Help me please I think I am going crazy!

First I am sorry you are having such a hard time. Second what kind of Doctor did you go see? Yes I would go To a Rhuematologist Arthritis Doc get a referal if you need to. Yes I would go to a second doctor and third if needed you need to find one who listens to you. Are you having trouble with both hands are there other joints effecting you. Blood test are not the only way to get diagnosed some times it takes a long time for blood tests to show positive, did this Doctor even feel your joints. You have to become your own advocate. If you have RA the sooner your diagnosed the sooner you can be started on meds.

Ginlyn  

I can empathize with some of the things you are going through. I began have severe pains May 2008 and wasn't formally diagnosed with RA until October 2008. My regular physician kept insisting I had regular arthritis (osteoarthritis) even when I showed tell-tale signs of RA and the pain was so severe, plus my mom had RA. He was very reluctant to refer me to a rheumatologist and thank God he did! I now have another physician and am seeing a rheumatologist regularly. I also encourage you to see a Rheumatologist if you can. I've learned that a person can have RA but it doesn't always show up in tests right away because it can mask as other forms of arthritis(osteo, lupus, fibromyalgia, etc...) Good luck to you and hugs!

I think you should a second opinion, I am going through a crisises of pain now and the doctor just want give me all different kinds of pain meds. I really don't know if there is anything that can be done about the arthritis except when you go to bed at night put a bar of white soap under your bottom sheet and put it where every your body hurts. If you hurt all over just use several bars of soap, that might help you feel better it's a old remedy.

I am no doctor but from what you say I would dump your present doc and find a new one quick.  I am sorry you are in such pain.  It is important to find out for sure if you have RA so proper med therapy can begin right away.  Hang in there and fight for YOU!

Steve

There is a small chance that you can have RA and not have positive blood work.  The only problem is you have to see a rheumatologist that sees outside the box and as mine says treats me the patient not the paperwork from the bloodwork.  He could tell my joints were swollen, but my test were run 6-12 months apart for RA and both came back negative.  He then tried me on a round of Prednisone and said if the prednisone worked then we were dealing with inflamation.  I felt a lot better on it.  So he diagnosed me with RA and now is treating me for that and unfortuantely because of the bloodwork coming back negative and delayed treatment you can look at my hands and see that I have RA becasue in just about 18 months they have started to get crooked from it.  I would recomend asking them to try the prednisone if that's what you feel likt it is.  It works with in a couple of days and you are only on it for about 2 weeks.  They won't keep you on it long term.  For me it was just basically a test.  It could be something else, but sometimes, doctors just treat what the bloodwork skowes especially if they aren't a specialist.  Until I got in with my rheumatoligist myfamily dr. just kept giving me more meds. Best of luck!

Don't wait, see a second doctor. RA is hard at first to diagnose. Get a second or even a third opinion if you have to. Fish oil capsules work great as long as they are from pure norewegion waters. Acaci juice is good for pain too. you don't need a prescription. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

oh you poor dear sister in pain.  i've been through about 6-7 yrs of trying to find out if i really have RA or not.  i had the same stuff, pain and i call it "tightness" in my joints, horrible neck pain and really bad pain in my tail-bone for yrs before my family doctor sent me to a rheumatologist.  if that is who is treating you (a rheumatologist), go back again and again and again with complaints, if the doctor gets irritated, go to another rheumatologist.  where i live, we only have about 5, so i've told myself not to be doctor hopping, that makes them really mad.  here's my story, i've had back pain since high school, i just turned 50, 2 yrs ago my rheumy finally sent me to a neurosurgeon due to con't neck pain and numbness in my hands, well, he said i had no disc's left in the 2 bottom cervical spaces, so i had a fusion of my neck.  it made a world of difference, way less neck pain now.  well, for yrs i've also had bad pain in the joints of my sacrum.  you can feel those joints if you sit on your hand and press up high on the cheek of your butt and press inward.  those spots were killing me, i also started noticing that my ribs hurt and my eyes were so dry i finally took it upon myself to go to an opthalmologist and he put in puntal plugs, that also made a world of difference.  well, since the beginning i've never tested positive for RA, none of the inflammatory tests or the genetic testing came back positive.  but i have a family history of RA, paternal grandmother was severely crippled and my mother tested positive, but never had really big problems.  so, my doctor is assuming i have RA with spondylosis of the sacroiliac joints.  so, with trial and error i've takes all the drugs and now i'm on celebrex, methotrexate (just started 2wks ago), humira, doxycycline and ultram for pain and hydrocodone rarely when it's really bad.  before i had neck surgery i had to have an EMG done, the neurologist said that 25% of people with RA test negative forever, that these people have a lot of pain, some inflammation and swelling but not a lot and that these don't have the crippling effects like people who test positive.  so, that's encouraging, but makes me crazy to think i have this problem - probably.  that i have to live with it and these dangerous drugs forever and have to deal with pain every day.  i'm an RN and i've had to change jobs 4 times this year because i couldn't do what was expected of me.  it's become embarassing, but i keep plugging along.  i don't even want to think of the day when i have to admit i can't do it anymore.  anyway, hope my little rant helped you feel not so alone.  e-mail me anytime if you'd like, i'd love to be able to give you a pep-talk!!  take care, keep that pain controlled !!  melanie    meiel@aol.com

Hello

Your story sounds like mine.

my RA factor test is normal but I have RA  FINALLy got to a Dr. in Mpls

to help me and do the tests   C-Reactive protein and sed rates.

I am on methotrexate.

I was diagnosed in May  08.

I hope you are doing ok and that you can find a good Dr. Rhumatologist.

Lynne

From Galen in Vermont:

  Please, please, please for your body and emotionals that go along with Rheumatoid Arthritis find a Rheumatologist who can and will help you. The Rheumatoid factor often does not show up in blood tests and sometimes it will show up and not show up the next time and so on. I have had RA for 40 years and I empathize with what you are going through. You need to be on a proper drug regimen with follow up. If you cannot find a Rheumatologist in your area definitely get a second opinion from another doctor, one who is compasssionate about your condition. You seem to be going throgh a rough time right now so finding the right doctor is imperative. Good luck, I wish you well. There is help out there, but you sometimes have to seek it out aggressively. 

Please, Please don't wait.  Go back to your primary & tell him/her that you want the referral to the Rheumatologist and get that appointment and a second opinion - with or without the referral !  It's YOUR health and a GP, although maybe a great person, doesn't know everything. I was in the same situation last year as you are right now.  It took me over 6 months to find the right Rheumatologist... the first one I went to examined me and proclaimed that I did not have RA, that it was 'in my head'.  Needless to say, I found another Rheumatologist!  

While you're waiting to see the Rheumatologist, try to help yourself feel better. 

One way is by modifiying your diet - many of us (RA sufferers) actually DO have an allergic reaction to the Deadly Nightshade family vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, any kind of peppers, and eggplant - look it up online). If you have any sensitivity to these foods - which you may not have noticed before the RA set in - once you eliminate those items from your diet, you will have less pain and stiffness.  Not eating those foods helped me.  I noticed alot of relief after 2-3 weeks.  Then, I added an extra B-Complex Vitamin, Ginger Root (5 grams), DHEA, Iodine, and Flax Seed Oil capsules to my regular Daily Multi-Vitamin &  C supplement.  The supplements will take less time to help you, say about a day or two.   Don't worry about overdosing on the vitamins, unless it's vitamin A or D, they are water soluable and will pass through your system if not needed.

I was so desperate that I had my Gyn/Ob check out my hormone levels. All were very low and I started on Bio-Identical Hormones. After about two weeks, alot of the stiffness went away.  I'm not saying that the Bio-Hormones cured me, they just helped - alot more than I expected.  

RA is your immune system gone wacky and no-one knows why. Your body "runs" on chemistry. Who knows what hormone imbalances can cause? I certainly don't, but I was willing to try anything to help my body get back on track.

I finally got in to a very good Rheumatologist and he put me on Methotrexate which has been a bumpy ride for me, but well worth it.  He says I'll soon have to go on another drug, such as Humira, because my last blood test showed signs of the RA increasing.  I don't like taking sythetic drugs, but at least I know I'm doing everything I can do from a natural standpoint with my diet, vitamins & supplements, and the Bio-Identical hormones. 

Please, don't wait, learn & do everything you can to help yourself and find a Rheumatologist who will listen to you and respects your ideas, opinions, etc.

Good Luck and Take Care of Yourself.