Sed Rate.

Some people don't have a sed rate at all, but still have symptoms of RA and need RA medication. Some people I have known will have low numbers are be disabled in a wheel chair most of their day and others will have around a 700 number and just use a cane. The sed rate can show how much inflammation is going on, yet it can be in the soft tissue (organs, muscles etc.) instead of the joints which makes it why someone does better then the other person.

Every rhummy i have had have told me not to worry about the sed number as it can mean so many different things, to concentrate on what hurts where.

One thing to make sure is that they touch your painful spots to get a good view at what is going on, I have had too many doctors just scoot me on through without looking me over, they just asked what hurts and how much from 0 to 10.

Took me 6yrs to get a good doctor, this can be so frustrating when you are hurting so much.

RA can make someone have tmj, a swelling of the jaw, carpal tunnel syndrome, swelling in part of the wrist/bottom of hand as well as swelling any soft tissue from skin, to muscle, soft bone, tendons etc.

Don't get me wrong though, about 99% of people with RA don't get the soft tissue swelling, but the joints in the body can go from the jaw to shoulders, hips, knees etc. basically anything that bends.

I hope you get the answers you are looking for and it doesn't take very long to get the right treatment.

God bless.

 

Supposedly, about 20% of People with RA have a negative test result.  These People still have it though.  As far as the pain, there are 3 types of RA.  Mild, moderate and severe.  I was dxd. with severe RA.  Perhaps you have mild RA.  A friend of mine was dxd. with mild RA and only uses OTC medications since he isn't bothered by it much.

I have RA in almost every joint including my jaw.  Chewing is next to impossible at those times.  Thankfully, that doesn't occur often.

Ya, this sed rate issue doesn't make sense sometimes.  Last Spring my sed rate was 27(normal range here is 0-10).  I changed medications and it went down to 15.  My sed rate yesterday was 1.     I have been in about the same amount of pain all year.  My Rheumy said with the 1, that my joints are not deteriorating at this time although the pain is still at a higher level than we like, in many joints.

I, for one am thrilled that you are not suffering ACM.  I do wonder though how your Rheumy can decide how to medicate you without having the pain as a guide.  Interesting! 

Hi Denita, I just got back from our Christmas long weekend away. I hope that yours was wonderful and that you experienced less pain. 

So you've had Fibro for 6 yrs. and just recently were dxd. with RA?  Yes, that sed rate(40-50) is experienced frequently by RA Patients including myself.  That's why I'm shocked that my SR is 1.  Yours will lower as you and your Rheumy, find the right combination of meds. for you.  It could take some time though. 

I'm sad that you are in such pain.  I do know how that goes.  Actually,  I feel pretty good today.  Unusual for me.  I got a shot of depo Medrol.  That is probably why I feel better.  I'm sure that the other newer med. hasn't totally kicked in yet, if it will.

What malabsorptions are you experiencing? 

I didn't know that there were different types of RA, for quite a while.  We had no internet back then.  It was several years later when I wanted to go to another Family wedding while my Rheumy wanted me in the hospital, since I was flaring so bad.  He told me then that I had severe RA and a few other things. 

Thank you again.  I'm looking forward to learning more also.  As the saying goes, you learn something new every day.

Hi...my son is 10 and is seronegative....he was so hard to diagnose...took 6 months, muscle contractures and a muscle biopsy to finally get a rheumatologist to see my kid. When your kid can't move and you go to 3 different hospitals and they say growing pains, in his head? Or maybe you need to not be so pushy. Gosh momma was mad! Ya like this is where I want to spend my time. He tested neg for all blood work..no RA no sed rate, or CRP( they can go together to show /confirm the inflammation. All markers were neg and so was muscle biopsy. He swells very little no warmth to joints or redness...he has never been above a 10 and hovers around 6 but at 6 weeks ago he was a 10 and yes he didn't feel good...very stiff and achy with a lot of enthesitis. Last Monday his blood work showed sed rate at 25 and CRP at 2.4.... We found it odd never been thAt high...he takes remicade every 3 weeks at 300 mg infusion. His peeds dr said they see it at 60 or more....but my kid since Christmas has been hurting. They put him on celebrex....we have to be careful cuz he's got Ulcerative Colitis and is allergic to Sulfa(but we tried it and the celebrex made up the difference of the remicade not working to it's full potential, but lower back is still tight though He feels good but his labs were high. They don't think anything of it...but my hubby and I do...cuz he's never in the past 3 1/2 years been any where near that number and CRP has always been <0.5....So IDK....there is slight swelling fingers, toes, knees but hes always like that...it's all so odd...I've noticed to with all the meds he has tried, MTX, Enbrel,Oriencia his pain would increase and swelling down or his swelling would increase and pain down. Remicade is longest he's been on any meds...hope it still continues to work. Jaw pain is tough...does an appliance help? Or steroid injections been talked about...ouch, I don't k ow much about arthritis in jaw so your information is beneficial...knowledge is powerful...hope this helped

I am having some tough RA issues. Working with ortho and rheumy together. Ortho says he helps with the mechanics and the rheumy will take care of chemicals. Right now I am having trouble with my left knee again and I have tennis elbow in the left elbow. Just got cortisone shots in both.

Really going to have to have a really good talk with the rheumy about the absorption issues and the RA meds. I am thinking that he is just not putting the two and two together in this case. I guess its hard when you only see someone once every 6 months and thousands inbetween.

take care,