Blood results - confused

I can't help on the bloods sorry. Your cold fingertips sound like something called Reynaud's Disease or "white finger".  I have it too, gets bad when I'm cold or stressed.  I've got Lupus and RA and it is quite often a common symptom in both conditions.  Don't buy their gloves, expensive and ineffective! 

Lisa,  your symptoms are similar to mine.   I was diagnosed a year ago with RA after twisting my knee while on holiday.  Along with the knee pain my shoulders were stiffening and sore so that I could not sleep on my side, then my fingers ached and began to swell.  At this point my RA specialist put me on Methotrexate, Hydroxychloroquine, all taken daily along with a folic acid pill.   Presently I am almost 100% the only complaint being my finger tips which turn white and feel like they are frost bitten even with good quality gloves and painful outside in this winters cold Ontario weather.  I am told that if I continue with the medication my finger tip condition will also improve. Originally my CRP was a little high but after two months of treatment became normal.

I am in my seventies and have always been very physically fit.   Perhaps I am lucky and have good genes but also  have very good doctors.

Good luck Lisa.

Hi there Garlisjones,

Can't really comment on the cold fingertips but just to let you know I'm being treated for Rheumatoid despite never having had a raised CRP or ESR.

The RH factor and Anti CCP were very elevated though and it didn't seem to matter that the others were not. I,too, have had that tight feeling in my arms and legs that you describe. 

It seems that Rheumatoid is a very complex disease and rarely do two people present with the same symptoms. It has also been found that people with a positive Rh factor may not in fact have the disease at all.

My guess is that your doctor will carry out further blood tests and X-Rays, scans etc before a definitive diagnosis is reached.

Good luck with it all 

Just wanted to say that like the previous response from goggi, I've never had an elevated crp, or esr, even when I was so inflamed I couldn't get out of bed. The only abnormal tests I had at diagnosis were the rheumatoid factor, and anti-ccp. I also am not one who swells much, so on the outside you wouldn't know how inflamed I am unless you look close and see the redness, and of course the nodules on my wrist. Once you see the rheumatologist they will order about 6 tubes or more worth of blood tests and hopefully get some answers.

Hello,

?that's how it started with me, raised RF and normal CRP but with pain and swelling in hands and feet, but my CRP and ESR  soon started to rise, luckily I was sent to Rheumatology in the early stages, so my advice is to go and see a rheumatologist,

best wishes

Claire