I did read that it is possible to still have ra or arthritis even though the blood work is negative. I had an mri of my knees and x-rays of jaw that says osteoarthritis. i have been having wrist, finger, ankle and foot pain too. All sorts of blood work was great, but boy, with this cold and rainy weather, it is miserable. Has anyone else come up clear, but still in pain? I was tested twice for lyme's as well and all is clear there too. I have been trying not take ibuprofen, but without it, my hands and fingers are so sore and stiff. I take glucosamine, but I really dont; see any difference with it or without it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

Hello my "peri-twin" . I am sending you a pm.

I can certainly relate to the pain. I've not had blood work, but when I blew out my knee and had the MRI for that a few years ago, my doctor said he saw a lot of arthritis in that knee for my age, was 47 then. I've always had trouble with my knees, but now days its my hips, my wrists and shoulders.
Haven't found anything yet for the pain, so I live on ibuprofen. I've heard that cherry extract is good for arthritis pain, but I haven't found any yet!!
If you ever find anything that helps, please share!!

My chiropractor just told me about the black cherry extract. She said try the vitamin store or health food stores. It supposed to help with osteoarthritis. I'll check on Monday and let you know if I find any.

uote name='enough' date='Apr 11 2009, 09:28 AM' post='278146']
I did read that it is possible to still have ra or arthritis even though the blood work is negative. I had an mri of my knees and x-rays of jaw that says osteoarthritis. i have been having wrist, finger, ankle and foot pain too. All sorts of blood work was great, but boy, with this cold and rainy weather, it is miserable. Has anyone else come up clear, but still in pain? I was tested twice for lyme's as well and all is clear there too. I have been trying not take ibuprofen, but without it, my hands and fingers are so sore and stiff. I take glucosamine, but I really dont; see any difference with it or without it.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks
[/quote]

Hi enough, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are similar arthritis of the joints. The difference is that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease and usually the symptoms mimic the flu with fevers at times and fatigue, and the pain is usually in both hands, both feet, both shoulders, etc., as opposed to just one wrist, one foot, etc. I think it would be great if you do not have that disease, as it is debilitating and in some cases affects internal organs. It is possible that you can have it and it does not show up at first on blood work. Osteoarthritis is not an autoimmune disease but it is degenerative in nature as well. Here's hoping that your tests continue to prove that you DON'T have RA. Good luck to you and I hope you feel better and find an answer to what is happening to you.

Hi enough,
Sorry to hear your dealing with this arthritis issue. I too am having a heck of a time with it. Only thing is, I cannot take Advil or any NSAID's due to my stomach problem, Barretts disease. I cannot take anything. It's pure hell. I spoke with my sister who is 4 years younger and she is pretty certain she has RA. She tested negative many years ago for it but her hands and feet are starting to distort, like a typical RA pattern. She told me that the only thing that helped her tremendously was Flexamin. She took it for quite a while and then abruptly stopped and the unbearable pain came back with a quickness. I am going to try it come payday. It's certainly worth looking into. hugs Debra

Thanks, I will look into Flexamin, I need something. I never have been a pill popper, but have resorted to ibuprofen almost daily the last three weeks and it does scare me. I have little bumps on my fingers, so I am thinking ra is on the way. Not that I want that, at all. The daily meds for that arent' great either and without a prescription plan, ugh. I am going to try to keep up with a good diet too and see if that helps. Today, it is not raining, I hope things are better. My hands feel better now, I hope it lasts.

I wish you all good health too. Thanks to everyone, you have helped me alot.

I just read about a product called jointflex. Its a cream with glucosamine, chondritin, and camphor. It has no aspirins and doesn't seem to intereact with any meds. It's in losts of stores, check their website. I am going to try it and let you know how it goes.

Hmm... my hubby has been drinking black cherry juice for years to prevent reoccurring gout. It has been a blessing for him. I must give this a try today.

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks how this works.

Hmm... my hubby has been drinking black cherry juice for years to prevent reoccurring gout. It has been a blessing for him. I must give this a try today.

I'll let you know in a couple of weeks how this works.