Wondering what the future holds. My RA factor was only 24 - so not horrible at all. But does that mean that I will always have mild RA? Or does it get worse as I age further? Have you been diagnosed with mild RA, but then it got worse? Or it didn't get worse? I have no idea what to expect, and it's scary!
Carol Grubbs
C
Mine was 92%.
The Dr. Said I could be crippled in a 6 months with no meds, but I chose no meds anyway.
That was 4 months ago and in the last couple of weeks I've started to believe him.
The meds cause more harm than good from what I've researched, so I guess whatever will be, will be.
I'm following this so that mabe I can get more answers.
I wish you the best and hope you also get the answers you need.
hi candace - what are you doing instead of meds? Diet? Natural anti inflammatories etc ?
Low gluten, low sugar low salt. Low to no night shades. But not much is working. I wake up early for work so I can soak in an Ebson salt bath which does help but I'm still learning. Mostly from this page.
Candace Collins have you checked out the Group info files ?
Susu Wilkins Yes Ma'am. I've learned a lot about my disease from the files. But I haven't looked at all of them. I've learned so much that has helped me, but I still have a long way to go. Right now, I'm thinking I need to get my blood tested for deficiencies to know which vitamins I most need. I'm not taking anything other than the occasional ibuprophin and omega 3 every day.
I know for me that I had to cut things out completely before I saw results. Even having a small amount of a trigger food will impact my joints.
I actually had bad results in November last year, anti ccp 451, RF 45. Then I changed my diet, take suplements, cbd oil and now anti ccp 34 and RF 20. So for me it is a big change. I am on mtx for 3 months now
Hi I was diagnosed 2 months ago, anti ccp 215. I take no meds and I have so far gotten very good results with diet. I do take cbd every night and it really helps me sleep. I am convinced my diet and supplements to heal my gut have made a huge difference, at least so far.
I have not gotten an anti-CCP test yet, only the RF factor test. Should I see a rheumatologist and have the anti CCP test done? I have not gotten that far yet - only seen a hematologist, and she was NO HELP.
I was told that the RA test can result in a 40% false positive! A lot of people who do not have RA test positive, so I would ask for CRP, anti ccp and maybe a Sed test. If your GP won’t do it, I’d see a Rheumatologist.
carol, yes the anti ccp test is specific to ra. My rheumatologist ran it bc she suspected ra.
A doctor has not told me a “mild” to “severe” rating. My numbers are way better than a friend of mine, but we move about the same. So idk
My factor changes. It used to be not too bad but when I had it checked in April, it was 211.
You must correct your diet and heal your leaky gut. You can go into remission with Ra if you heal your body.
Agree. On that road myself now.
Mine was a low positive also. My dr said it could be because it’s early in the disease. He also went on to say, sometimes nothing shows up in blood work at all and he looks at symptoms, pain etc more than test results.
My doctor said the same at the beginning when the numbers were low.
My RA factor was 104
Rheumatoid factor is a very poor indicator of whether you have RA and NO indicator of how severe the disease will be. I've had severe, aggressive RA for five years. My rheumatoid factor is 10. My mom's rheumatoid factor has been 900+. She doesn't have RA at all.
Does your mom have any autoimmune disease?
Ritu Connell No, no autoimmune disease whatsoever.
Anti-CCP is a slightly better indicator, in that those with high Anti-CCP at diagnosis are somewhat statistically more likely to have more joint erosions in the first couple of years. But it doesn't work in reverse -- many people with aggressive RA don't have elevated Anti-CCP at diagnosis.
If you want to know how active your RA is right now, look at your inflammation measures (C reactive protein and sedimentation rate) or ask for a Vectra DA test. Vectra measures autoimmune activity as well as evidence of tissue destruction or remodeling, in addition to the usual inflammation measures, and puts it all into an algorithm to give a single number on a scale of 1-100.
jennifer, the reason my dr even ordered the anti ccp test was bc my sed rate was high. But when she reran it, it was normal, but the anti ccp test was a weak positive.
My RA factor was 2000+ 20 years ago. Have avoided traditional meds for the most part. Im still ok. Have damage in both feet though...
carol, my anti CCP test was 28, with sed rate normal. The test means that we have them antibodies for ra. My dr is not sure if its active or not, but recognizes that I have the joint pain, so she prescribed plaquenil, which I'm not taking. I will be tested again in Oct. Her thinking for prescribing the med is just in case I have it, she wants to slow down the progression.
Carol Grubbs, what did your dr tell you?
Nothing! It was her last day working there and she had one foot out the door. The only thing she said was that my RA Factor was 24 which she’s seen way higher than that, and I do have evidence of inflammation. So I asked her if I should see a rheumatologist and she was all like, “whatever - if you want to”. No help.
carol , my sed rate was high and my nurse practioner said it was due to a virus. I ask her if any other labs were necessary in case I had autoimmune disease and she said, no, your elevated sed rate is due to a virus. I, then, took it upon myself and went to a rheumatologist who then ran labs.
I think I am gonna have to do the same thing.
Carol Grubbs, it's a good thing I did, bc the anti ccp shows I have the antibody for ra. Do you have any ra symptoms?
Yes - joint pain in hands, feet and knees and dry mouth/eyes.