can you have ra without the joints swelling if you have all of the other symtoms

Short answer, YUP!  Yeah, I didn't and haven't had any swelling to speak of.  Did have "trigger finger" in both hands, but nothing ever visibly swelled up.  Oh, got one node that went away and hasn't returned.  Other than that, wow!  Your symptoms sound a lot like me and oh boy do I got RA!  Yeah, just a bunch of bouts of fever and malaise at the start.  Sore hands and morning stiffness and night aches.  Yeah, you don't have to have every symptom checked off the list.  Still, I'm no doc.  If you haven't yet, you should check in with your physician.  If it is RA you'll want to start doing something about it pronto.  This crud doesn't tend to get better on it's own. 

So, Verna, I'm with you. I'm being told by family doc (he was almost apologetic when he phoned me with the results of my bloodwork) that it appears I have RA. I thought, really?

My hands or joints aren't excessively swollen, big knuckles, yes, but not hideously so.

How bad can this be? I had always assumed that was the chief complaint with people having rheumatoid arthitis.

Figured I'd just do some pill-poppin' for a few months to get it under control, no real big deal. Doctor Trent then went on to say "This is serious, Sher, it's a crippling disease and you'll need to see a Rheumatologist as soon as I can get you in."

So, I got on the 'puter to google after the call. Now, three days later it's starting to sink in just what a rotten affliction this is, for all of us. I wasn't really overweight because after my H-A I made a lifestyle change but I thought it was pretty neat I could eat more than usual and never worry about gaining a pound. I told my daughters to buy and eat flax seed thinking it must be the reason for this blessing. Yeah, right.

Every pain I thought was caused by just aging, wasn't.The stiffness in my neck, shoulders, back, knees and hips *OMG, the hips! has been steadilly worsening for these past two years. However, because I tend to have a high pain threshhold I still keep thinking that all of this stuff sucks but, I'll bear it if it just not progresses.

Finally broke down and took a 8-hr. Tylenol this afternoon. Helped for half of that time. I'm going to have to face-up to this truth quickly. I am a 65 year old woman who survived a major H-A in '03 and has four imbedded stents in my body. I may not have the option of choosing to take powerful drugs if I even wanted to.

Verna, if there's hope to continue a near normal life I believe we've arrived at the right place; this site. We have good information to digest and some truly good people to share this 'experience' with.

I believe we can feel fortunate for this, at least, right?

i wish i had an answer for both of us. i actually forget about it in between spells, but it always comes back. it takes a few days to realize what's happening again, my hands feel like they got run over by a car, all the way up to my elbows. my feet too. i walk alot for exercise, but when i feel like this, my muscles, my heart and lungs feel really taxed.  both sides always hurt, but flare ups are alot worse, and my right side is a little worse.  i don't have visually swollen joints, like the pictures, but they're warm and tight. i'm a smaller fifty year old woman, two years ago my blood was fine. how come i feel like this?  then eventually it goes away and i feel like a kid again?  help?