General Arthritis Q & A

I am 26 years old and went to my doctor about progressive ankle swelling and all around slight body pain. My doctor decided to do a Westergren, CBC, and RF. My CBC showed slightly abnormal kidney function (dehydration), my Westergren was 1, but my RF was 92.2 (High huh?). My doctor has informed me of RA. I have tested negative for HIV, TB, Hepatitis, etc. Is this normal even though I am a 26 year old female or can this be genetics running it’s course. Would a retest be applicable in my case?

I know a 25 year old woman who has recently complained of pain and swelling of her metacarpophalangeal joints of both her forefingers for the past several months. The right forefinger has a slight lateral twist due to the swelling. She also has a clinical history of being allergic to dust, pollen and strong odours(strong smelling detergent/perfume etc..)For the past three months she has had a nail infarct on her left little finger which seems to be a fungal infection(not confirmed microbiologically). The consultant rheumatologist has suspected poly arthritis and has requested for an ANA immunofluorescence test to be done(results awaited). The subject also has small patches of skin discolouration on her thigh and her left shoulder which have sensation.This discolouration has been there for the past few months.What would the possible diagnosis of this patient be and any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

I had a bone scan done yesterday. When I got my hand and elbows done I had to use another machine for them. I saw that my elbow was brighter than my hand. Then on the other side my elobw and hand was brighter. Could it be because my elbow is little fat or muscle in that area that made it brighter? Any other information about bone scans would be great also.

What is bone marrow edema?

Are there any sensitive words, terms, or languages that describe people with arthritis I should avoid?

I developed a migratory arthritis upon completing a week’s worth of levaquin a month ago. There is no visible swelling, just joint pain. I have now been to two rheumatologists who are unable to diagnose me at this point as all my blood work is negative. Although they tested me for parovirus (which was negative), they both believe this may be a viral arthritis. Their other guesses include early psoriatic arthritis (although I have no evidence of psoriasis) or early RA. Neither rheumatologist heard of an association btw levaquin and arthtritis. However, my internist claims he has had several patients report these types of symptoms after taking levaquin. Moreover, there are multiple “consumer-run” websites dedicated to this issue. Many “patients” claim that levaquin brought on arthritic type symptoms and I saw previous questions re: this issue on your post. I am struck by the amount of discussion about this issue on the internet. What does the medical research show? Why are so many people reporting these types of symptoms after taking levaquin?