Has anyone had blood tests for RA and trey have been normal.

[Trulysad-76]

It has been suggested to me by a few people I MAY have RA. I went to the doctors and he had a full blood count done and inflammatory levels checked. They all came back normal but I am suffering with pain in my joints. Mainly thumbs, knee caps and toe joints. I do have soft tissue growing on my big toe and apparently they don't know why!

Pain seems to be mild but sometimes feels relentless.

Thank you for any opinions or advise given on this subject

Just a short update, I do arthritis in my big toe and will need to find out if I have it in my thumbs.

I have had an injection in my toe but unfortunately it didn’t work even though I done everything possible 😕

[Doughnut61]

Yes I was tested three times over a year, all bloods came back normal. I felt I was going mad as the pains I was getting was unbearable at times. In the end I insisted my GP referred me to a Rheumatlogist. I was diagnosed after an anti ccp blood test that I had aggressive RA . Scared the living day lights out of me but relieved to have a diagnosis. As I knew the pain I was feeling was not normal. You know your own body.

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Doughnut61]

Thank you, I'm trying to get to the bottom of things and I know something's wrong I just don't know what x

[Damaged]

You could have seronegative arthritis however, a Rheumatologist referral is your best bet. RA(RD) is usually bilateral. This means pain on both sides. There are at least 80 autoimmune conditions. A Rheumy will be able to identify if it is Rd or OA , lupus etc many have similar symptoms.

Good luck, hope you identify it yucky.

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Damaged]

Thank you, I will make an appointment with the doctor and see if he will refer me x

[Esorgem]

I have palindromic rheumatism, it's thought to be the beginning of RA and blood tests are normal. May be good to get rheumy to look into that possibility x

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Esorgem]

Thank you for replying, I just need to know what's going on. I know something is wrong x

[Caza]

Hi yes my blood tests have always been 'near normal' I have zero negative RD. luckily for me my rheumy decided to treat my symptoms not the results. That was 5yrs ago & he was right.

[Esorgem in reply to Caza]

Hi Caza, is your rheumatoid factor positive now? I know a lot of people who have been seronegative in the initial stage of RA and later on develop the antibodies. I am seronegative as well and I get blood checks monthly to see if the RF pops up. X

[Damaged in reply to Esorgem]

Have you considered Jointstat or Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide

[Damaged in reply to Damaged]

Sorry thumbs are not working this morning. There are several other tests thought to be more sensitive than RF

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Damaged]

I will ask more when I see my GP x

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Damaged]

No haven't but will look into it x

[Caza in reply to Esorgem]

Hi my bloods are borderline whatever that means. My rheumy has said that I show signs of having inflammatory OA RD PR & Raynaulds which really freaked me out so now I just focus on what makes me feel better rather than a name or results.

[Caza in reply to Esorgem]

Hi my reply to you turned up lower down 😳

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Caza]

Thank you for replying, going to see if I can get referred x

[Downtime]

Yes I was diagnosed 3 years ago with séronégative RA and given the usual MXT . The rheumatologist said it could change to positive but so far it hasn't.

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Downtime]

Thank you, I think it's harder when your having a dispute with some of the doctors at the hospital but I need to get to the bottom of it no matter what x

[gwynedd]

Hi there,

I have never shown any positive results with my blood tests. Luckily I have a good rheumatologist who was on the ball and treated me, she had since diagnosed me to have Psoriatic Arthritis which rarely shows in blood tests but can just as damaging as RA if left untreated.

I hope you can get a referral to a rheumatologist. Good luck

[Trulysad-76 in reply to gwynedd]

Thank you I am sure I will get to the bottom of it some how. My hospital isn't that great but I may have one good doctor I guess x

[Susiebee31]

I'm sero pos and was before I developed full blown RD 30 yrs ago, blood results can be fickle. My story: admitted to hospital because of huge infection in my foot after surgery, wound completely broken down, pus literally pouring out, temperature and feeling extremely unwell. My bloods were taken and sent to lab and I started three lots of antibiotics some iv and the rest oral. Then going back to surgery asap to clean out wound debridment of dead tissue. All my lab results came back normal. The sister In charge checked with the lab that they hadn't made a mistake. No they were mine. My surgeon said my foot didn't match the lab results! RD is fickle bloods don't always correspond to actual symptoms and are only part of the picture. He did the op and it was successful.

[Trulysad-76 in reply to Susiebee31]

Omg that's so sad, I feel so sorry for you but really pleased you are ok now.

I am going to go back as although symptoms are pretty mild most of the time I am having problems and it does get to me, along with everything else I have going on xx

[Nickijk73]

Hi Trulysad-76

I've been having symptoms since the start of 2014,and after almost 9 months of blood tests keep coming back normal,one gp suggested I needed to go back to my spinal surgeon😤 If the answer's not straightforward,sometimes they just don't have the time,or will,to look any further - I was lucky in that I demanded a second opinion,and got a fantastic gp this time around - he took one look at me and told me I needed to see a rheumy. I was lucky in that I had private healthcare with work at that time,so I was seen,and basically diagnosed within a fortnight. It turns out I have psioratic arthritis because my bloods don't show the correct way for the clinical definition of RA - I'm seronegative,and even now when I'm having a flare,and my lower body could be three times it's normal size due to the inflammation,my bloods will still say that I'm not inflamed - I'm not the first this has happened to,and I doubt I'll be the last😝. It's definitely worth getting a second opinion,as others have already said,you know your own body,and you know when something's not right.

Good luck x