Arthritis?

My name is Ali and I have been a member of several different groups in these forums. I love this site! Anyways, I wanted to ask you all a few questions. Today I got my Lab work back and my doctor tested me once again for RA. My RF was 6.3 (not sure what that means) but anyhow, he believes I have RA, or connective nerve disorder. My results come back all the time as negative but he believes I am seronegative, that the tests just don't show the proper results for Arthritis. My grandmother is seronegative and as much as I have complained in the last 5 years, this is what he believes may be the problem. He is also sending me to get xrays for my hands and wrists. I had this done 2 years ago but nothing showed up. I have also gone to a Rheum about 2 or 3 years ago and was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

My question for you all is if you have any type of weird red line that shows up on your fingers or hands? I have had this distinctive line show up for at least 6 months and somedays it is very easy to see and is red and puffy and other days it just looks like a scar. It is not a scar, I just don't know what it is. I am attaching some pictures so you all can see it and let me know what you think!

Thanks so much and I hope to get to make some new friends in this group!

Take care,

Ali

Post edited by: Mommyto3, at: 03/03/2008 21:36

http://www.questdiagnostics.com/kbase/topic/medtest/hw42783/ descrip.htm

I don't know about the red line that's on your finger. Is it only the one finger that has it, or are other fingers affected too? Did you show it to your Dr? Maybe it's because of the swelling itself. Do you have any rheumatoid nodules on the finger joints? Just curious because your finger looks a lot like mine, swollen from the middle joint down, but mine has rheumatoid nodules on the joints too. (Rheumatoid nodules look like little bb's under the skin...bb's: meaning like the shot that goes into a BB gun) Please let us know here if you find out what the red line is, and what is causing it, it would be interesting to learn.

It's nice to meet somebody new on here. We don't have very many in the RA group yet, but hopefully we'll get more in the group and we can help each other learn how to deal with it all along the way. I belong to other groups too for other diagnosis' I have. Hope you are doing some beter. You take care too! Joy

Nice to meet you two.

I got to say i've never seen that weird red line before and i don't have any marks on my finger.

did you find out what it is by now?

thanks,

Ron

Welcome to the group

Could it be a small blood vessel that is visible because of the swelling???