So here’s the rest of my story. Or at least the rest of the beginning of my story. The Monday following Thanksgiving in 2008 I called my doctor for the referral to a rheumatologist. When they called me back they said they had made me an appointment. In January. I knew there was no way I could wait that long. At that point I could barely walk. It was all I could do to pick Avery up out of his crib. So I called every rheumatologist in the area until I found one that could see me the very next week. At my first appointment with the rheumatologist, she took note of my symptoms - morning stiffness that lasted for hours, pain and swelling in almost every joint, fatigue, etc. She ordered blood work and X-rays of my hands, feet, knees, and hips. I went back a week later, on December 18, 2008, and heard those dreaded words. Rheumatoid Arthritis. Sero-negative RA, to be exact, which simply means that my blood does not show a rheumatoid factor. Turns out a lot of RA patients don’t have … [Read more...]