Do my symptoms sound like rheumatoid arthritis?
I have recently been diagnosed with De Quervain's tenosynovitis (inflamed tendons in hands/thumb). It came on after the birth of my baby, along with stiff joints, knee and ankle pain and a flare up in my toe (red, swollen). I am about to have a blood test for uric acid levels, but does this sound like RA to any of you?
Hi
! Ugh, sorry about your recent diagnosis. These symptoms sound so uncomfortable and painful - I'm disheartened to hear you're managing all of them. While these symptoms can absolutely appear with RA, they could also be related to other conditions. We can't give medical advice over the internet here (for your safety!) so we encourage you to speak about this concern further with your healthcare team. Thinking of you, Natalie <3 Please do keep us posted if you'd like. -Alesandra (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team) Thank you, that makes sense
Hey
! I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing these symptoms. I think the blood tests will provide more conclusive evidence, but I wanted to add that before I was diagnosed with RA, I was also diagnosed with De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. I'm not sure if that was a precursor to RA or if it came about because of my RA (and I could never get a clear answer from my rheumatologist) but I wanted to write to let you know you're not alone.
Please let us know if we can help in any way!
Take care,
David (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team Member)Thank you. I'm becoming more convinced that I've had RA for a couple of years now and that the pregnancy has just triggered a flare so I really want to get the right diagnosis so that I can treat it and hopefully prevent more damage to joints and tendons!
Thanks for sharing. How did you treat your de quervain's?
Hi Natalie. Sorry you are having these issues. You mention that the you are getting a uric acid test. Has the doctor mentioned concerns about gouty arthritis? It is characterized by a buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints. This article from our editorial team on other forms of arthritis has a section on it: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/types-of-arthritis/. In addition, if your doctor is checking for this, are they also looking into other forms of arthritis, including RA, or other autoimmune conditions? They should be able to provide information on why they are making diagnostic testing choices (note: they may have excellent reasons for checking the uric acid first). Wishing you the best and hoping you get some answers soon. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)
