Positive ANA test results

i just received my test results today and my ANA came back positive...
they said i would need 2 more blood tests to try to figure out if it's lupus or RA....
can someone enlighten me a little?
im new to all of this and the pain is intolerable most days....
does the 2 more blood tests make any sense to anyone??? im lost..any help would be appreciated.
thanks!

Nothing about Lupus and other autoimmune disease seem to make sense. Sorry that you are in such pain.

I don't know much about the additional blood tests; not much help there. I've been suffering with lupus pain (or some type of autoimmune) for over 25 years, but just getting treatment. The doctors ignored my symptoms because I didn't have positive ANA until 2 years ago. Each subsequent blood test was more specific for lupus and still the doctor based her diagnosis on my symptoms and medical history. Autoimmune disease is just tricky cause you don't know how it's going to manifest.

I think the tests are just to narrow down which of the autoimmune diseases you likely have. Sorry to ramble.

thanks so much for your insight...
i really appreciate it

I'm so sorry for your pain.   I've had Lupus for 15 yeras now and I'm one of the lucky ones.   Rarely do I have pain.    My ANA is always crazy high and I'm tested every three months with about 5-8 vials drawn each time.

I hope you get your answer soon.   Better to know - not easy to treat either as both can be unpredictable.     HUGS and hope you get your answer soon.

this is all so new to me and so darn confusing...
the doctor has put me on SEROQUEL for the next two weeks...
anyone have any clue whats up with that?

 Are you having trouble sleeping? Seroquel is prescribed quite often as a sleep aid. Pain makes it difficult for many of us to sleep. It's used also to help with bi-polar disorder. 

i took my first dosage yesterday and slept about 18 hrs....
phewwwwwww dont think i can function like that!

Pam:  The reason that other tests must be done is that ANA is very common in the normal population.  Up to 20% of all normal women are positive for ANA, so a positive test requires additional testing.  When a doctor sees a patient with unexplained pains, they will sometimes order an ANA as a screening test for systemic lupus, because almost all systemic lupus patients are positive for ANA using the newest testing methods.  The followup tests are more specific autoantibodies to see if there are any specific antibodies for lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, etc.  Even patients with painful conditions like fibromyalgia have a higher chance of being ANA positive than the rest of the population.

Good luck, and I hope your doctors can help you.