I have severe osteo in both knees that started when I was about 12....I am now 34 and have been battling this for a long time...I'm trying to hold off on bi-lateral replacements until next summer...In the last month or so, my hands of suddenly began to go awry on me When I wake up, they are very sore and painful..The base joints of my thumbs are looking enlarged and stay very painful throughout the day....My rheumy has ran my blood work and taken xrays...I don't see him for another week or so, but I picked up a copy of my labs and everything is normal....I don't know what the xrays are going to show, but I'm wondering if it is possible to have RA with negative blood tests?
Hi!
Hmm. I'm not a doctor so I wouldn't take what I write to heart, but I suppose it's possible in it's very early stages. But perhaps it's osteo arthritis in your hands as well, or even muscle strain or injury? I've read that the morning pain and swelling is quite common with some sorts of those. Sorry I can't help much, I don't have RA (Rather psoriatic arthritis). But hopefully your doctor will know how to treat whatever you have.
I have severe osteo in both knees that started when I was about 12....I am now 34 and have been battling this for a long time...I'm trying to hold off on bi-lateral replacements until next summer...In the last month or so, my hands of suddenly began to go awry on me When I wake up, they are very sore and painful..The base joints of my thumbs are looking enlarged and stay very painful throughout the day....My rheumy has ran my blood work and taken xrays...I don't see him for another week or so, but I picked up a copy of my labs and everything is normal....I don't know what the xrays are going to show, but I'm wondering if it is possible to have RA with negative blood tests?
Happy New Year!
It is possible to have rheumatoid that doesn't show up on bloodwork, but with your history of long term osteo, it is probably a nasty flare of that. I assume you are on anti-inflammatories-have you considered that your medication may have stopped working? I have been on almost everything on the market over the years and after a year or two they all quit and I have to start a new one.
Your doctor probably has you on something prescription, so try a switch to Motrin or advil for a couple of days and see if it helps. If so, you can just change prescriptions.
With winter weather and the stress of the holidays, we all have more issues. In your hands, osteo usually hits the last two joints and the base of the thumb worst. Trust me to know-I am sitting here typing one-handed right now while I ice the thumb that just had surgery due to bone-on-bone arthritis. Rheumatoid tends to hit the knuckles and the middle joints first and usually not the last joints. I don't have rheumatoid, but I do have a different inflammatory arthritis as well, so I deal with both.
Hang in there and try not to get yourself upset by what is most likely a slim possibility. I wish you well with your appointment and with you upcoming replacements. I have two partial knees and count them a great blessing.
I've not tried any anti inflammatories lately, as they have never had much of an effect on my knees even when swelling is present...I was put on Cymbalta which has helped a little, but my current pain regiment is no longer working..With the progression on "something" to my hands, I am getting more frustrated...It sounds like you can most certainly relate to the difficulty in trying to do even the simplest tasks with your hands that have decided not to cooperate. I am hoping for some answers and possible treatments when I go back for my follow up. Thank you for your response
I have been diagnosed with sero rheumatoid arthritis (meaning I have negative blood tests), I was diagnosed with an MRI (on my hands, because that's where the symptoms started.)
I am also 34, and my symptoms started in 2007 after the birth of my first child. My DR believes I had JRA as a child that went into remission and came back with pregnancy.
I am so sorry you are feeling bad! I know exactly how it feels to be limited by your hands.
Well, I doubt it can be Rheumatoid Arthritis as it causes pain, stiffness and also there are different kinds of Rheumatoid Arthritis to know that you need to get diagnosed and find out which type it is.
It is estimated that up to 40% of people with RA have negative blood tests for rheumatoid factor. The other way to diagnose it is if there are erosions in the joints, which an MRI is most sensitive for picking that up. I would ask for one to be done. Also, anti-CCP antibody testing on the blood is more sensitive for RA than the standard RA factor, so I would check your labs to see if that was done, plus a sed rate and CRP to show inflammation.
When I wake up, they are very sore and painful..The base joints of my thumbs are looking enlarged and stay very painful throughout the day....My rheumy has ran my blood work and taken xrays...I don't see him for another week or so, but I picked up a copy of my labs and everything is normal....I don't know what the xrays are going to show, but I'm wondering if it is possible to have RA with negative blood tests?
Re: RA with negative blood tests? 
