rhumatoid factor

Hi Chinablue,

I'm sorry to hear you are having what sounds like a really nasty flare up. I am afraid that we are not qualified to interpret blood test results, so this is one for the medically qualified folk. (Is someone looking into this yet?)

About your levels, the key is for you to get someone from your clinic to explain more about the monitoring they are doing with you. They will have targets for your treatment - one of those will be you feeling better, but also the inflammatory figures (ESR / CRP) will have targets and you can be told more about these. But this is best done individually as it depends on your age and the severity of the arthritis too.

If you are feeling very ill the rheumatology nurse ought to be informed. See if they can suggest any additional treatment?

I wonder if you've had a pack of our self-management infomation yet? If not do email us your name and address and we'll send you it (but do tell us that you'd been in touch on the forum, so we know what to send you!)

If you'd like to talk about how you are feeling, don't hesitate to ring us. A nasty flare can be very scary - but things can help.

All the best
Guy