For those of you with young children or with high levels of exposure to viruses: did you go on immunosuppressant medication to treat your rheumatoid arthritis? Are all treatment options immunosuppressant?
Rheumatoid factor. This is considered “high” compared to the general population, but is this high compared to others who have RA? What does this number really mean in relation to symptoms, damage, or potential to cause damage? I am a 40 year old female.
What could have caused this high WBC count? This was after my c section where I experienced a hemorrhage. The docs did all sorts of blood tests on blood clotting factors and nothing came back abnormal. The biggest thing was this high WBC count and blood loss (did a transfusion about 6 hours after this blood draw). It all went back to normal in a few days.
How many of you have RA and also have a family history of RA - mom, dad, aunt, uncle, sibling, or someone else close in your family has it? I'm not sure how many of us have family history vs not.
I have been experiencing some RA symptoms for about 6 months - knuckle pain, wrist pain, ankle pain primarily. I'm also about a year postpartum. I just got a blood test back and it showed my rheumatoid factor at 65. This alone doesn't seem to point to RA. What other tests should I push for? It looks like a few other blood tests could be helpful. If I do get an RA diagnosis, what do I do with that to protect my joints and future health? I'm a 40 year old female with a 3 year old and 1 year old, also working full time.