Hi everyone, im totally new to this forum and arthritis itself so please bare with me. ok then, im 47years of age, suffered from 'backache' for a year, recently it got worse so one took oneself off to the docs, did some blood tests and the Rheumatoid factor came back at 120 instead of below 40, my gp refered me to the consultant and diagnosed me with OA, he asked if I had gritty eyes, I said that I did and I asked if this was associated with OA, he said NOOOOOOO, partronising little twerp! I asked about RA and he said that my blood test was normal, MMM so when I got back home I went to the gp again, he wasnt happy and now im seeing another consultant to shed more light on the blood test, I dont doubt that I have OA, but myself and gp think ive got RA aswell, what I would like to know is does anyone suffer from like tingling in thighs, and feels like a swelling behind the knee cap, I litterally cant walk far at all now because of the pain in my legs, im coping with my back, but my legs, terrible. also can anyone tell me is 120 relatively high when tested for Rheumatoid Factor, looking forward to hearing from you
sue :roll:
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I had a flare-up recently and my RA factor rose to 111 so I think your 140 is high - mine's generally around 38 mark but that's with the help of drugs to control it. I must admit I get a bit confused with blood tests and don't know the difference between alot of them. Some people on this site are nurses or have a medical background so they'll probably be more informative.
I can't say that I get tingling thighs but I do get pressure pains around my knees - almost like they're full of cotton wool.
Luv Legs
'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
thanks
sue :roll:
The fastest form of treatment for me are steroid injections, either deep muscular or straight into the joint which my consultant administers if we feel it's necessary. One of the GPs at my health centre will also give me steroid injections if I can't wait to see my rheumy - but I've only had to resort to this once - it's been set up to give me a safety net in case I need it.
Hope this helps
Luv Legs
'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
I think that's about it.
I asked this question a few months ago as my RF count was over 200. It seems that this count is not conclusive to anything,on it's own and only is the start of further tests.
All the best.
sue
I've just read your recent post and I get the exact same feeling of water running down my leg :shock: I've never mentioned it to anyone cos I didn't think anyone would understand what I meant. It's a really odd sensation isn't it? I've been to an orthopaedic surgeon for probs with knees, got an MRI scan done and came back with softening of cartilage. They referred me to a new rhuemy. Cut a long, long story short-I now have terrible lower back pain and hip-pain. I think my probs with knees might be referred pain from back/hips.
Hope things work out for you, let us know how you get on. Interested to hear what docs say about 'running water' :?
Magenta x
take care all
sue
I am glad to hear about your appt. It's great when a dr actually listens to you and is willing to help. Sounds like he's going to look after you and try and figure out what's wrong with you
I liked the sound of your night out-I always manage a wee dance to Abba. Let us know how you get on with everything,
Magenta x
hello sue, i am newer than everybody! I think! but my terrible nightmare starts off first thing, trying to get out of bed without so much pain. it took me half an hour this morning and i will ask my gp tomorrow about diclafenac. there is so much info to take in, and of course i don't know about it being suitable. neither does my gp which is is not reassuring at all. i wish i knew the most suitable 'club' of specialists to diagnose properly.
i was reading that all this can be triggered off, just like that, with trauma sometimes. in my case, on eve of departure to america, first big excursion after a big cancer op in 05. i wasn't aware of being worried, in fact was excited. but i wonder if deep down i was worried about a recurrence in the states, and if my massive insurance would cover it..
you know thse scenarios when hospital bills rocket, away frm the e.u. cocoon. now the thing is trying to get a refund from virgin atlantic for my travelling friend and myself, causing more joint problems i am quite sure.
watch this space. sorry no caps but left hand very sore.
eilan
Ask for the anti-CCP test if you can.
Slummy
I dont know if I have done the right thing or not, but my blood test is this thursday, so I have come off the anti-inflammatory tablets so that the blood test may show more of an accurate reading, when my blood was taken before the consultant said that my inflammatory bit was only a bit raised, so I thought if I come off the tablets until Friday, the consultant may see more of an accurate reading, have I done right do you think? I have decided to join an excercise class called 'Extend' based at our local sports centre, its for the people with certain types of disabilities, my husband has been going for years whilst I was in the gym, now a few months later im joining him, still cant get my head round it, thank you so much for the advice on the blood test, many thanks, sue
Personally, I would not have stopped the anti-inflammatories, you may not have done yourself any favours - but it's up to you. There can be inflammation even when taking the medication but I don't know enough about it to advise properly :? hopefully others can.
Luv Legs
'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
Hi Sue I too am new to this site as a member but been reading the posts for a long time. I dont want to scare you but you should have the knee checked out. People with arthritis can get whats callsd a baker cyst at the back of the knee its not dangerouse but can be the cause of real bad leg pain. Normally when you get it it causes the leg to swell from the knee down and it becomes hard to walk with the pain. The swelling bellow the knee is quite bad and it swells alot. Hope its something or nothing and it easy treated if diagnosed with anti biotics.
Is the swelling in your knee behind your kneecap or at the back of knee? I don't think it sounds like baker's cysts but best to get it checked
I've had terrible problems with my knees and cos of this I was eventually referred to an orthopaedic surgeon for xrays and an mri. I have swellings (like golf balls behind knee :shock: ) and sometimes the swelling and pain is so bad I can hardly walk. Physio and surgeon thought I had baker's cysts but did think it was unusual for them to be in both knees. Xray showed nothing and mri only showed softening of cartilage. I now have very bad back and hip pain-read that this can cause referred pain in knee(s). If it's behind your kneecap, I can't help you there, sorry. Maybe ask your dr about the referred pain thing? I also get a crampy pain down shin, which again can be referred pain from hips/back. Hope this helps,
Magenta x
PS I don't think baker's cysts are treated aith antibiotics? I thought it was more a surgical procedure i.e.arthroscopy? I could be wrong but antibiotics were never mentioned to me.
:roll:
Hi Sue, thanks for letting me know about the running water feeling. I'm glad that you're feeling ok just now
Take care,
Magenta x
That's great news about dr!
I'm struggling on, my knees are giving me probs again (and lower back) I had xrays done 2wks ago but won't find out results for another 6wks. I want to know now! My ring-finger on right hand is swollen too
Magenta x