I was first sent to my rhuemy January 2010. I think I was sero-negative in the begginning because he didn't dx me with RA. My primary doc referred me to him because of my knees. I would see this rhuemy once every 3 months just for him to talk about my quitting smoking and losing weight. Fast forward to February 2011 I woke up with what I thought was carpel tunnel syndrome. The pain radiated from my thumbs all the way up to my shoulders. Then the tendons (I assume) in both of my hands started hurting. I was waking up all through the night with my hands in the air. I started hounding my primary doc on a weekly basis because I knew something was wrong. She finally tested me for the RA factor which turned out to be 500.
Only then did I return to my rheumy with the dx. He immediately started treatment but I slowly failed his first medication (MTX). I felt he was just watching me get worse and worse. I asked to be taken off the med and he literally refused so I found another rheumy that listened to me. I'm currently on Arava and Humira with the hopes of getting it under control.
All in a nutshell, I would find another rheumy. Your symptoms will only get worse over time if not properly medicated. Good luck

I'm still seronegaitve, three years after my diagnosis. My first rheumy would only say "inflammatory arthritis", based on my swollen hands. The only lab that was abnormal was my ANA. I switched rheumies when my first xrays showed degeneration, and the second rheumy called it RA based on the xrays. Both docs were willing, even pushing, to start me on meds regardless of the diagnosis, though. I was unwilling to start a biologic until the second doc showed me the xrays. The second doctor was awesome and I'm still with her. She still says my RA is a little different- once she described it as "RA with a whiff of lupus". I definitely understand the longing for a firm diagnosis. You might be in a situation like mine where you'll need to make some treatment decisions without knowing exactly what box you fit in.

RA is RA....some will test positive and others will not (seronegative)lots of factors involved ranging from how long youve had RA in your body, when it started (juvenile), how advanced or not it is and how your symptoms are showing themselves and progressing. This may be helpful http://ezinearticles.com/?Seronegative-Rheumatoid-Arthritis---What-Does-it-Mean-to-You?&id=2521307 and http://www.rheumatoid-arthritisdiet.com/seronegative-rheumatoid-arthritis.html - note that on this link, it states that to properly diagnose, a patient should have at least 4 out of 7 factors.the first 4 being primary hope this helps http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/guide/diagnosing-ra

Everyone of us here have different symptoms with different degrees because thats how RA works and thats how our immune system effects us and your doctor should know that blood tests is just one of many indicators, but its NOT the only indicator of the disease. A good doctor knows that.even I know it and I barely made it out of high school.

If you have the symptoms and you are seeing doctors because you know that you need help and something is definitely wrong with you, then I suggest that you be prepared for your next rheumy appointment and have a serious discussion.

I am seronegative for RA, but I have other immune disorders and the same is true for many on this board. How is your C - reactive protein count and anything going on with your white blood cells? Im not doctor and Im not in the health field, but I have been battling this illness for 12 years and I am proof that doctors dont know it all and its our responsibility to keep searching for the right professionals to help us.

List your symptoms, why you need help from your doctor and what you plan to achieve with his help and with medical information, go on your next appointment prepared to put him/her on the spot and answer your questions.

I agree with what Pearl says...we are all different but yet the same disease. I'm another sero-neg. My first dr in 2007 said it wasn't ra and had one of her students try to massage out a nodule on my back saying it was a muscle knot...lol. I was finally diagnosed when both ankles went crazy at the same time. The best thing you can do is keep learning and educating yourself, write your symptoms down. You are your best advocate. Welcome to DS and hoping you feel a little better soon.

Only 30% of RA inflicted people are sero positive. The test was developed early on and was thought to be the " go to " test for a RA diag. As it turns out, like a lot of other things, as time went on the test began to show it was most certainly flawed. I read a big honkin article on it a couple of years ago. The hopes are that rhuemy's will not rely on that test any longer, but it seems that many still use it for making their diag. As for myself, I'm sero-neg. My rhuemy used the blood tests, sed rate and wbc and a few others, along with my physical symptoms, ie range of motion, tenderness, ugly mornings, night sweats and so on. Keep Smilin ;)

Like you (and many others on this board), I am seronegative. The only thing I have ever tested positive for in the 2+ years since my symptoms began was a +ANA (like Caren28). I had the symmetrical joint pain and fatigue initially, but no swelling, so my dr. didn't call it RA then. She labelled it "undifferentiated connective tissue disease". Of those with UCTD, some 50-60% never develop enough of the criteria of a specific connective tissue disease (RA, scleroderma, lupus) over time. Some 25+% of patients in rheumy offices are UCTD patients! Was this by any chance one or your 4 different diagnoses? Only after 9 months on Plaquenil (which did nothing for my symptoms, btw), when I developed symmetrical swelling in my MCP (knuckles) in my hands, did my rheumy switch my medicine to MTX. At that point she felt that I had seronegative RA. Have you had any other tests, xrays, etc? Does your rheumy want to treat you with any meds? If in doubt, there is always another (3rd?) opinion - but that may make all the difference.

Hi! I'm sero-negative and had a normal sed rate while I looked like the Michelin Man. But I had all the signs if not the labs. From 1st Rheumy appt. I was on MTX. I switched Rheumy at the same time as MTX was cleared as "good" for me (2.5 mos) and was put on Enbrel immediately.

2nd Rheumy confirmed I was negative and we discussed how it would keep me from trials but how she felt confident I was still RA. For me, I secretly hoped that meant I actually did not have RA. That they jumped the gun. But, I felt if the medicines for RA had a positive effect on my intense pain and swelling, then it really didn't matter. They are working and I am sticking with the diagnosis.

It's weird, yes. And I appreciate you asking so that I could read from others in the same boat too! Take care, Crissy

I'm surprised your rheumy is wishy washy on this. My GP's diagnosis was confirmed my my new rheumy last week, pending the latest test results don't show something different, which he doesn't think is likely. He said because I've presented the classic symptoms, once the results come back negative for other things in a couple weeks, he will begin aggressively treating it. I have a little swelling, some he can see but most he can't. He told me I was welcome to get a second opinion. I'm trusting my opinion, which is that it would delay the treatment and likely cause more long term damage. I'm glad he's gung-ho despite the sero-negative (so far), so am I, I want my life back!

I would agree with what ReeDee said find a new rheumy - even if it means getting a 4th, 5th or 10th opinion. They shouldn't be playing with you like this, risking your long term health.

I'm seronegative and my primary care physician ignored me for a year. I then broke my ankle because I was dragging my foot and tripped. The ortho put me on prednisone for swelling. After six weeks and Xrays, the ortho told me he thought I might have RA. He sent me back to the PCP who finally sent me to a rheumatologist who then tapered me off of the prednisone. It was brutal, but the rheumatologist saw the terrible swelling in my ankles, legs, wrists and fingers and put me on MTX and prednisone. I had a high CRP by this time. The sad part of all of this is that so many of us have a terrible time getting duiagnosed.

The doctors throw up their hands and tell me that these things take a long time to develop. They throw drugs at us like darts to a dart board and hope something sticks. We need to be proactive. How many of you have had real Lyme tests, for example? How many of you have been checked for parasitic infections? I am not trying to be alarmist, but am cautioning you not to wait for a doctor to be proactive. All my labs are negative and I feel like crap. I am trying to get the Western blot test for Lyme, but most docs don't know what I am talking about...sorry, don't mean to rant, but this is too, too common.
Find a holistic practioner that can help you figure all this out. Good luck to everyone.

Thanks for all the advise! I'm so glad I discovered this forum. I've learned more here than anywhere else.

I agree with pearl and others in that I need to me my own advocate. I am shy and very non-confrontational by nature so at all my appointments I smile and say okay to whatever I'm told. I realize I need to stand up and speak my mind.

Eyemailme, I had a bone scan and ankle x-rays done 4 months after my symptoms started and they were negative.My dx's were Parvo virus, Reactive Arthritis, RA, and last visit he said Erosive Osteoarthritis. He ordered more x-rays to prove the EO but they were negative for any "significant changes". I asked him to put me on something that may help and he gave me Plaquenil as it is a treatment for EO and RA.

I did find out from another rheumy I have mild secondary fibro also but my pain is in the joints not the muscles. I think I will try to get an appt with another rheumy. It's sad I wake up every morning praying that something has swollen huge, so I can have a definite diagnosis. Thanks everyone!

It helps to write everything down, I give my doctors lists. They do seem to appreciate it and keep them in their records for reference. Sometimes it's easier to write things down than say them, and it's so hard to remember everything.

This is just a little silly, but I'm gonna tell you anyway... I went to a new GP when I started having these problems. My old one was okay, but I had problems with his office - long boring story. With this RA thing I've been very frustrated and had a hard time dealing with it. I'm not one to show emotions, but I broke down and cried. My husband told him in 15 years that was maybe the 5th time he's seen me cry. I think it helped put things into perspective with my doctor, and helped build trust that I'm not just an addict pretending so I could get drugs. I'm not saying you should cry to your doc, just that if you feel like crying it's not always a bad thing for the doctor/patient relationship ;)

We do have to be pro-active. Earlier in this post I said my Primary Care Physician ignored me for a year and that an Ortho finally diagnosed me. I wrote my PCP a formal, polite and professional letter complaining that I felt he had not spent enough time with me ( had seen him four times), that he had blown me off like I was a hypochondriac, etc., He didn't apologize, but he also didn't charge me the next time I went in for an annual checkup. You are your best advocate, but my advice is to keep it formal and professional. Otherwise, they can write you off as a nut case.

elaining-
the fact that xrays were negative does not mean that you do not have RA. In fact, it is better if RA is caught early before any joint damage can be found on xray.

I had not heard of EO before you mentioned it here. Plaquenil is a typical first line drug for mild RA. Has it helped you at all?

I am seronegative also. I have been through GP, hand surgeon, neurologist, and Rheumatologists all for the same symptoms. Everytime I saw a doctor they would ask me have you heard of RA? Everytime I would say yes! My aunt and grandmother on my mothers side have it and my grandfather on my dad's side has it. THey would say Wow! Let's get some blood work and everytime it came out negative. I had a rheumatologist not even test me for anything because I brought him labs that I had done and within five minutes of seeing me said I had Fibromyalgia. After two years on meds for Fibro and no relief what so ever ( I was only getting worse) my mom got me in to see a doctor that she worked for. He is an infectious disease doctor. I told him my story and all the ups and downs. He throughly examined me and told me about seronegative and how he thought I had RA. He right then admitted me to the hospital and had xrays done on my hands. Sure enough I had erosions in my hands! He put me on prednisone and plaquenil and personally found a rheumatologist that would take my case. I will be forever grateful to him and my rheumy!

I had trigger finger or so they thought and they found nothing but RA in my finger joints.

I have to admit even after all that, I still doubt my diagnoses. I'm not sure why I do that other than maybe I hope this will go away.