Hi, M,

Welcome to our Health Central community.

It is very confusing, isn't it?!?  First thing is that you have to remember is that RA is not diagnosed on blood tests alone.  There are several criterion that must be met for a diagnosis of Ra.  The blood work is only one criteria.

Do you have swelling and is the pain in your joints bilateral...on both sides?  Have you been referred to a rheumatologist?  Are your joints red and/or warm?

There are a lot of people with seronegative RA.  20 to 30 percent of people w/RA are seronegative.

Please see a rheumatologist, and let us know how you are doing.  This is a great place to come for information and support.  Hope you feel better soon.

Peace,

V

we have an excellent post on blood tests and what they mean that can give you more information about this. Approximately 20-30% of people who have RA are seronegative, so if you have textbook RA symptoms, it's unfortunately probably likely that you have. Most rheumatologist will diagnose RA based on physical exam and medical history, using blood tests only as a confirming aspect of the entire process. It's essential to be treated early and aggressively to minimize damage to your joints and the fact that you appeared to have clear symptoms of RA means you have a very good chance of getting your RA suppressed before it does any damage. Check out my post for the newly diagnosed for links to articles in our reference area on various aspects of living well with RA.

One of the key factors in living well with this disease is to find other people who know what you're going through. I'm very happy that you found our community - this is a great site with lots of terrific information (and I don't just say that because I work here) and we have a wonderful and very supportive community of users. When you're up to it, would you consider writing a SharePost introducing yourself? I'm sure our community would love to meet you.