Positive Rheumatoid Factor

Starburst

I popped into my Dr's surgery to get a copy of my latest blood test results for my rheumy appt tomorrow as they never seem to make their way to rheumatology. I was surprised to see a positive RF which I've never had before despite being diagnosed with RA.

This last week has been pretty bad for me with regards to pain and stiffness. So I was even more surprised to see an ESR of 27 which is the lowest its ever been. I did notice a decrease in swelling since going up to 20mg mtx but my pain is quite bad and the RF has shown up out of nowhere.

There neither rhyme nor reason to arthritis!

alarkra

Hi Starbust,

Well, I guess in some ways, it may be a good thing (in a backwards way) that you have a positive RF result... I don't know your history, but if you have been finding it hard to get satisfactory treatment and medication then it could help with they way they treat your condition? I do hope that you are OK with this result... I watch my blood results like a hawk as my body is constantly fighting with me, it's the only way I can keep track to see if the meds are still working or not! A drop in the ESR is a good thing though, it shows that the meds are working, even if you feel they are not (it's like the story of my life that!) so hopefully the MTX is doing its thing for you.

Good luck with the rheumy appointment tomorrow. I do hope that it goes the way you want it to.

xx

skezier

Hi Sophie,

Sorry its been a bad week for you flower and hope the appointment helps to get things sorted.

Blood results go up and down with the variations sometime but don't worry too much about it cus in a way a positive just confirms the diagnosis.... I my bloods can be all over the place but my rumo goes on what he see's more than the bloods and only checks them to make sure the drug isn't doing any harm.

Rumo's all have different ways of dong thing. There doesn't seem to be much standardisation.

i might be wrong but mtx alone doesn't do much for pain as such so I wonder if a drugs review could help? Either to up your pain relief, add to it or change it?

Talk about how your feeling tomorrow and don't forget us lot in your pockets either. Its not right to be left in pain all the time flower and I hope you can get some help. Let us know how you get on. Cris x

julie47

Hi sophie

Wishing you luck and hope your appointment goes well.

Juliepf x

frogmorton

Hi

Sorry the blood are down when pain is up, but sounds good taht the swelling has maybe decreased a bit.

Positive Rf after all this time...that I have heard of before.

Good luck from me for your appt too.

Love

Toni xx

dreamdaisy

I have never had a positive RF but I do remember having better weeks when the CRP and ESR have been in the upper 70s but worse weeks when they have only been in the 40s, for example. It is a peculiar business, I agree. I hope the increased meth has a beneficial effect all round. DD

Starburst

Thank you for the replies. You are all lovely as always.

Alarkra, hit the nail on the head. The blood tests never reflect how I feel. My last lot showed much more inflammation yet I was in relatively little pain and doing really well!

Obviously I'm glad that the arthritis is started to get controlled but I just wasn't really sure why I was feeling so bad when my bloods are indicating a huge improvment.

Last time, my rheumy talked about adding something like leflunomide to the mix. I'm a little unsure about yet another drug as they all come with so many side-effects but the pain is bad right now.

My appointment is at 2.30 pm. She is a lovely lady and I really hope she's running on time because I'm working at 3.30!

dreamdaisy

Since the advent of humira both figures have been below 5 so I should be springing round like a lamb, yes? No. Still on the sticks, still taking the dullers at regualr intervals, the pain has never gone, just grown, and I still swell. Bizarre. Good luck with leflunomide if it is prescibed. Someone posted on here recently saying that that has made all the difference to them, let's hope you are in that camp too. DD

tillytop

Hello Starburst.

Hope the appt went well and that doc was on time!

Re the blood results, like the others the inflammation figures don't always reflect how I am feeling - it's obviously a common thiing. And as for the RF turning up out of the blue - well that is a bit a mystery to me too!

Thinking of you and hoping it was a "good" appt.

Tilly xxx

Starburst

My rheumy said that although my RF was slightly positive, it was not positive enough to be considered positive. Make sense?! As for my diagnosis, although I have nail psoriasis, she said it doesn't matter if it's called inflammatory arthritis PsA or seronegative RA, the treatment is the same.

My ankle MRI showed no current evidence of inflammation which is good. The bad news is that it's already been damaged. :sad: I've been referred to an orthopaedic surgeon. I have private health insurance, so gonna use that to speed up the process.

I've decided to wait a little longer to let the methotrexate take effect because I've only been on 20mg for 4 weeks. I don't want to start another drug yet. I have another condition and I'm already on so many drugs with so many horrible side effects.

Mixed bag really. :???: