Inconclusive!

Daisyboo

Hi everyone, just wanted to say hello! I was diagnosed 2 weeks ago with osteoarthritis in my hands after having x-rays. I also had my feet x-rayed, but it showed nothing abnormal. I do have pain in my hands, my thumbs and my little fingers, but it is nowhere near as bad as the pain in my feet so I was a bit confused. I've had severe pain in my feet on and off for a couple of years, I've been sent to a podiatrist but nothing was found. I had blood tests last week for possible RA. I went to see my doctor today for the results, they were inconclusive and is referring me to a rheumatologist. My father had severe RA in his hands and were badly deformed, my inflammatory markers were raised in my blood test, so now I have to wait to see a rheumatologist which could be a while, my doctor has put it as urgent as it is affecting my daily life. My question is... inconclusive - not positive or not negative. Has anyone had a similar diagnosis and what would your opinion be on this. It's driving me crazy having to wait! Sorry for going on and on! 🤔

[Deleted User]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be difficult to diagnose and there is no single test. No blood test definitively diagnoses rheumatoid arthritis. Have a look at our section on diagnosis here.
https://www.arthritiscare.org.uk/do-i-have-arthritis/diagnosis
It is only natural that you are finding it frustrating that you don't have a clear diagnosis yet but at least you are now on the right track. We will be here to support you every step of the way and answer any questions you might have
Meanwhile I am sure all our community members will share their experiences with you and you could also phone our helpline on 0808 800 4050
Best Wishes
Sharon

stickywicket

hello DaisyBoo and welcome from me, too.

In answer to your final question, yes, this is, unfortunately, quite common and, if you read the link page that Sharon gave, you'll see why. It's not a black and white issue. There are many shades of grey. The fact that there are autoimmune issues in the family means you are more likely than most to have an autoimmune form of arthritis though,alas, that does not exclude us from having osteo too. (I have both.)

I do understand you wanting a clear cut diagnosis but it's not always possible, at least for some time. Please don't let it drive you crazy Whichever form of arthritis you have there is a long waiting game for everything we need. Try not to get anxious. Arthritis loves that :roll: And please do join us on the other forums. We can't hurry your diagnosis but we can sympathise and empathise.

(Great page on diagnosis, Sharon. I've never seen it before :oops: So useful to so many.)

barbara12

Hello Daisyboo
And welcome to the forum
I have had many blood test that came back inconclusive..borderline and then nothing to show, so they will probable keep on repeating the bloods..its is such a complex disease..they did come up with a few things for me but I am still having regular bloods..hope you can get some answers very soon

dreamdaisy

Hello, I have a sero-negative form of auto-immune arthritis (psoriatic) and it took some time for me to be diagnosed. The joint damage from that has led to OA and I've developed fibromyalgia too but am fortunate because that doesn't trouble me too much. I began aged 37 and am now enjoying my 21st year of living with arthritis: fun it ain't.

Given your family history it seems more than likely that there is something auto-immune going on but these conditions can be very hard to accurately diagnose; there are around 300 kinds of auto-immune inflammatory conditions so it's not necessarily an easy process when compared to diagnosing OA. DD