I went in for my rheumatology appointment today. She said that in 20% of cases, the rheumatoid factor is not present in the blood, even though the patient has rheumatoid arthritis. 7% of people with psoriasis have psoriatic rheumatoid arthritis. The good news is that it affects fewer joints than reg'lar. The bad news is that it is still arthritis. The doctor wants me to schedule an MRI and some more bloodwork. The MRI because there is no test to confirm the diagnosis, but an MRI will show whether there is any erosive bone loss. My right hand was described as "osteoporitic." The bloodwork will determine whether I am HIV+, and if I am not, the doctor would feel better about giving me immuno-suppressants. First, though, we must see if I need these last.
I hope not.
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3 comments:
That's...kinda scary. An immune system is a good thing not to suppress.
Unless it's evil and attacking all your joints at the same time. In which case, yeah.
So how'd this stuff turn out? ...okay?
You may find it interesting to know that Remicaid and similar medications that are given through IV for rhumetoid arthritis work by suppressing the immune system, that is what they do!
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