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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 1/8/2007 6:28 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, I am new to all this r a stuff. I have just a few questions. First of all let me fill you in on some of my history.

I'm a 34 year old female. My sister is 30 has lupus and ra

my mother has very bad ra and is on all kinds of medication to

control this. Enbrel being one of those. Just to ease my mind I had all of the blood work ran, ra,lupus,tyroid and everything else you can imagine. Here's the question, My ra factor is 36.7 I am not exactly sure if this is bad or good? I have already had one knee scoped and one shoulder scoped have been in some pretty good joint pain for about 4 years. Is this factor high or normal?

also she said that my bleeding profile was extremely low to the point of needing meds for this. Anyone's comments would be greatly appreciated.Thank you in advance. :-)

Posted 1/9/2007 12:31 AM (GMT 0)
Hi. Welcome to healingwell. Boy, talk about RA running in your family?! Actually, it runs in mine as well. Not sure how to interpret your RF value--if it is on the same scale as mine, I would call it low positive. It's not an extremely high number, but it exceeds the cut off for normal (if you're using the same scale), and given your age and family history combined with your problems with joint pain? You could probably follow-up with a rheumatologist. Don't know what you mean by bleeding profile? Are you anemic? Low blood counts should definitely be followed up with a doctor, preferably the one who found them. I'm sure others will be along to offer you some advice.

El
Posted 1/9/2007 12:47 AM (GMT 0)

gettin_educated said...
Hi everyone, I am new to all this r a stuff. I have just a few questions. First of all let me fill you in on some of my history.

I'm a 34 year old female. My sister is 30 has lupus and ra

my mother has very bad ra and is on all kinds of medication to

control this. Enbrel being one of those. Just to ease my mind I had all of the blood work ran, ra,lupus,tyroid and everything else you can imagine. Here's the question, My ra factor is 36.7 I am not exactly sure if this is bad or good? I have already had one knee scoped and one shoulder scoped have been in some pretty good joint pain for about 4 years. Is this factor high or normal?

also she said that my bleeding profile was extremely low to the point of needing meds for this. Anyone's comments would be greatly appreciated.Thank you in advance. :-)

bleeding profile ? ? ? , does it mean yr blood clot is affected?
Posted 1/9/2007 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks,for your quick replys. When she said bleeding profile she never went into any detail as to what it was? I had never heard of this before.
I follow up with primary on monday so I will let you guys know when I find out. So, Hopefully this is a low number. Let me tell you guys something If my whole family has this evil disease I dont know whether to laugh or cry. My mother always said she gave all of her traits to my sister and myself, I guess she wasn't lying.. LOL. I will keep you posted when I get more details from the doc on Monday. Again thanks, so much for all your help..
Yolonda
Posted 1/10/2007 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
hi Gettin_Educated,

well as far as Ra Factors, when I was first Diagnosed my RA Factors were 20.5, even though that doesnt sound like a high Positive RA Factor, but when my Ra Factors were 20.5, I felt pretty crippled in the sense, that my legs,hands, ankles and feet were swollen, and it just made me feel like i had a Mack Truck Running me over a couple hundred times.....

soo for the comparison of ones Rhuematoid Factors from one Patient to another, will vary..your Ra Factor being 36.7 may be another person 85.1 Ra Factor...soo honestly from what I know about it,its really different for everyone....

2months ago my Ra Factors were about an 8 ra factor, however I was still swollen and stiff, just not as bad as I was when my Ra Factors were 20.5..

Im sorry to hear that it runs in the family, however it can also be a blessing becuase you know that u have people who understand what you are going through....'

I hope all is well with you, and I hope you feel better....just hang in there...

ttyl
BabZ
Posted 1/10/2007 4:49 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there and welcome......It is my understanding that positive rheumatoid factor is not enough to diagnos RA. Other diseases and conditions can cause a positive rheumatoid factor. the diagnosis is more complicated. If you are concerned you could ask your doctor to do the anti-CCP test (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide). It is a better diagnostic test. Have you seen a rehumatologist? That would be your best bet. I agree that you are lucky to have a family that can understand
Posted 1/10/2007 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone, thanks for such a warm welcome. Today my right shoulder seems like its gonna just fall off it hurts so bad. My primary doc will refer me to the rhuemy when I see him on Monday and since I live in a small town I have to drive 45 minutes to see one, but I hope it will be worth it.
Yes, my family is very supportive and they totally understand. My sister with lupus is actually having a kidney biopsy (sp) tomorrow,so please keep her in your prayers as the lupus has attacked her kidneys and it
is getting worse for her daily. So in comparison to her problems, mine are none. I will kept you guys posted on what happens next...
stay tuned..lol
Yolonda
Posted 1/11/2007 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
Dear Gettin_Educated,

well I will keep your sister in my prayers, and hopefully the kidneys arent as affected, hopefully it can be treatable....

I know what you mean as aposed to the whole lupus & Ra...I have a Freind and she has Lupus Pretty bad, and sometimes I feel like a Jerk complaining about my Flares ups especially when I see my freind going thru alot more than me....

but Then I realized, whether its RA or Lupus, They both are pretty similar, in symtoms, and the pain is pretty bad on both ends of the stick..Ive notice that when a person with Lupus or Rhuematoid actaully lets themselves rest, like actually bed rest, the Flare ups are more tolerable...its just trying to sleep thru the pain, thats the hard part...lol

I hope you and family feel better...and let us know how everything turns out for you and your sister.....

ttyl
BabZ
Posted 1/11/2007 4:20 PM (GMT 0)

Hi and welcome to the board,

I have had joint pain and swelling for over a year now, and I still have a negative RF test.  Mine was right at 40.  It's my understanding that anything under 60 is condsidered negative.  Although I could be wrong.  Once you get into see your Rhumy, he will order the complete panel. However, many (if they are good) will treat your symptoms regardless of your test results.  I hope this will be the case for you!

I know it is true that when I push myself and get rundown, my flares are worse.  Try to rest when you can, although it can be difficult to do.

Good luck to you :-)

Posted 1/14/2007 11:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there....I have a RF of 22 and my doctor said anything over 20 is positive. he said many things can make a persons RF go up. He said that anything over 60 confirms RA. With a low positive RF he also did an anti -CCP test which is more accurate and specific to RA. That number was high for me. That test can confirm RA when it is seronegative or have a low RF. I still have days where I am looking for other answers. I took a slight decrease in meds this month and I can feel it. I hope things level out. I always go to the Rhumy with any questions written down. If I don,t I end up forgetting what I want to ask....
Posted 1/15/2007 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
Everyone, thank you so much for your kind reply's . I just got back from the doctor they gave me the referral to the rhuemy today. He told me that 36.7 was a very high number. No wonder I hurt all the time. So now I guess I move to the next step. I will keep everyone posted as to what happens next. By the way my sister is doing well she went through the surgery very well and is just waiting for the pathology lab to let her know what the result is hopefully she will know something by next week. She seems to be in higher spirts lately so maybe that's a good sign. Harley diva I hope you feel better as I do for you all. I like the write the questions down I am so bad about forgetting stuff. I think I will do the same that way I don't forget anything. I'm also gonna ask about that other test you spoke about anti ccp test? maybe that will tell more. I hope you all have a pain free day.. Will check back in later..
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