Weightlifter Scared It Might Be RA

Hello, I am a very active 64 year old bodybuilder (yes), and I am in great shape (on the exterior). In the last week, I have noticed pain in my finger joints, and there is some swelling, especially in my right index finger and middle finger.

Overuse?

I have been hitting the weights hard, and go to the gym 6 days a week. So I thought this was an overuse condition. But when I saw the doctor this past Friday, she was definitely probing at my condition as being RA, and not osteoarthritis.

She asked about family history of this ailment, but no one in my family has reported any such thing. On Monday, I am taking a blood test for RA, plus A1C for diabetes, liver function, testosterone levels, and cholesterol. I have been hypertensive for 22 years, but it is fairly tempered by Metoprolol.

Exercise saves

I am fearful for the typical reasons, but bodybuilding has saved my life. I always did it, and although alcoholism interrupted my hobby throughout the decades, I always went back to it.

I narrowly escaped death from alcohol. It's a miracle I am still here. I even survived a seven (7) day coma. I have liver cirrhosis to no surprise.

Going back to the gym at full-tilt has erased any thought or cravings of alcohol. I tried AA and rehab, but always relapsed. This time around, I fell back in love with bodybuilding and it has done wonders for my mental, emotional and physical health. I simply don't know how I can go on without it. So this RA issue has got me down.

Waiting for results

My test results are not going to be ready for a week or so, but I am 99% sure it is RA and not OA. I have all the classic textbook symptoms.

I'm scared.