Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis Please?

[KymmLisa4]

I am 51 and I have horrible pain in both ankles, knees, elbows, and wrists,everyday, especially in the morning.  I can barely walk in the mornings!  I told my pain management doctor this and he said it's probably arthritis.  I asked him ostoearthritis, which I'm used to, I have that in my spine, and he said maybe and I said not rheumatoid?  He asked if I get chills or sweats and I told him I get sweats all the time, which I always thought were hot flashes, but that's the only sign of menopause I was getting, since I had a hysterectomy when I was 28.  He told me to have my regular doctor get a rheumatoid panal drawn up at the lab.  

I see this pain doctor because I broke my neck and back waterskiing 30 years ago in a freak fall and live in severe chronic pain daily.  Anyway I'd like to hear from someone who actually lives with rheumatoid arthritis, what are some of the early symptoms?

[KymmLisa4]

Thank you all, you're great!  I'm truly not so scared anymore.  I do have pain in all the above mentioned joints and will have them checked out eventually, but don't think it's RA, maybe OA, which I'm used to.  It's just so strange to have the pain in that many joints all at one time and my ankles although not swollen are so sore in the mornings are very hard to walk on!  

But it's nice to hear from the troopers in the battle field versus the gnereals behiind the desks, if youknow what I mean.  Thanks to you all, you're great!!

[carolanivey]

You're welcome, Kymm. Glad I could help! The internet can be a valuable tool but too often there's just TOO much information out there and like you said, you end up scaring the bejeebers out of yourself. I tend to stick with arthritis.org, mayoclinic.org and of course medhelp.org. :)  There are also a couple of great online communities in addition to this one - the ************.org forum, and the RA Chicks page on Facebook.

[jsgulchman]

Hello Ky.   I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 11 years.  I have never had chills or sweating.  My first clue was in my ankles.  They began to swell with a lot of pain. I could not walk the ankle hurt so much.  It then moved into my wrists and I could not drive.  I was at first diagnosed with gout but soon learned it was in fact RA.  There are some good treatments for it but also some are very expensive like Humira and Embral.  My insurance would not cover these expensive drugs but Methotrexate is a very popular drug for RA treatment and not expensive at all.  Wish you all the best.........

[KymmLisa4]

Oh thank you so much!  There is so much information out there I was starting to freak myself out!  That's why I thought hearing from someone who knew what they were talking about would not only be my best resoure but also my best advice!  

Again, you're a life saver, I'll get on the phone today!
Thanks,
KymmLisa4

[carolanivey]

Hi,

RA symptoms can be different in each individual patient, and can strike at any age, even infancy. I've had it since age five.

Arthritis.org is a good place for information. It can begin in many joints at once, or start in one and appear to spread. You might have a low-grade fever and flu-like symptoms, fatigue, skin rashes. With your long-standing health issues, early symptoms could be written off as related to your past trauma, or aging.

Just to be safe, I would get a referral to a rheumatologist, who is better able to diagnose and treat you than your regular doctor. A rheumie will run a battery of tests to diagnose you, and not rely solely on blood tests, which often do not tell the whole story. You will probably get a series of x-rays and/or other scans, and most important, the rheumie should lay hands and eyes on each individual joint.

Some patients are what's called "sero-negative", which means nothing shows in bloodwork but they have physical symptoms. A good rheumie will treat you based on a wide range of evidence, not just bloodwork.

Anyway, start with the rheumie and go from there. Best of luck!