great information and good people. Welcome!

Lynne

Hi, Randa! I was diagnosed with RA when I was 25 y/o. Even children and babies can have the juvenile form of it. So, age has no bearing on the disease. There are so many ways that RA can manifest itself in a person, and, there are many other forms of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. I can tell you that mine started first in my feet, and within a few months it was in virtually every joint in my body. When mine began, it attacked me systemically (from head-to-toe). However--RA doesn't come on as quickly to everyone as it did to me. The best thing to do is to see a rheumatologist and get a really good going over. He'll want to test you for other forms of arthritis as well. Be open-minded to whatever the doc has to say, but also, be your own advocate. Learn as much as you can. That said, I highly recommend that you see a rheumatologist who is affiliated with a University (teaching hospital). DO NOT let your primary care doctor be your arthritis specialist. They can't possibly stay on top of all of the new treatments that are coming down the pike.

Lastly, if a rheumatologist does determine that you in fact have rheumatoid arthritis (or any other form of arthritis), don't be afraid to try some of the cutting-edge medical treatments that are available. Legally, the pharmaceutical companies have to list in their advertisements all the possible side-affects that their medications can cause, but that doesn't mean that you are going to have those side-affects. I have been on some really powerful medications over the years, but they have kept me out of a wheelchair. Good luck to you!

Thanks for the quick responses. I'm actually asking on behalf of my fiancee. 2 months ago he started complaining about bone and joint pain. I kept attributing it to the trial drug he's on, Imuran. A side effect is bone and joint pain. The pain started shortly after he started taking it. On Wednesday his PCP said that Imuran wouldn't cause bone and joint pain to this extent. At that appointment she took blood samples to test for RA, Mono, cancer, thyroid, and Lupus. The RA and thyroid came back negative. In the past month he's started complaining about the bottoms of feet hurting when walking and it hurting to lift his arms above his shoulders. Yesterday we talked to a pharmacist. He described his symptoms and her response was RA. She told said that the test can come back negative eventhough it's positive. I wanted to double check with people who have it. Did any of you ever test negative at first? If so, when did it come back postive?

Randa:

Let me add some information. The first six months of treatment is critical in avoiding deformation. Your fiance needs to take immediate action and get on aggressive treatment if it is RA. My hands are a little swollen, but no distorted joints. I have a few problem joints in my feet and that's it. I have a wonderful rheumatologist who is with me all the way and constantly checking for new treatments and discussing them with me.

Hope this helps.

Lynne

Lynne,
He's sitting right here. I read him what both of you wrote. His reaction was, "I don't want to see another doctor." He went through bouts of being nauseous for 3 yrs. Nothing ever found. In September '07 he was diagnosed with Acute Pancreatitis. It never completely went away. His gullbladder was removed in February. He had major surgery (Whipple's Procedure) on March 12th and went through 6 months of hard recovery. He was diagnosed with CF of the Pancreas and Autoimmune Pancreatitis. His blood sugar was high for 7 months. So, as you can imagine he's seen numerous dr's in the past almost 4 yrs. Now this.

After reading a website that described the symptoms of RA I told my fiancee that it sounds like RA.

Randa,
It sounds like your husband has gone through a lot and I'm really sorry to hear that he now probably has Rheumatoid Arthritis. I think he certainly needs a confirmation on his diagnosis. There are many possibilities, but it does sound like RA. I don't know what tests they have already done, like have they checked his CRP and ESR? The RA factor is not necessarily an indicator for whether or not he has RA. I am Sero-negative, meaning I have no RA factor but yet was diagnosed with RA.

As far as him not wanting to see doctors, I completely understand. I did the Rheumatologist thing for over a year and grew tired of the entire process. Even though he was one of the best in the area (Los Angeles), he still made mistakes. I can tell you that there are treatments out there that can be used to control your husband's RA and avoid doctors. I'm not encouraging it per se, but on the other hand, I have chosen this route because I am more comfortable with it in many ways.

If you are interested, the two major things I take and swear by them is Low Dose Naltrexone and Neprinol.

Please keep us posted. RA is not one of those diseases you can just tough yourself through. If you think it's bad now, it will get worse unless he takes immediate action. I personally never thought I could feel this could after almost loosing all abilities. I am almost 100% better. I hope you two find the answers you need. There are many options. Tests are important. It's great that you're there for him during this process. He will need a lot of emotional support.

Best,
Sarah

Randa I was just diagnosed at 35. I should have been at 8 yrs old but they didn't do what they were supposed to.

My pain started at my lower back, scarial and hips. And in my eyes with Episcleritis. Then it went to my hands, then my vocal cords, clavical bones. I have OA in my left shoulder so lifting that past half way you can forget it. Now I believe it has attacked my feet.

I have been having major flares since December 07 and it's been a fast going train ride for me. My fingers now are starting to deform, my voice is sometimes horse when I talk to much which in my case that's hard to do. When I have a flare in my eyes I have to wear sunglasses. As for walking since my feet I haven't done much of that or driving b/c of the reflex worry due to the pain.

I hope you find help and support here. Please let anyone of us newbies, oldies but goodies help you with whatever you need.

Jenn

Hi Randa,
I stepped out of bed, February 1992, 36 years old, and felt like I stepped on a pin or something. within a short period, my ankle felt injured/broken..unable to bear weight. The ER doc I saw, was very concerned (high sed rate, high liver enzymes,etc..negative RA factor). 3 months later I was able to get into a Rheumatologist, and she was very aggressive and told me a large percentage of RA sufferers test RA negative for 5 years, then convert to positive. If you have a positive CPP and Positive RA factor, then you have 100% chance of having RA. Well, even though I was sero-negative (for 5 years), she prevented a lot of damage. Drugs were switched and new therapies were instituted. I am now 53, this Feb, 17 years later and I have very mild degenerative changes. My issues are more with chronic tendonitis. I have Fibromyalgia too. The combination is not fun. I am doing better now and taking only low dose predisone, but am not working,which I think is the largest relief, because I no longer have to push myself when I flare, and take more medication just to work. I rest when I need to. I hate doctors offices...but they are a necessary evil. I had pancreatitis due to high triglycerides. I had liver failure due to RA meds. I am limited in what I can now take. I am grateful for her aggressive treatment however, because I met a girl that was in very bad shape, with a lot of deformed joints that continued with her family doctor and had never seen a Rheumatologist..The whole treatment theory is preservation on joints...newer and safer drugs coming..so prevent what you can. best wishes, catherine

Hi Randa,

I visited your fiancs website to get a better idea of what his disease is about. I even conducted some background research about his disease to be sure that I can give you good advice. Based on what I now know, I believe that your fiancs original auto-immune disease (of the pancreas) may have taken another "manifestation" by becoming RA. The two are related. Many of us, here in the RA group (including me) have more than one auto-immune disease. The reason for this is that all auto-immune diseases are blood diseases. They involve a problem with the white blood cells that causes them to mis-identify parts of your body as the "enemy". Whether the body ends up attacking the thyroid, the pancreas, the joints, or any other part of the body is not important. The important thing is that once you have this tendency, chances are that you will have more than one auto-immune disease in your life time. So, my advice to your fianc would be to see a Rheumatologist as soon as possible and have his RA diagnosed and treated. The fact that he may not have a positive RF is not important (between 25% to 30% of people with RA do not have the RF in their blood at diagnosis - some develop it later and some never do). He might still have RA and needs to start aggressive treatment as soon as possible. Good luck to both of you on getting him back to good health. Fran

Hi Randa,

I was diagnosed with RA in my late thirties yet exhibited symptoms much earlier. I think RA patients are like snowflakes, no two are exactly the same. I have trouble with both feet, both knees, right hip, both hands and right shoulder. I have difficulty being in any position for very long. This includes riding in a car, sitting, standing or laying down. My RA does not show in my blood because it is technically psoriatic arthritis. I have ALL the symptoms of RA plus the added bonus (HA!HA!) of psoriasis. I think the best thing I ever did for myself was find a fabulous rheumatologist. Her mom has RA, so she speaks my language. Hope this helps.

Everyone in this support groups is great. I posted a question on 2 support groups about my issues and got 1 response on each.

Update:
The remaining bloodwork came back normal. He told his NP about what we found out about RA this weekend. She said that he needs to call the specialist and get back to her. We told the specialist when it first started and he said it was nothing. He's told him since and gotten the same response. I told my fiancee that his PCP can refer him to a Rheumatologist. He's going to call her after talking the specialist and ask her for a refer. We don't want this to continue.

He took 40 mgs of Prednisone from April 28 - mid September and had no problems. Roughly 2 months ago he started the Imuran and started reducing the Prednisone by 5 mgs every other week. The pain started shortly after the med changes. It's gotten progressively worse with each decrease. He's been off the Prednisone for 1-2 weeks now. I think that the Prednsione controlled it. He's considered steroid dependant because of the pancreatitis. The specialist said that he can't take it for the rest of his life. I feel that there HAS to be something that will help both.

yes to all. Check docs description on this web site. WebMD is also good - language we can understand.
Vee

I was dxed with RA last year. I am sero negative for Ra and have had 2 different times positive for lupus. I do not have lupus because I do not meet the criteria. However, I meet the criteria for RA. I understand if one is positive for RA then the disease is more severe, whereas if negative one is not as aadvanced. Either way RA is a progressive disease. Hope your husband sees a rheumy. Good Luck.