Hi Sid...From another enthusiast, I'm very glad you're here...

My mom has been afflicted with rhuemetoid (sp?) arthritis over the last 30 years. I was checked in 1990 or so, with negative results. The doctor recommended a blood test every few years, which I was never able to do at the time.

I had my first physical (ever!) in 2000, and the blood test indicated no rhuemetoid artheritis.

During the last year (and recent years), however, I've been experiencing severe pain in my shoulders and my left elbow especially.

This year especially, the pain has radiated to my left shoulder and more in my left elbow, causing me discomfort daily.

Is there anything you can recommend? Are there other types of artheritis that I might be battling here?

It is very uncomfortable, and I would genuinly appreciate any recommendatations you could make!

Best, Giz

rheumatoid arthritis is one of several afflictions of the joints or surrounding tissues: you could have osteoarthritis, which is usually traumatic in nature (specific injury or repetitive injuries, etc), or some form of bursitis which is inflamation of the sac around a joint. Other things are on the list, too, such as fibromyalgia or other muscle problems; and sometimes shoulder pain with or without radiation to arm parts is a sign of problems elsewhere such as the chest, heart, or abdomen. In other words, it's pretty hard to say from over here. Sounds like it's troublesome enough to warrant a little more looking into: shoulder xrays, consultation with rhematologist or physiatrist (not psychiatrist!) might be considered, but probably a re-contact of your primary doc is the place to start. Not much help, I realize...

Hi Giz, again. I have RA, for aboput 1 1/2 years now. The onset for me was extremem pain in my shoulder. Oh, I'd had sore , swollen joints off and on, but put it off to 26 years of bartending, but when the shoulder thing hit I was in such pain that progressed so fast-within hours it went from discomfort to down right agony. So I drove myself, (in my pj's, no coat (winter) and boots, because I couldn't get myself dressed, and driving was horrible) to urgent care where they took an exray that showed no damage to my shoulder so they told me it was bursitis. I was given a cortisone shot which helped, but when the nurse asked what else was wrong, I blubbered about how lately if I even bummped a finger it swelled, sometimes stayimg swollen for weeks. So, they took some blood, ran several tests, and the urgent care Dr. called me at home that night to tell me I tested Pos. for RA. I have learned an awful lot about RA. You can actually test negative for RA, but still have RA, and it affects people in vastly different ways. The thing I found out too late is that without prompt, proper treatment, the joint damage begins right away and does the most damage in the first 12 months. When I learned about early signs, the two that struck me were vague muscle pains, and weight lose. Both of which I had, but attributed to something else. I had to got to our family doctor in order to get a referal to a Reumatologist. There are other disorders that have very similar symptons, Lupus, fibromyalgia, Lymes disease, so if you do go in for a blood test, request they test for those as well. I really hope it is not RA. It can be bad.