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Posted 1/13/2013 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
Okay, I'm confused.  I am new to the forum but not to illness.  My health went south ten years ago so I have been dealing with this awhile.  Someone posted you do not have to have a positive ana to have Lupus. My Rheumy says you do.  You can not have lupus with a negative ana.  The ana can be positive and you may or may not have Lupus.

Also some one posted you so not have to test positive for ra to have ra?  Now this I am new to.  There is a fine line between Lupus and RA but I understand Lupus can effect you as arthritis like ra but Lupus does not destroy the joints and ra does.

I am having bilateral joint pain, she has retested me for RA and it is negative.  She still thinks I may be headed that way.

My sjorgrens has been dealing me fits as well.

Tomorrow is my infusion of Rituxan and I hope things go well.

Say a prayer for me.

Posted 1/13/2013 7:43 PM (GMT 0)
I will tell you what my labs have been like. I've had lupus for 25 years now and I've been really I'll for about the past 5 or so. I wasn't officially treated for 13 years, that's why I think I'm so so sick.

I have had a positive ANA and a positive double stranded DNA, but when I'm tested normally my ANA is negative. YES, people can have lupus w/o a positive ANA. According to the lupus foundation 97% of lupus patients have a positive ANA, the other 3% may not have a positive ANA, but will have another positive blood tests, which I do. Your ANA can shift back and forth between negative and positive.

As to the RA a test I know mine was really positive, but once I started on Remicade it changed to negative, however, my MRI shows that my hand joints are changing and that is due to my RA. Both lupus and RA have a lot of symptoms in common.

Good luck on the Ritxuan, I took it back in 2008, I did fine with the infusions, but my platelets got to low so my Rheumy stopped it. Now I'm on Benylsta waiting to see if it helps, I've taken EVERY lupus medication except gold injections. I have been on 25mg of steroids everyday for almost 12 years now. Yes, I have MOST ALL side effects from them, but I'm just unable to get off them. Hang in there and you'll be in my prayers that Ritxuan works for you.

Hugs,
Barbara
Posted 1/14/2013 12:05 AM (GMT 0)
I staRTED all this with c1 esterase deficiency which led to lymphoma and a spleenectomy. Then along came lupus, then sjorgrens. I was born with scolisis I guess, and sometime during all this my back and neck got in the act and we discovered I had bulging disks, spondylosis and spondileses. I am under treatment for all this, and now they have added fibro. Rheumy is suspecting ra but my test was negative. Sjorgrens has been dealing me fits lately.
I have a good bit of pain to the top of my feet where the toes join the foot, both ankles, both wrists, and the thumbs of both hands. This type of pain is new. I guess it could be a toss up as to which illness causes which pain.
Posted 1/14/2013 3:49 AM (GMT 0)
According to my rheumy that's my fibromyalgia acting up when I hurt there. :/

Don't you just love that pain on the top of the feet? It feels like someone has stomped my feet hard. It hits my knuckles too like that.
Posted 1/15/2013 1:45 AM (GMT 0)
That makes sense. She just recently diagnosed me with the fibro and it was aftwer the foot pain started.
She seems to think the ankles, wrists and thumbs is from the lupus.
Don't you just love it when you have so much going on you could flip a coin to see what causes what?
Posted 1/19/2013 4:13 AM (GMT 0)
I have the pain in the joints that your describe (ankles, wrists etc), but mine is from drug induced lupus. So if you do have lupus then I'd be more inclined to think your pain is from lupus. As far as I'm aware, if your RA is negative then you don't have RA. I was tested years ago when I had back pain, and came back negative. It took a few scans and other tests to confirm I have Ankylosing Spondylitis.
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