i have been suffering with severe joint pain in both knees, ankles, elbows and shoulders. this all started when i was four months pregnant with my last child. I also have a rash that usually covers different parts of my body and sometimes will cover me from head to toe. i have had testing done in which the doctor leans towards RA but my ra and ana test come back neg, and my sed rate came back a 42. the pain i experience makes walking, sitting and standing unbearable. when it affects my hands, elbows and shoulders, I can't pick up my baby. I feel like I am going crazy, but I know this isn't normal.
Q: elevated sed rate, i'm 27 and my rate is 42, ra and ana neg. severe joint pain and recurring rash.
Answers (5)
12/18/08 7:52pm
You should see if the rash is psoriasis. If it is you probably have psoriatic arthritis. It runs along the same lines as ra but with no ra factor. There are some varying differences like, the same joints aren't always affected. However it is as bad as ra and is treated with the same meds, in fact enbrel and meth help control the psoriasis rash. I would see a dermatologist if I were you or even your gp should be able to diagnos the rash if it severe enough. I hope this helps and I hope you feel better:)
12/21/08 11:56pm
I was just diagnosed in June of this year with RA. I had been having pain in my feet, hands, and fingers for several months and finally decided to go to the doctor. Lab was done and they performed a RA Factor test and an Anti CCP test. Both were positive but my sed rate was within range. My RA Factor results were 242 and the Anti CCP was greater than 100.
Maybe you could have your family physician run these two tests. It's my understanding that since both of my test results were high, I'm more likely to have a severe form of RA.
I'm currently taking 1,000 mg Naprosen, 2,000 mg Sulfasalazine, 40 mg Prilosec, and will start methotrexate next week and Enbrel after the first of the year. I have discomfort all the time and am looking forward to "relief".
It is my prayer that you'll find relief soon.
2/13/09 3:12pm
Laura,
I would bet that you have systemic lupus. The clue is that it started when you were pregnant which is very common. I have had lupus nephritis (which is now in remission) since I was 32. I am now 62 so I have done well with agressive treatment. I also have a neative ANA and a negative RA test, so obviously the tests are not definitive. I encourage you to contact the Lupus Foundation. They can be very helpful in your diagnosis. And if you find that you think you have Lupus and your doctor doesn't agreee-find another doctor!
Sharon
7/21/09 6:48pm
It took several years of pain and inflammation, chronic fatigue, stiffness before my tests came back positive. They say that the anti-CCP test, which is a reletively new test, can tell if a patient has RA a lot sooner than the Rheumatoid Factor. Even if the RF comes back neg., it doesn't mean that you don't have RA. Usually, from what I understand, is that while being pregnant, RA symptoms usually subside. I just kept after my primary care doc and kept having the test repeated every year.
8/23/09 6:34pm
I'm so sorry for your discomfort.
6 years ago I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis and Scleromyxoedema (lichen myxoedematosus). My sed rate use to be as low as 42 and now currently runs 105.
Scleromyxoedema has a rash like appearance. It started in my elbows, and shoulders. It appeared and disappeared for a couple of years. Both illinesses cause considerable joint and muscular discomfort. I've always been very anemic, have no rheumatoid factors exhibited in the blood. Scleromyxoedema is nearly always associated with monoclonal gammopathy, in which abnormally high levels of an immunoglobulin called a paraprotein are found in the blood. Usually these are IgG-lambda light chain molecules. A small increase in the number of plasma cells in the bone marrow may be found
I have received Remicade treatments for 4 years and have been doing considerable better. I wish you well in your fight with your illiness.
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