How long did it take you to get a diagnosis for RA?

Hi anjuli,

yeah RA diagnosis is tricky sometimes. Boy, you have been through it. Sorry to hear all that.

There are some blood tests which help, but RA diagnosis is done by a dr.'s opinion as much as any test. There are xrays and most of all , there's your sypmtoms. One woman I know said her dr. treated her to see whether RA medicine worked and that's how she was diagnosed. Pretty back door, huh?

The genetic marker is not definitive, either. You will need to keep seeing a rheumatologist or get second opinions until you get answers. Be encouraged not to give up trying. If you do have RA (or anything else) you need to get treatment for it. So you have no choice... What would you tell a friend, right?

It took me awhile, too. Some of my story is on my blog. You can find it at www.rawarrior.blogspot.com  if you like. Hope you get clear answers soon, Kelly

Sorry that you've been through the ringer. I hope and pray that you find relief soon.

My story sounds very much like yours. Iritis in both eyes five years ago...no other symptoms. I was told about autoimmune disorders at the time but quickly forgot about it. Then achilles tendon tears in both legs requiring surgery. No mention of RA. Then joint pain set in along with fatigue. After five years, and multiple visits to docs, I was finally diagnosed. This story is all too common with RA. The good news is that a diagnosis can lead to treatment and relief!

Hi, I have been living with this thing for about four years now and still do not have a definite diagnosis of RA. My rheumatologist just kind of hums and haws around giving me a definite diagnosis. I have been told I have seronegative RA and also "inflammatory arthritis" which the only difference between the two is a negative RA factor. Maybe you another opinion? Hope this helps.

I was in complete and total agony for over a year - numerous specialists "couldn't" figure it out, because I was sed negative. I could not dress myself, walk up one stair, and ended up with severe damage in both my feet, as well as hands and minor damage in 75 joints.  I just had my first corrective surgery for my feet. 

I finally found an very, very old rheumie, who diagnosed me just by looking at me, although it was several years before I found the right combination of meds and went into remission. (Of course the disease continues, but much slower and without the pain!).  I later read somewhere it can take up to four years to show up sed positive.  During that time, you suffer horribly, as well as destroying your joints.  So be aggressive if you have red, swollen joints, that are hot and hurt so badly you can't move.  Iritis is just one form of the disease - my cousin lost an eye to that form, so make them take you seriously. I just read about a man who had a whole family of severe RA patients - mother, grandmother, sister, etc.  He had no sypmtoms except very bad hoarseness - turned out he had a nodule in his throat.  Although he had no other symptoms, they treated it seriously.  Be glad you don't have full blown RA, stay away from triggers like abuse, and get some meds so that you don't lose your eyes.

I wish there was a test that would tell you if you have RA or not. It took me a couple of years to find out what was wrong with me. I still don't know alot. I DO know how I feel and how I am affected by whatever is wrong with me. I do have RA and also Hep C. So my doc says the hep c intensifies the RA(like it needs intensifying right?). So I don't know what is the RA and what is the Hep C. All I know is I haven't been able to get the answers I need to know about whats going on with my body and what to do to stop it. I can't get a straight answer at the doctors office.  So I wish you luck and hope they can find out and begin treating it. I also hope the treatment helps right away. I had to try so many different kinds before I found some relief from the pain and now that one isn't even helping anymore so back to step one. It could be worse though I guess. GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

i just found out i have RA after ten years of suffering in my left knee. i have had 4 scope to have it removed. but after the last scope in april 2009, i was told it did not take and had to have a total knee replacement, but i still have my knee cap. after surgery aug 2009 i got too infections in my knee. had to go every day and have a iv with antibotics in it for 2 and a half months. blood work every monday to see if the med was high enough in blood stream. and now i have a lot of swelling in my leg, and husband cant see why when i have no bones in that area. i have to remind him i still have my knee cap, even thou i have metal and pastic in my left knee. and yes the drs can find out if you have RA thru blood work if they order the right ones, just look at what i went threw for ten years and just 2 weeks ago i find out the case of pain and swelling.

I am one of those people who tests negative, but I am thankful that I was correctly diagnosed after about one year of monitoring me.  There was no question that my symptoms pointed to RA, but they also questionedc whether I might have Lupus.  I have a history on my mother's side of both.  She has a brother with RA and a sister with Lupus.  After the year of monitoring me they ruled out Lupus and diagnosed me with RA.  I have been through several meds in the past eight years.  I do tolerate methotrexate well so I have been on it through the trials with all the other combo of meds.   I now take nine per week along with 15 mg of prednisone per day and I have had four infusions of orencia.  Enbrel and Humira did not work for me so I am crossing my fingers that the Orencia will start to shine through within the next couple of months.  I want off the prednisone!  Tired of the bruising, burning and weight gain.  I am considered permanently disabled at this point which is a whole different thing to adjust to. 

I didn't feel well last summer...tired all the time. During the fall I hurt all over. December I finally got into a specialist. It was not seen in blood work but found in hand x-rays. My hands have been hurting for at least 8 years. Im 46 years old. Molly

I have always tested negative for RA but am going through that back door treatment. I started on mobic, ha ha no help at all. then plaquenil, some help. Then arava was added and I am feeling better but still have bad days. They are just fewer now. I have been going through all of this for about 3 years. My gp, 2 rheumies and ortho docs. I have a portfolio of x rays and numerous tests. I have had a rough go of it and all I hear is Its the beginnings of something and connective tissue disorders and about the degeneration in my joints and I am 42 now there shouldn't be all this degeneration. Blah,blah, blah and I hear that I shouldn't be worried about an absolute diagnosis but that I should be thankful that i feel better. I am thankful but would like to be armed with knowledge about my condition so I can better fight it and understand it.

From reading the posts, it seems I have been somewhat fortunate with not having to go on for years before getting a diagnosis.  I started having severe, unrelenting pain in both wrists in July 2008, which was a major inconvenience since I used my hands and arms a lot at work.  I dealt with it for a couple of months, with no respite, and finally in early September 2008 went to see my regular doctor who ordered extensive blood work and wrist xrays.  Once she had the results, apparently I had tested positive for Lupus, she sent me to a Rheumatologist for follow up.  The Rhuematologist ordered even more extensive bloodwork to rule out Lupus, and that is when I was diagnosed with RA.  In November 2008 I was put on Celebrex, and the following January 2009, on Plaquenil.  The pain had made essential everyday tasks almost intolerable, and since I have been on the drugs long enough to be effective, the pain has become somewhat more manageable, although my left wrist is still quite painful, and other joints are beginning to feel like the RA is spreading.  For now I am getting along pretty well.  I am 53, married, and presently unemployed due to a plant closing--I worked until I was released in February of 2009.

I was around 8 when they finally used the term juvinile rheumatoid arthritis. My mother started taking me to the doctor when I was about 4. I have NEVER tested positive for any ra factor.......It can take a really long time, alot of painful tests, but without that diagnosis, so many drugs would be unavailable....

Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!!