RA BLOOD TEST

 I haven't been diagnosed with RA but I did have the blood test and the norm was 0-13 and my level was 10.1 so that was considered normal.  My question is "is that kind of on the high side"  and I have also heard that if early on in the disease the test can come up normal only later to be positive.  I have seen a rhuematologist and he believes I have a mild case of fibro.  I am concerned right now because I have had horrible awful pain in both of my hips.  Sometimes it feels like my butt has been punched really hard in both cheeks and if I move certain way my joints in my hip/groin area are like 'OUCH".......So it is hard to tell if this is just normal pain of fibro or if I have some kind of arthritis....I have also been struggling with jaw clenching and all that good stuff...I can't really say that I have any swelling of my joints at all anywhere and it really only seems to be my hips that bother me (as far as joints)  Anyone think the RA is on the high side and should I ask the rhuematologist to run another RA test...the last time it was done was in September....

I don't have much to add. My rheumatoid factor is borderline, so it's a wait and see type of thing. I've heard that it is best to go in when you are feeling your worst. My cousin has RA and although she had symptoms for years, her test didn't show up positive until she had a really bad flare up. Unfortunately a lot of us have to play the waiting game.

Dear Jenstubb,

Hey there, how are you doing today?

 

Just want to give a little run-down on RA Factor tests.  We've a few people lately with question on it, about it, etc...

The "norms" vary by lab to lab too!  I know one pathology lab's normal reference for RF is 0-20.

Yours is 10.  So that is within normal limits.

The RA factor test is a tricky little booger!  The blood of many persons with RA does contain a macroglobulin antibody RF....BUT people with other diseases can also have a positive RF and not have clinincal RA.

The test is a good & useful tool  in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis.

 

Ok, when a RF test shows "positive" (meaning HIGH, over or near at least 20 or above.  but if you show a 28 or 32 or something it is more worth looking into if you also present symptoms.)...it can support a tentative diagnosis of early onset of RA.

 

If you have the RF antibody in your blood and have blood work again and are tested again...it's most likely it will be there!   Why?  As many rheummies have told me, "Once a person shows RF titers, they'll always show titers."  

 

10 is low, but even people with low RF DO INDEED HAVE RA!  They can test for your  sed rate, ANA, CRP, joint xrays, range of motion, fatigue, & family history...to further evaluate.   But every person is an individual & docs sometimes tend to          FORGET THAT!    Not every person presents in the same manner or is a perfect "textbook patient". (which really ticks me off!)

 

RF in bloodwork can show up also if a person has: lupus, TB, endocarditis, Lymes, syphilis, cancer, viral infections & sarcoidosis.

 

For you to become a little bit more aware of your body & RA, think about the folowing:

 

*morning stiffness lasting more than 6 weeks.

*pain on motion in the joints (typically on both sides of the body) or one set of joints. (your hips) Take notice of your knees, hands, elbows too.

*swelling (although not all people produce a lot of fluid in the joints)

*low grade fevers (like 98.9 to 99.9)

*unusual fatigue

 

Some folks have a RF that's always broderline, and sometimes it's completely normal for that person, and it never evolves into anything.  But...clinical and objective symptoms are very important. 

So keep a little diary of how the days are till you see the rheummy.  Especially about pain!   In the morning? How long does it last?  Does it get better with rest?  Worse at night?  Worse with activity?  Can you bend? etc....

 

When you mentioned "jaw clenching"...do you mean lock-jaw or teeth grinding or painful jaw joints?

I wish you the best.

If I can be of any help just let me know!

Take care,

Erin VIEW IMAGE 

hey there!

 

a-hah!...you're on top of things!  at least you're covering all bases here so that's good.

i think it's just a matter of really keeping a daily record of the hip pain and other joint pains and rashes, etc...

what neds for Fibro are you taking?  lots of them can cause photosensitivity.

                                                 SUNBLOCK BABY!

there's mouth guards OTC that are available for jaw clenching.  is this @ nightime mostly?

 

awe, don't worry about the summer.  perhaps this will pass.  most likely a medication.  this summer was actually MY FIRST SUMMER IN 6 YEARS where i was able to be outside at the pool and all!  it was wonderful.  for years i was on so many medications (a lot of NSAIDs, antibiotics and anticonvulsants) and being in the sun was IMPOSSIBLE.

 

enjoy Texas!  that's great!

Hey!
I sent you an email about the strep.

The photosensitivity? I know that NSAIDs can definitely do it, even as innocent as an Advil. Zanax as well. But I would say if it is indeed any of the meds, I'de bet on the NSAID.

Let me know if you recieved my letter!
Ciao!

hey Jenn,

i just want to get back to the Fibro topic and your hip pain problem.  you mentioned that you rheummy said he thinks it's a "mild case" of fibro. 

do you think it is mild?  when you said the pain is awful....to me that sounds NOT MILD!

 

i was reading again on the criteria on fibro diagnosis.  this feeling you described earlier: "someone's punched me in the butt cheecks"...what that is, is the gluteal trigger point for fibro.  and yeah, feels like what you described!  also, with fibro, the insertion points of ligaments into the hip cavity can cause IMMENSE hip pain, so the hip pain you feel can be FMS related.  Fibro effects not only muscles, but the surrounding soft tissues as well. 

Fibro is painful, and many times docs down-play it  ...so when the rheummy assesses you for fribro again (when he presses on the trigger points)  if you say "tender" , by the Board of Rheumatics it is not the same as saying "painful".  you have to say "painful" or else the definitive diagnoses of FMS won't be made, and he might go on treating you as a "mild" case when you could be recieving better fibro treatment.  Good info eh?     Yeah, they don't consider "tender" to be "painful".

did you ever get steroid injections into the painful areas?

antidepressants are also VERY successful as an adjunct treatment to fibro.

how does the fibro pain effect your life and how bad is it on a daily basis?

take good care!  Viva la Mexico!

erin.           HAPPY VALENTINE!

with the sunburnny kinda feeling, NSAIDs & just getting off Zithromax could be making you feel the effects of a tanning bed moreso...also, with antibiotics you're really suppose to avoid the sun.

fibromyalgia is weird, my neighbor has it (among a lot of other problems) & she too says that her skin feels "HOT", but she's cold all the time....like a wind burn feeling.  so many different feelings can come with FMS.  hormones definitely play a certain role in FMS as to when it flares up and also when a certain hormome dips....you feel less pain!  whacky.

i've heard many patients describe FMS like this..."It hurts to touch my body, even to run your hand across my skin"...so even having your SKIN hurt is a part of it.

i remember there was about a good 4 years where it actually hurt to touch my body anywhere.  i went for a massage....forget it!  clothes hurt to have on...couldn't even wear a bra!  and to take a shower? whoa!  well, it still hurts to take a shower...so i definitely can empathize with FMS sufferers who have all over pain.

the main thing with treating fibro is to essentially manage it by eliminating contributing factors which make it worse, meds for sleep disturbance, and NSAIDs & analgesias.  i wish there was a way to eliminate it for people. {heck who knows...maybe i'll find a cure once i get back to work! hee hee! } some things though we cannot control...like our menstral cycle ..darnit!   i wish there was an "on-off button" for that!

good idea with the XRAYS!

lots of folks REALLY get GREAT results for fibro with a combo of acupuncture, Reiki, chiropractics and analgesics (nsaids) & pain meds.

at your next rheummy appointment, inquire about injections of a steroid...for times when the fibro is really killer!  prednisone really gets ya out of a bad flare of anything! fibro, RA, Crohns.  it's kinda like an "instant cure all", but only when absolutely needed.

i wouldn't be surprised if your FMS follows cycles!  many people, especially females, it does! so weird.  it's a hassle & such an interference in ones life.

erin

Hello all Fibro and chronic hives girl here .... and just found out i have the starts of arthritis in my upper back and lower and my knees and hands...woo hoo!  To Jen you really sound like a fibro person with what you have written so far......fibro is a very weird thing.....the pain moves around and is from mild to just shoot me feeling...i have all pressure points and am pretty much tender to touch everywhere...i do feel that if you don't tell the doc's that you are in a great deal of pain they are more than happy to write you off of having fibro because they don't seem to like to deal with us fibro people that much.  Please do find another way to control the pain besides advil aleve or the over the counter meds.....I am allergic to all med and had to take aleve i got up to now don't faint when i say this 16 aleeve  pills a day for 3 months then became i got use to them then stay off for 3 months.  Yes my doctor new this and it is what i had to do until we found a way to control the pain.  The pain was bad...i have very thick hair and the weight of it caused headache and the top i couldn't touch so washing the hair was painful, so i cut it all off short. I don't take many meds now which i have found the pain(on the pain scale always 8 and above) is better and hair has grown back.  I was very lucky that the aleve did not damage anything that we know of yet.  During that time i was also on heavy doses of Steriod and that induced my fibro (had hive before other problems)  If you find that it is fibro please do something that i have learned over the last 8 years of hell and might make your life better.  Keep a diary...how you feel in the morning what you eat and when you take your meds how long before they work and how well....you might find you have to break your doses in different way, cause most doctors say take one in the morning and one at night....or 3 times a day.  write down what activities you do and how you feel right after 1 hour later 2 hours later blah blah blah...i know this sounds like a lot but fibro is very aware of your body and what you do to it and what you put into it....I have changed my diet because many foods make it worse.....Tomatoe sauce and carb loaded foods hate me.....so i eat like a rabbit salads and bananas and drink a lot of water, i have found since fibro i am more dehydrated.  Foods really play a big part so you have to write it all down and see how you are.  Fibro is funny in a way i will do something i feel i can do at that time and a week later i feel like a mack truck has hit me.....i also am light and sound and cold sensitive and heat...don't have problems in tanning bed but none of my meds cause that.  Well i really could go on with the fibro since there are so many different things fibro people have.....please go check out the fibro area and chronic pain might give you some answers and might give you some questions to ask your doctor...also i would find a doc that knows about fibro and arthritis so that know the differenc between the two.....cause they really would rather deal with the arthritis part more......good luck and hope i helped some I have found a mild pain med robaxin but can only take for 3 months as before and off 3 month because i get use to it and don't want to have to double than triple and so on.  For fog that comes with fibro i take concerta so i don't have to leave bread crumbs to remember all the time...and last but not least.....remove stress...fibro's main food source is stress!!!!!! and i can not stress this enough!  Well good luch in the war with pain for whatever the cause maybe....