My mom said I use to cry all night about pain, it took four doctors and her threatening to sue for them to send me to a pediatric specialist and was diagnosed, she said xrays and blood work were used to diagnose me when I was 4, I am RF positive and given that two other people have it and its skipped a generation, I'm the youngest that we know of in the family.

I am seronegative. I was dx based on symptoms of hand, hip, and knee pain. My first flare was severe. I couldn't walk or stand up straight for a week. My muscles were extremely fatigued resulting in a few falls. I was first ruled out for MS and myasthenia. At first I was angry because I just wanted a diagnosis. I was scared and in desperate need of treatment. Looking back, I am grateful that it wasn't something worse.

No results from hospital Rheumatology blood tests, no rhematoid factor. Xrays showed joint damage so given diagnosis. That's 23 yrs I have had the diagnosis following a virus which my little children brought home from school, they were poorly, high temp off school for a week, my husband ill for a day. I was ill but vomiting and couldn't eat for 3 weeks.
Once well again, within a couple of weeks I was waking up with stiffness in a different finger over 10 days. I remember laughing about it and saying this is weird then my feet started to be affected so I went to the GP
Rheumtologist asked me if had been ill prior to onset and then said many patients are.
I know this is a long time ago but there was no attempt to find what bacteria /virus was hiding/causing/ prempting/ stimulating immune system to attack :( Hope it is different now.

I had fatigue, fever symptoms, and bilateral hand, shoulder pain for over a year. I finally had to switch MDs to get an answer. Was sent to Rheumatologist, then blood work was positive, RA factor positive.

I started out at a podiatrist for ball of foot pain and my toes going a bit wackadoodle. He sent me for blood work to test for RA, which I thought was just a formality; I couldn't have something like that! Well, blood tests came back positive, and next thing I know I'm getting a call to schedule an appointment with a rheumatologist. It really blindsided me. I've had various aches and pains, but put it down to my weight and my age. Still having trouble accepting this condition.