rheumatoid arthritis

The main symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are joint pain, swelling and stiffness. It may also cause more general symptoms, and inflammation in other parts of the body.

It took me over 3 years to get a diagnosis of this from my doctors and no one seemed to want to know anything about it and I only found out - accidentally - when a new doctor I had not seen before was reading my notes off the computer in front of me - more to herself than to me - and when she said 'rheumatoid arthritis' - I had to speak up and ask WHY HAS NO ONE ELSE TOLD ME THIS IN THE PAST ? She was astounded and stated it was on the computer from a test some years before and every time I asked various doctors for results from various tests, all I got was platitudes that there was nothing to report, when clearly there was. No one believed me as I have rarely had swollen joints - just the pain and stiffness, and I think they thought I was making it up as there were no visible signs.

Early diagnosis is important, that is, if you can find a doctor to do their job correctly and inform you of such results AT THE TIME and not YEARS AFTER THE FACT.

The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis often develop gradually over several weeks, but some cases can progress quickly over a number of days.

The symptoms vary from person to person. They may come and go, or change over time. You may experience flares when your condition deteriorates and your symptoms become worse.

Symptoms affecting the joints

Rheumatoid arthritis mainly affects the joints. It can cause problems in any joint in the body, although the small joints in the hands and feet are often the first to be affected.

Rheumatoid arthritis typically affects the joints symmetrically (both sides of the body at the same time and to the same extent), but this is not always the case.

Pain

The joint pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis is usually a throbbing and aching pain. It is often worse in the mornings and after a period of inactivity.

Stiffness

Joints affected by rheumatoid arthritis can feel stiff. For example, if your hands are affected, you may not be able to fully bend your fingers or form a fist.

Like joint pain, the stiffness is often worse in the morning or after a period of inactivity.

Morning stiffness that is a symptom of another type of arthritis, called osteoarthritis, usually wears off within 30 minutes of getting up, but morning stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis often lasts longer than this.