When I sleep both my hands close automatically. I try sleeping with thick gloves on to prevent them from closing, but when I wake up my knuckles are stiff and painful. The pain subsides quickly as I start to wiggle my fingers, but I'm not sure what is happening or why. It doesn't sound like symptoms of carpal tunnel or arthritis, but could it be early stages of arthritis?

I've never heard of this as a symptom of arthritis….do you have any other symptoms like swelling, joint pain, fatigue, inflammation?

Here's a site that talks about arthritis, you may want to check it out..http://arthritis.about.com/cs/arthgen/ht/arthritissigns.htm

weight loss is not a symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. Your stiffness definitely is a symptom. You need to see your medical doctor and get a checkup to find out if something else is causing your weight loss.

What medications have you found that work the best? Please tell me your story and meds you have tried and didn't help as well.

First you need to be diagnosed by a Rheumatologist. Then the Rheumatologist will start you on some drugs. They may work for you and they may not. Therefore you have to return to the Rheumatologist and they will adjust your medication. It is not a simple list of what happened to ME, what I took, what I did not take, what drugs worked, what drugs did not work. We are not clones, but individuals with RA. Good Luck

I've had it for years, but this winter is the worst. I dislike prescription drugs, because they cause other problems for me; I already have Chronic fatigue, so anything that makes other people mildly drowsy puts me right out. I have a life to live and work to do, so I can't be asleep all the time.

Anything homeopathic you can recommend that helps lessen the pain? Tylenol Arthritis only works part of the time.

Great deal of pain is caused by inflammation. You must check your diet and eliminate the causing factors first. In my opinion, soft drinks are the worst.

Your diet should be mostly of live food, no microwaving and nothing artificial. Your condition can be completely reversed and your body will heal.

I know of two remedies that worked for many people with your condition and are doctor documented. Both are in the live food category, one very inexpensive, the other not so. I will take the liberty to send you free information on both directly to you and if you have any further questions you can contact us or any of the nurses on our team as well.

From the very bottom of my heart I wish you to get well again.

My daughter has recently been checked for rheumatoid arthritis-due to painful and sometimes swollen joints-particularly in her fingers. Test has come back negative. However she is still in pain. Any idea what this might be?

She could have what is called 'seronegative arthritis' ie patients with rheumatoid arthritis who happen to have a negative rheumatoid factor.
I presume you are going to follow this up with your doctor.
Good luck