RA? LUPUS?

I went to my Dr. in November, 2010 with joint pain in my hands/wrists since late July 2010.  He ran a CBC, rheumatoid facter, & ANA.  My sed rate was 26, elevated.  Rheumatoid factor negative, and positive ANA.  He referred me to a rheumatologist.

In January I saw the rheumatologist, and she said it sounded like RA but wanted bilateral hand/wrist/feet x-rays, and a ton of other labs.  I do not have insurance.  It seems rather straight forward RA to me.  

After reading a lot of info, it seems that aggressive early treatment with DMARDS & a Biologic have the most success in quieting down the RA.  I got into an excellent phase 3 Clinical Trial and am having excellent results.  Now that I'm 2 months into it, and have read more on RA & Lupus, I am wondering if I jumped the gun and diagnosed myself?  I see that with joint pain, & positive ANA but neg Rheum Factor, doesn't sound like RA.

Do I tell my clnical trial Dr. that ?  Not sure what I should do to proceed from here :(

[blossom88]

I do know people can be seronegative with RA. I'm so far seronegative but also with a neg. ana. Waiting on my x-ray results. My Rheumy has given me meloxicam for the joint pain and it's working but so far no idea what I'm dealing with. I know my sed rate was 54 and was told that isn't to high, it's high in meaning something is going on but it can get much worse.

[carolanivey]

I've had RA for 46 years and I can tell you that being sero-negative is no myth. :) I've been in a full-body flare and my blood labs come back normal. It's also not unusual for someone to test negative one time, positive the next, then negative again. It sounds like your current rheumie is on the right track, ordering the x-rays. I wouldn't trust a doctor that looked ONLY at bloodwork.

Though lupus and RA can often have similar symptoms, I'm not convinced lupus is what's going on with you. At any rate, the treatment for both is pretty similar. It's a great idea to bring up your concerns with your doctor so he can explain why he thinks you don't have lupus. Never be afraid to grill your doctor with questions - it's your body, after all! :)

No two people with autoimmune disease are alike, that's why it's so difficult sometimes to find the right combination of medications. There's no one size fits all.

I'm glad the clinical trial is going so well! I'm on methotrexate and Enbrel and it has worked pretty well for me.