hi all, in 2011 i went to my doctor as the top joint in my index finger was aching, had all blood tests done everything was deg except i had inflamation, was refered to a rhumatologist she wasnt sure what arthritis i had, however wouldnt perscribe me any medication as i had raised liver enzymes, had all tests done for liver and nothing showed up as i felt fine i didnt go back to rhumatologist, november 2014 i started getting pain in the bottom joint in big toe i thought it was a bunion and after a couple of days the pain went, i had no redness heat or swelling either, then january my finger joint started aching agian and the joint at the bottom of my thumb started aching and paining whent back to my doctor who tested me for arthritis etc and said results were normal but wuld refer me back to consultant anyway. does this sound like the start of ra? my joints ache more than hurt i dont swell no heat or redness im able to carry on normal life and go to two excercise classes a week, i find if im out in the cold my joints ache more, can anyone relate to this? lynsey
Hello lynsey. Which blood tests did your GP do? If it was the Rheumatoid factor, even if that wasn't raised it doesn't confirm one way or the other. A rheumatologist will do all the necessary blood tests because it could be a number of things.
hi i had all he relevant arthritis ones, had the rhumatoid factor done which came back negative. he said there wasnt much to go by but would refer me back anyway. also i dont have any stiffness. got rhumatologist next week
It's good you have your appointment next week I'm sure the rheumatologist will put your mind at rest. At my appointment the consultant was very thorough and I had about 6 vials of blood taken as well as X-rays. I'm sure you'll have the same.
does this sound like the start of ra?
It's possible lynsey but it could be arthritis. It's better to wait until you've seen the Rheumatologist. You could speculate for ever. Try not to worry and write all your symptoms down to take with you. I did that because it's very easy to get distracted with the doctors questions and you forget to tell him/her everything you want to.
thank you x