Multiple Arthritis issues - Is this unusual?

Hello @jdnc2023, Welcome to Connect. You certainly have a lot on your plate to deal with. I have degenerative arthritis in my joints but have not been diagnosed with the other conditions you have. I don't think it's unusual to have so many things diagnosed as I also have other autoimmune conditions myself. You will notice that we changed the title to your discussion a little to better describe the discussion for members. I'm pretty sure you are not alone and while you wait for other members, you might want to look through this discussion on one of your questions.

--- Erosive osteoarthritis pain but can't take NSAIDS: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/erosive-osteoarthritis-pain-but-cant-take-nsaids/.

Have your doctors suggested any treatments to help relieve the pain?

Thanks for replying! I've only just been diagnosed officially. I did a course of prednisone and now I'm on 10mg prednisone and 100mg hydroxychloroquine to see how I do. I think the doctor is hoping that if the inflammation stays low, the pain will be minimal. I can handle it.
I do have an annoying pinched nerve from time to time from the spine down my leg, spasms and limping, but not a lot of pain. It's my right leg and I'm afraid it may limit my driving eventually. The worst thing about all of this is that I don't want to ever become dependent on anyone.

I don't know but it seems they are all aspects of the same disease, which in your case includes an autoimmune factor. Am I wrong? I mean people can be diagnosed with these separately but the overall diagnosis is arthritis. If you have both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis how can they even tell which is which?

I can understand the need for an MD to describe all aspects of your disease and there may be a different insurance code for each. I would think the main distinction would be immune suppressants for the autoimmune factor, versus "regular" osteoarthritis.

All types appear differently in xrays. The dr pointed them out to me. The erosive arthritis eats away at the bone and looks like sawtooth chews, and there are gull wing shapes where there is collapsing.
This is in the PIP joints of all fingers and is primarily a female condition in 3% of osteoarthritis cases, so it is rare. It's possibly hormones related.
I was curious how often it occurs alongside rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, because they are different processes in the body.

Unfortunately it is not unusual to have more than one type of arthritis. I have rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.

Very interesting! I will pass this info on to a friend who has RA and erosive.

I also have multiple issues going on. I was diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis, with some joints having osteoarthritis and some rheumatoid arthritis, as well as range of immunologic/nflammatory issues - lichen sclerosis, rosacea, eczema, blepharitis, swollen fingers, to name a few, plus type 2 diabetes. I am also positive for MGUS. M

Last fall I had the worst flare of pain so made an appointment with a rheumatologist, bypassing my PCP. My pain was primarily in my hands and worsened by cold. I also was RFneg, but had had a very high CRP (I believe it was only recently that RFneg disease was recognized as a thing.) That's when I learned about MGUS. My first rheumatologist started me on Plaquenil, but I have had some breakthrough pain. Last month I started with a new rheumatologist after the first one went on to a new position. He added methotrexate, with prednisone to help until the methotrexate started.

Wow, that is a lot of concurrent issues. Mine flared up a lot the past two years. I asked my doctor if he thought the covid vaccines may have kicked up the inflammation, and he said that a few of his patients became worse after the shots. Mine sure did, but it could be a combination of a stressful job in health care during the pandemic, isolation and I lived in Texas at the time and froze for 4 days in the power outage in February 2021.
I hope the methotrexate helps you. I'm on 10mg prednisone and 100 hydroxychloroquine right now, and I'm only having slight relief.

Hi there,

I have had negative RA factor arthritis for over 30 years. My diagnosis is psoriatic arthritis based on my symptoms and because I had psoriasis at age 11. Methotrexate and hydrochloroquin (also known as plaquenil) has helped me the most. Last few years they have also diagnosed me with osteoarthritis. So the rheumatoid/psoriatic arthritis is an autoimmune disease and the osteo is a wear and tear of the joints disease. I am also off NSAIDS as it gives me gastritis despite taking something to protect my stomach. I do well with long acting tramadol, which is called tridura for painl. I have tried different biologics but none have helped or the side effects are not tolerated well. One, I had an allergic reaction that landed me in ER.
Unfortunately autoimmune diseases have some common elements but each individual can respond differently to treatments. There are other drugs out there like lefludamide and sulfazalazine but I did not tolerate them either.
My worst pain is when winter turns to summer and summer turns to winter. In Canada this happens quickly and my immune system just doesn't like that. Humidity is also not good for me.

I am surprised that a doctor would ignore your symptoms just because you had a negative RA factor. I hope you are seeing a rheumatologist. I see mine every 6 months and she is wonderful. Get someone that works with you and is a good listener. I had better luck at a teaching hospital.
My hands can be useless at times and so can my lower back and hips. The best thing for me is to keep moving. I enjoy going to group exercise. Even though I may be the youngest in the class, I can increase the ankle weights and the dumb bells. You may have to take more breaks but don't stop moving; at least for me that works.
Wishing you well,

Hello @jdnc2023! Back in 2006, I was diagnosed with seronegative arthritis and tested for the HLA-B27 antigen. My understanding is that you get to be diagnosed as "seronegative" when all the tests for "seropositive" come back as Negative but you are experiencing the signs and symptoms of arthritis (joint pain, stiffness, persistent inflammation, etc.) The battery of blood tests identifies the presence of RF (rheumatoid factor) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP). RF and CPP are the antibodies produced by the immune system when it is working in overdrive, attacking the body’s healthy tissues. If these blood tests come back positive for RF and anti-CCP, this indicates seropositive rheumatoid arthritis. If these tests come back negative, this is considered "seronegative arthritis".

I share your pain and frustration. It took about a year and a half and several doctors until I was diagnosed with arthritis because the RF and CCP tests came back negative. I was lucky to find a doctor who did not dismiss my symptoms and referred me to a specialist. My rheumatologist took note of my symptoms and ordered blood tests and X-rays. He also had me tested for the HLA-B27 antigen and the test came back positive. The diagnosis was a form of arthritis called spondyloarthritis. This kind of arthritis includes the following disorders: reactive arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. Later, I developed uveitis and Sjogren's. I think it happens frequently to have various disorders that stem from a form of autoimmune disease.