I had my visit with my orthopedist yesterday. Originally for my knee, but my swollen, painful foot came first! The xrays were fine, so he's not sure what it is! Could be nerve damage... But I think it's RA or a form of arthritis. I was actually excited when he gave me samples of Celebrex, because my friend with RA said it really helped her painful swollen feet. Has anyone else had this problem with their feet and was it RA? I sure hope that the Celebrex gives me some relief. I think I'm going to call my hemo today and see if he ever did a blood test for RA. Thanks!

My hemo's nurse said that RA factor came back negative. Has anyone else been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis but their RA factor was negative? Isn't there a different blood test that they can do? I'm still going to keep taking the Celebrex! Does anyone know if it will also help my back pain?

Not sure if there are any other tests. Ihave fibromyalgia, and have had it for quite some time now. But now im having alot of inflammation going on. Saw rhuemie and he says the RA test came back negative but all symptoms point toward RA or something else seperate from the fibro. I had blood work done and my sed rate (shows inflammation) was 55 which he said is high and im also anemic, plus there were blood cells in my urine sample. I had a hysterectomy done back in 81 so its not from menustration. So he says it looks like the inflammation is causing bleeding somewhere and the kidneys filter the blood going thru but still some red cells get past by. Im on alot of meds for the fibro and he just gave me celebrex as well. He says i should know if it works in two weeks or not, if it does, then he says that could be RA, if it doesnt, he says it probably isnt RA. Im also having an MRI done on my hands on monday which he says is also a new way of testing for RA, as it will show damage or not to the joints. He says the RA factor doesnt always show up on the blood work
Jen

Hi-Actually I'm not happy with the Celebrex anymore! It has been 10 days now, and my foot is still swollen and so painful even with taking the Celebrex! I had an appointment for next Friday with my Orthopedist, but they canceled on me today and now I don't go until March 13! He only gave me samples of Celebrex (even though it hardly works) which I will be out of in a few days! I'm going to ask my hemo at my appointment with him next Thursday about my foot! Why did my Orthopedist ask me if I ever had Gout? Can you tell if you have gout or not from an xray? Thanks!

Have you ever been tested for Gout? It sounds to me more like Gout than RA. RA seems to usually start in the hands from those I've spoke with. Gout affects the knees and feet more often than not and if you have no prior history of damage to either area (which would cause OA) I would really suspect gout.
If there is no history of RA in your family and you don't present doctors will often overlook it as well.