Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
You've developed a horrible pain in one of your joints. You wonder what could be causing the pain, since you didn't really do anything strenuous with the area that is affected. Maybe it's just one of those things. You ignore it thinking it's nothing important, yet the pain doesn't go away. The symptoms may get worse, as the affected joint may swell up and even have strange nodules around it. You decide to go to a doctor and get news that you didn't want to hear: a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.
How does a doctor arrive at a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis? Well, the first step in determining a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis is a physical examination of the patient. The doctor will look at your affected joint and see if there are some of the classic symptoms associated with a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. This could include swelling, redness around the area and/or rheumatoid nodules, (which are swollen blood vessels that look like bumps underneath the skin). If it appears that you have rheumatoid arthritis, the doctor will perform a further rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.
Further diagnosis involves: a blood test, an analysis of the fluid in the affected joint and an X-ray. With a blood test, your doctor will look at your erythrocyte sedimentation rate, (also known as ESR or sed rate). This determines how much inflammation is going on in the body. Your doctor may also look for antibodies known as the rheumatoid factor and the anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (also known as anti-CCP). He or she won't rely as much on these anti-bodies in their rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis because they aren't always present in all rheumatoid arthritis cases.
If the blood test looks suspicious, the doctor will confirm their rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis through a fluid analysis and an X-ray. Both of these are done to help rule out other conditions that mimic the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. The fluid analysis allows the doctor to get more information about the inflammation associated with the joint, while the X-ray can allow them a visual of how the joint looks.
So, now with an official rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, what can you expect for your life? Well, firstly, try not to panic. Sure, having rheumatoid arthritis is definitely not the best thing in the world, but it's not the worst thing either. Granted, no cure exists for the disease, but there are steps you can take to help control the attacks you get. For example, there are numerous medications you can take to help limit the amount of inflammation that occurs with the disease. You can also control the disease by eating healthy and taking fish oil supplements, (as fish oil naturally limits the amount of inflammation you get around your joints). There is also exercise therapy you can use to help strengthen your bones. Lastly, you can consider taking classes on how to manage your pain when attacks do happen. With these classes you will learn techniques that will get your mind to focus away from the pain so mentally it will not seem as uncomfortable.
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