RA Factor

[Guest guest]

" Just

curious.

Thanks " will let one of the nurses describe the blood

tests ,but " about " these tests : My MD calls them CLUE's as there people

sero-negative meaning they cannot find enough sign of

a criteria they have set to say with reasonable assurance that

you do infact have ,lets say' RA You are then sero-negative

Some of the worst cases of RA my Doc has seen was in people that are

Sero-neg for arthritis. Conversely he has tests for folks that are HLA-B27

positive and RA + and suffer no symptoms what so ever

and the blood work was done on a through physical .

So these test are not a perfectly valid means rather just a " CLUE " .

Root

[Guest guest]

I agree with this -- as far as I know, I have not as yet tested RA positive

yet my rheum classified my RA as very aggressive. My rheum actually

classified my RA as Palindromic Arthritis, which has a characteristic of

generally not testing RA positive. I have found very little literature on

Palindromic Arthritis but what I've seen describes the pain as among the

most extreme of the RA types and also says many people with this type are

not diagnosed correctly for years because of the lack of a positive RA. I

guess I should feel fortunate that my rheum was astute enough to pick up on

it, rather than just relying on blood tests.

a

rheumatic Re: RA Factor

From: " M Root " <ru42354@...>

" Just

curious.

Thanks " will let one of the nurses describe the

blood

tests ,but " about " these tests : My MD calls them CLUE's as there people

sero-negative meaning they cannot find enough sign of

a criteria they have set to say with reasonable assurance that

you do infact have ,lets say' RA You are then sero-negative

Some of the worst cases of RA my Doc has seen was in people that are

Sero-neg for arthritis. Conversely he has tests for folks that are HLA-B27

positive and RA + and suffer no symptoms what so ever

and the blood work was done on a through physical .

So these test are not a perfectly valid means rather just a " CLUE " .

Root

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[Guest guest]

hi paula, i've been taking msm for almost a year. i really haven't noticed

any difference. but i still take it. some family members have bought it for

me. i call it my swamp medicine!!

kathy

[Guest guest]

I have used msm and I do notice an improvment in my joint mobility. I am now

taking mega msm and arthro 7 a product from gero vita labratories, May not

work for everyone but it sure helps me. Judy from indy

[Guest guest]

How ironic that you mention Arthro 7 Judy. Just this afternoon, my Broker

(I'm in real estate sales) handed me a brochure he'd received in the mail

(knowing that I have arthritis) and it was from Gero Vita. I reluctantly

read it , and, by the time I was done, thought that I might like to give

this product a try!! I, too, have " fired " my Rheumy, as I was scared of the

drugs he had me on and the fact that I never had a baseline heart and lung

xray done. I'm just taking advil for the pain and trying to walk alot and

eat better (I don't drink as much Merlot as I was while living under the

same roof as my estranged husband!!) and I already feel better. Can you buy

Arthro 7 in any stores, or do you have to order it from the company, which

is in Toronto - right?

Elly

----- Original Message -----

From: <gambler4402@...>

< >

Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 5:43 AM

Subject: Re: [ ] RA Factor

> I have used msm and I do notice an improvment in my joint mobility. I am

now

> taking mega msm and arthro 7 a product from gero vita labratories, May not

> work for everyone but it sure helps me. Judy from indy

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

My goodness you were very lucky. Glad your 11 year old was okay too. I

know that must have been scary for both of you and you're right, not what

you need with the FM or the joints. I hope there's no lasting effects

from this.

Judy - FL

> Does anyone know about RA ratios?

>

> My Rheum says as long as the RA factor is Positive it doesn't matter

>

> how high or low the levels are...i/e.level even if low don't signify

>

> the degree of the disease. Does this sound right?

>

> P.S...(Was in a BAD car accident yesterday...hit by a 17 yr old in a

>

> BIG brand new truck he was trying to " Beat the traffic " ...i/e: ME!!!

>

> I never even saw him until he was RIGHT in front of me. My 11 yr old

>

> was with me...so scary. Bruised and banged up but nothing " serious "

>

> Thank GOD!!! We both went to the hospital via ambulance. Just what

>

> I needed for my fibro and joint pain, uugghhhh...ooouchhhh. Just

> whining, thanks for listening.

>

> /38/CA

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

hey don't worry about that. this is an important topic too. glad you are ok

and i'd be questioning someone about thos air bags. that doesn't sound right.

kathy in il

[Guest guest]

--- Thank you Judy.

I just can't beleive it. Our airbags didn't even deploy...Jeep Grand

cherakee. The auto repair guy's first words over the phone

were " wow..are you OK? " I've never seen a car hit this hard and the

air bags not deploy " The front end & bumper ended up Under my car!

Amazing we weren't hurt worse. God was definately watching over us.

Shop guy said it will take 2 MONTHS to repair the damages! **cry-cry**

Sorry...so off topic. I know others

are having worse problems.

> Hi ,

>

> My goodness you were very lucky. Glad your 11 year old was okay

too. I

> know that must have been scary for both of you and you're right,

not what

> you need with the FM or the joints. I hope there's no lasting

effects

> from this.

>

> Judy - FL

>

> > Does anyone know about RA ratios?

> >

> > My Rheum says as long as the RA factor is Positive it doesn't

matter

> >

> > how high or low the levels are...i/e.level even if low don't

signify

> >

> > the degree of the disease. Does this sound right?

> >

> > P.S...(Was in a BAD car accident yesterday...hit by a 17 yr old

in a

> >

> > BIG brand new truck he was trying to " Beat the traffic " ...i/e:

ME!!!

> >

> > I never even saw him until he was RIGHT in front of me. My 11 yr

old

> >

> > was with me...so scary. Bruised and banged up but

nothing " serious "

> >

> > Thank GOD!!! We both went to the hospital via ambulance. Just

what

> >

> > I needed for my fibro and joint pain, uugghhhh...ooouchhhh. Just

> > whining, thanks for listening.

> >

> > /38/CA

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thank God you're okay. That must have been horrific. I would

definitely look into why the air bags didn't deploy. That's not good.

Take care,

Al

> --- Thank you Judy.

>

> I just can't beleive it. Our airbags didn't even deploy...Jeep

Grand

> cherakee. The auto repair guy's first words over the phone

> were " wow..are you OK? " I've never seen a car hit this hard and the

> air bags not deploy " The front end & bumper ended up Under my car!

> Amazing we weren't hurt worse. God was definately watching over us.

> Shop guy said it will take 2 MONTHS to repair the damages! **cry-

cry**

>

> Sorry...so off topic. I know others

> are having worse problems.

>

>

>

>

>

>

> > Hi ,

> >

> > My goodness you were very lucky. Glad your 11 year old was okay

> too. I

> > know that must have been scary for both of you and you're right,

> not what

> > you need with the FM or the joints. I hope there's no lasting

> effects

> > from this.

> >

> > Judy - FL

> >

> > > Does anyone know about RA ratios?

> > >

> > > My Rheum says as long as the RA factor is Positive it doesn't

> matter

> > >

> > > how high or low the levels are...i/e.level even if low don't

> signify

> > >

> > > the degree of the disease. Does this sound right?

> > >

> > > P.S...(Was in a BAD car accident yesterday...hit by a 17 yr old

> in a

> > >

> > > BIG brand new truck he was trying to " Beat the traffic " ...i/e:

> ME!!!

> > >

> > > I never even saw him until he was RIGHT in front of me. My 11

yr

> old

> > >

> > > was with me...so scary. Bruised and banged up but

> nothing " serious "

> > >

> > > Thank GOD!!! We both went to the hospital via ambulance. Just

> what

> > >

> > > I needed for my fibro and joint pain, uugghhhh...ooouchhhh.

Just

> > > whining, thanks for listening.

> > >

> > > /38/CA

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

Sorry about your car accident--your angel must have been there

today. I saw a bad one this morning, and the driver wasn't as

lucky. Glad you weren't seriously hurt. At least you can SEE what

hurts now!!

Peaceful night,

Judi in IN

[Guest guest]

Hi , you definitly had your angels w/you during that accident!

It's a scary situation. Glad you are both alright.

As far as the RA ratio...I have been told by a couple of different

people/Dr.'s that the higher the numbers the worse the disease is.

That will be when you are in most pain and more damage is being done.

At least that is what I have been told.

Keri/MI

> Does anyone know about RA ratios?

>

> My Rheum says as long as the RA factor is Positive it doesn't

matter

> how high or low the levels are...i/e.level even if low don't

signify

> the degree of the disease. Does this sound right?

>

> P.S...(Was in a BAD car accident yesterday...hit by a 17 yr old in

a

> BIG brand new truck he was trying to " Beat the traffic " ...i/e:

ME!!!

> I never even saw him until he was RIGHT in front of me. My 11 yr

old

> was with me...so scary. Bruised and banged up but nothing " serious "

> Thank GOD!!! We both went to the hospital via ambulance. Just

what

> I needed for my fibro and joint pain, uugghhhh...ooouchhhh. Just

> whining, thanks for listening.

>

> /38/CA

[Guest guest]

,

I¹m glad you and your son only had minor injuries. By the sounds of it , it

could have been much worse especially since your airbags didn¹t deploy. I

hope they look into that while they are fixing the damage.

I¹ve read that the higher the RA factor, the more serious the disease can

be. I¹ve got information about this test on the lab test page of our

website:

http://rheumatoid.arthritis.freehosting.net/Lab%20Tests.html

a

> --- Thank you Judy.

>

> I just can't beleive it. Our airbags didn't even deploy...Jeep Grand

> cherakee. The auto repair guy's first words over the phone

> were " wow..are you OK? " I've never seen a car hit this hard and the

> air bags not deploy " The front end & bumper ended up Under my car!

> Amazing we weren't hurt worse. God was definately watching over us.

> Shop guy said it will take 2 MONTHS to repair the damages! **cry-cry**

>

> Sorry...so off topic. I know others

> are having worse problems.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My RA factor was 170 when I was diagnosed. Sue

On Thursday, May 27, 2004, at 08:49 AM, Kathy A wrote:

> I wonder what everyone else's RA factor was when they first found out

> they had it?

[Guest guest]

Hi Kat.

The "norm" for RF (Rheumatoid Factor) is 14 or below my doctor said. We got mine at the very beginning of a flare and my was 17. We will test it again next week to see how it doing.

Hugs,

Jacy

~Forgive us this day our daily fallacy, and forgive my theology as I forgive the theology of others.

-----Original Message-----From: Kathy A [mailto:joyfulkate60@...]Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 06:15Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: RA Factor

Hi,

I'm a newbie here - I am almost 44, married 25 years, and mom to three great sons - 18, 19, and 21. I just found out the "great" news that I have RA. I was devastated. No family history, never dreamed I'd get this. I already have horrible osteo arthritis in my feet due to a birth defect in them. Now this . . . more pain - just what I want. Okay - enough grumbling. Please, forgive me. I've not quite let this all sink in.

My question is this - what was your RA factor when you found out you had RA? Mine is 25 and I just don't know how high or low or whatever that number is.

Thanks a lot,

Kat

[Guest guest]

Hi, Kathy,

Sorry you must join our group, but it is an excellent place for support...

When I was diagnosed with RA, it really did not show up in bloodwork. You can have it a while before it shows up in RA factor. So, that really does not mean that much to me. I really did not dwell on it at all.

I also had no history of RA in my family and surely did some crying when I found out. My diet was poor and my stress level was high. I think both of these help bring on my RA. Who knows?

There are some great folks on this site. Good luck to you,

Kay

----- Original Message -----

From: Kathy A

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 7:15 AM

Subject: RA Factor

Hi,

I'm a newbie here - I am almost 44, married 25 years, and mom to three great sons - 18, 19, and 21. I just found out the "great" news that I have RA. I was devastated. No family history, never dreamed I'd get this. I already have horrible osteo arthritis in my feet due to a birth defect in them. Now this . . . more pain - just what I want. Okay - enough grumbling. Please, forgive me. I've not quite let this all sink in.

My question is this - what was your RA factor when you found out you had RA? Mine is 25 and I just don't know how high or low or whatever that number is.

Thanks a lot,

Kat

[Guest guest]

What amazes me is that some of y'all with more severe RA don't show an RF count, while my RA is mild right now and my count is slightly elevated.

Hugs,

Jacy

~Forgive us this day our daily fallacy, and forgive my theology as I forgive the theology of others.

-----Original Message-----From: Bobbie Bonte [mailto:bobbie.pascal@...]Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2004 19:13Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: RE: RA Factor

Hi Kat, It’s Bobbie here from Montreal. Is it possible that I have a RF of 140 a few years back when it was last evaluated? Let me know. Bobbie

-----Original Message-----From: Jacy [mailto:jacymail@...] Sent: 27 mai 2004 17:30Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: RE: RA Factor

Hi Kat.

The "norm" for RF (Rheumatoid Factor) is 14 or below my doctor said. We got mine at the very beginning of a flare and my was 17. We will test it again next week to see how it doing.

Hugs,

Jacy

~Forgive us this day our daily fallacy, and forgive my theology as I forgive the theology of others.

-----Original Message-----From: Kathy A [mailto:joyfulkate60@...]Sent: Wednesday, May 26, 2004 06:15Rheumatoid Arthritis Subject: RA Factor

Hi,

I'm a newbie here - I am almost 44, married 25 years, and mom to three great sons - 18, 19, and 21. I just found out the "great" news that I have RA. I was devastated. No family history, never dreamed I'd get this. I already have horrible osteo arthritis in my feet due to a birth defect in them. Now this . . . more pain - just what I want. Okay - enough grumbling. Please, forgive me. I've not quite let this all sink in.

My question is this - what was your RA factor when you found out you had RA? Mine is 25 and I just don't know how high or low or whatever that number is.

Thanks a lot,

Kat

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[Guest guest]

it would be nice to find out what my r.a. factor is . my doc has never told

me. he just beats around the bush. mike

Kathy A <joyfulkate60@...> wrote:Hi,

Thanks for answering me! I am in deep need of some RA informed friends!

I have been swollen in my fingers for over a month. My RA factor is 25. My

knees are starting to swell, my ankles have been swollen for about two weeks or

more and I have that nerve thing going on in my hands, no doubt a result of the

constant swelling. I am not exhausted though. My doc just suspected RA and did

the test. And when he saw the 25, he really figured I had it. He is going to

retest me in three more weeks. If the RA Factor is still high - I will find a

rheumatologist.

I think I have it although I would love to try to convince myself I don't. We

don't have family history of this at all. I was shocked when the RA was

mentioned to me!!

I also have osteo arthritis very very bad in both feet due to a birth condition.

I have had to take strong pain meds just to walk - I take Bextra every day for

my feet, plus some narcotic type drugs every day just to keep on my feet to do

my regular things. Now the RA added to this pain. I can't believe it.

I have done a lot of reading and most of it says if your RA factor is elevated,

you definitely have something going on like RA or lupus, etc. I have been ruled

out of having lupus, thank goodness. So - I just assume I do have the RA. I

wonder what everyone else's RA factor was when they first found out they had it?

Thanks,

Kath

Is your doctor a rheumatologist? What has he said is the next

step? Has he prescribed any medication for you?

And welcome to the group.

Jennie

[Guest guest]

Mike, ask for a copy of your lab report. I always do. My rheumy is an

hour away, so he lets me have bloodwork done locally with the results

faxed to him. I always go by and get a copy for myself. You pay for

them, and you're entitled to them. I don't like my doctors to keep

secrets from me. If there are terms on the reports that I don't know, I

look them up. Sue

On Saturday, May 29, 2004, at 10:47 PM, mike nelson wrote:

> it would be nice to find out what my r.a. factor is . my doc has

> never told me. he just beats around the bush. mike

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I recently went to the doctor for swollen and sore hands and ankles and knees. My RA factor was 28 at the time - normal high is 14. So, it was doubled. Not good. My doctor says if you do show an RA factor you KNOW you have some disease! Real helpful, huh? Ha!! Good luck.

Kath

biopsy results..he said it was positive. He started me on plaquenil 200 mg. I had to see the Internal Medicine Dr today for my results of blood tests. All of my tests were normal, except my rheumatoid levels..he said they were elevated. What does this mean? He also said he was going to make the appt with a Rheumatologist, so I could have an ANA done, because he was not convinced by the blood test for lupus that he had done.