Could this be RA?
I apologize if this is long, I think I just need some reassurance that things aren’t all in my head. I’m a 41 y/o female who lives an active lifestyle; my husband and I have a horse farm and I regularly ride 2-3 horses 5-6 days a week on top of my full time job. I’m no stranger to aches and pains but something just feels not normal right now.
Back story: I got COVID last year on Easter, with my first symptom being a horrible headache followed by significant joint pain and fatigue. I’ve been vaccinated and had a reaction after each one, severe joint pain being my primary symptom. Anyway, COVID ran its course but I continued to have daily headaches which originated at the base of my skull. I’ve had back problems and headaches before, so I worked with my chiropractor regularly but we didn’t see any improvement in frequency or duration of my headaches (in the past I’ve always gotten relief from adjustments). After a few months of weekly or twice weekly adjustments, my chiro referred me to a physical therapist because she wasn’t sure what more to do. I’ve worked with her for 8 years so we’ve got a good history.
I ended up doing 10 weeks of physical therapy, again without any relief from headaches. By august I was having a pretty substantial headaches all day, every day, so my PT referred me to a physician specializing in non-surgical spinal therapies. I had a MRI in august which showed small bulging discs at C2/3, C3/4, C4/5, a small tear at C6/7, and “significant arthritis” throughout the facets. We opted to pursue a radio frequency ablation at C2/3 and C3/4 in December which did lessened my headaches by about 90% but didn’t alleviate all of my neck pain.
This fall I started noticing that some mornings I’d wake up and my hands would be so stiff that I couldn’t open my fingers. It wasn’t every day, which seemed strange if it was arthritis, and it would take 20 minutes or so before I could use my hands normally. It was odd enough that I mentioned it to my husband but we chalked it up to just getting older.
About six week ago I started having sharp pain in the joints of the last three fingers on my right hand. It would come and go, sometimes lasting a whole day but sometimes only a few hours. My fingers hurt badly enough that it was difficult to use my hand during that time, however, it didn’t seem to be triggered by anything in particular. It only happened once a week or so, so I figured if it kept happening or got more regular that maybe I’d say something to my doctor. Last Wednesday I had significant joint pain in my right hand (all finger joints except the thumb) along with my wrist, elbow, and shoulder. My husband and a colleague both noticed swelling in my joints and along the back of my right hand so I took a photo and made an appointment to see my doctor in a few weeks. By Wednesday night the joints in my left hand and arm were also super painful, so much so that it hurt to hold the reins when riding. My pain was primarily in the finger joints and both shoulders, but I’ve also got pain in the joints on the 2nd and 3rd toes on my right foot.
After five days the pain has receded, although I still have tenderness in the finger joints in both hands. Swelling looks like it’s down, although I think that my joints have been enlarged for awhile and I just didn’t notice it; I actually haven’t been able to wear my wedding rings consistently for years because my joints swell so much. Usually I can put my rings on by the evening, but not always. During the first few days of this flare up, everything in my body hurt and I was exhausted. I had to stop and take breaks during regular chores and didn’t have energy enough to ride my horses. Honestly, over the last six months or so I’ve had several days each week where I hurt too bad or have too little energy to do my regular activities. I’m so tired of hurting and not knowing why, but I so afraid that I’m going to be told it’s just normal aches and pains. I also have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and celiac, two other autoimmune disorders, so I know I’m at risk of developing additional conditions. My gums have started bleeding too, which is not normal for me, but my dentist said it’s likely related to my Celiac. I’m putting together all of these things and wondering whether it could all be related to RA instead. I did tell my doctor that I’m concerned about RA and will ask for testing when I go in two weeks, but I guess I just need some reassurance that I’m not crazy for being worried.
If you’ve stuck around long enough to read all of this…thank you. I just need to talk through this with people who might understand what I’m feeling. 
Hi
. Your fear is understandable given all of your symptoms, so don't think that you are crazy for being concerned. Getting tested for RA is a smart thing to do. I am surprised that you were never referred to a rheumatologist or neurologist for your back pain and headache issues. It would seem that should have been the first step. Though it might be RA, it could also be further effects of those bulging discs. Regardless of the outcome of your RA blood tests, I would ask for a referral to a rheumatologist. If blood tests show no RA factor, you might still have seronegative RA of some other form of rheumatoid disease. I hope you get some answers and relief. Keep us posted if you don't mind. Thinking of you and wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member) 
I know you probably are not going to love this, but unfortunately without seeing a rheumatologist it is impossible to tell what it could be. The thing is, they use their years of experience and knowledge to suss out whether or not it is, in fact, RA. People like me who are seronegative, well, we have an even harder time getting diagnosed because we don't test positive for any of the traditional RA blood tests, so you can see it's just about impossible to tell from here what it may or may not be. I know, disappointing, you want an answer - but the best bet is to start with a local rheumatologist and go from there. Let us know how it turns out and as always, we will be here! You are not alone. Keep on keepin' on, DPM
Thank you both for replying, these last two weeks have been pretty tough. After a week of intense joint pain in my hands, wrists, elbows, and shoulders, I started having tingling and the “blood rush” feeling in both arms from the elbows down. Pain ebbs and flows. I thought last Thursday I was on the downhill slope, but then it rained Friday and it was 10x worse. I almost had to leave work because I was so miserable, but luckily I have a job where I could just hole up in my office and push through.
This weekend was tough but each day got a little better. Sharp pains in my fingers and elbow, especially if I turned or twisted a joint at all. I also had all over muscle pain, kind of like I had a really hard workout and everything was sore. As of today, though, things have lessened quite a bit. I can hold a pencil now and my joints aren’t quite as achey. I still hurt, but it’s about a 4 now instead of a 7 or 8. Hot showers help tremendously, if only I could soak in a tub all day!
My doctor appointment is on Monday and I’m hoping to start with some blood work. Ironically, since my joints flared up two weeks ago I actually haven’t had any neck pain, so I guess that’s a win. I just want to feel normal again, I haven’t been able to consistently ride my horses because my hands and arms have been so bad. Being in pain all the time is exhausting. 😕Hi
. I hope the appointment goes well and that you get some referrals eventually. Blood tests are a good start. They can give you doctor clues as to where to turn next or rule certain things out. Let us know how it goes. Warmest of wishes. - Lori (Team Member)
