Re: Re: I am new and have some questions

[Guest guest]

Hello Meme, Your results for RA-RHEUM mean you test negative for the rheumatoid factor. This does not mean you do not have arthritis -- it just means you don't have rheumatoid arthritis. I also test negative for the rheumatoid factor. My GP classifies my arthritis as "sero-negative inflammatory arthritis." Where in the South are you? I'm in Culpeper, VA -- a rural town about 2 hours west of DC. I have to travel into DC to see a rheumatologist because there isn't one here.

Hope that helps,

Steph in VA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*

[Guest guest]

- So sorry about your loss. Prayers for you and your family. I used to see Dr. Schecter in DC...by chance is he your rheumy? Sandy

From: " DeNicola"

Reply-Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: Re: Re: I am new and have some questions Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 12:03:23 -0500

Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8.

Hello Meme, Your results for RA-RHEUM mean you test negative for the rheumatoid factor. This does not mean you do not have arthritis -- it just means you don't have rheumatoid arthritis. I also test negative for the rheumatoid factor. My GP classifies my arthritis as "sero-negative inflammatory arthritis." Where in the South are you? I'm in Culpeper, VA -- a rural town about 2 hours west of DC. I have to travel into DC to see a rheumatologist because there isn't one here.

Hope that helps,

Steph in VA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*

[Guest guest]

That's not true. Testing negative for rheumatoid factor does not mean you don't have RA. People who test negatively but have all the symptoms and the disease pattern are classified and treated as having RA. If you do some reading in the literature, you'll see there are a large number of them, and while they tend to have less severe symptoms, they most surely have the same symptoms, pattern, and outcome of the disease, and respond to the same medications.

----- Original Message ----- From: DeNicola

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Friday, March 14, 2003 12:03 PM

Subject: Re: Re: I am new and have some questions

Hello Meme, Your results for RA-RHEUM mean you test negative for the rheumatoid factor. This does not mean you do not have arthritis -- it just means you don't have rheumatoid arthritis. I also test negative for the rheumatoid factor. My GP classifies my arthritis as "sero-negative inflammatory arthritis." Where in the South are you? I'm in Culpeper, VA -- a rural town about 2 hours west of DC. I have to travel into DC to see a rheumatologist because there isn't one here.

Hope that helps,

Steph in VA

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The new MSN 8: smart spam protection and 2 months FREE*