not sure if I have RA? but sure seems like it

October 29, 2006

Just wanted to see if y'all can help...

I am 34, married with 4 kids, very busy and active. For the last

year or so I have been so tired that several days a month I can

barely function, and exhausted the rest of the days. Seems like I

can never get to really feeling good. I also have frequent

headachiness and feel like I'm running a low grade fever. (If I am,

it's really low, just enough to feel bad.)

In the last few months I have begun experiencing pain in my hands,

wrists, and elbows. I thought at first that it might be carpal

tunnel since I do work on the computer for a couple of hours each

day. I tried to rest my right hand but now both hands hurt. It

feels like pins and needles all the time in my hands and sometimes up

my right arm towards the elbow. Parts of my hands around the first

two knuckles often feel almost scalded.

Last week my right knuckles began to swell, then the left joined in

and now my right wrist feels swollen. It's not huge but enough that

my mom noticed when I visited this weekend.

The kicker is... we do not have health insurance. One of my sons has

type 1 diabetes and we are paying for all his care ourselves. I

don't want to waste money on a blood test for RA if it's not going to

change anything or if I don't have the right symptoms.

Should I get the test? Any ideas how much a dr. visit to a

rheumatologist might cost, and how much the test might cost?

Does it even matter or do most people treat it with Aleve and Icy Hot

anyway?

I am not normally someone who gets sick. With 4 kids, work, life,

etc. I run really hard so it takes a lot to get my attention. I'm

afraid I've got RA and I can't afford (financially and otherwise) to

let it get too far without taking care of it.

Thanks everyone, sorry for the long post. I appreciate any thoughts

you might have.

Amy

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