• What to expect at the doctor's office"Dermat¨®loga" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Daquella manera (Daniel Lobo) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Medical History

• Your doctor will take a thorough medical history when considering either RA or MS. For RA, he will ask about your joint pain---where it is, when it is worst---as well as any stiffness, weakness or other discomfort. For MS, he will ask about your symptoms, as well as your birthplace and where you have traveled.
  
  

Physical Exam

• For RA, your doctor will check your joints carefully, looking for swelling, stiffness and tenderness, and she also will examine your skin, lungs and eyes. She will perform a similar examination for MS, as well as perform a neurological exam, testing your vision and other senses, your balance and coordination, and your language, mental and emotional functions.
  
  

Blood Tests

• Blood tests your doctor might order for RA include a complete blood count (CBC) or white blood cell count, rheumatoid factor, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR or sed rate) and/or antinuclear antibodies (ANA). With MS, your doctor will order blood tests to rule out other conditions, such as Lyme disease, rare hereditary disorders and AIDS.
  
  

Imaging Studies

• X-rays or an MRI are common."My ruptured tendon" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: juhansonin (Juhan Sonin) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  When considering RA, your doctor usually will order X-rays of your most painful joints to see whether the joints or soft tissues show signs of the disease; you might have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or bone densitometry test (DEXA scan), as well. For MS, you probably will undergo MRI tests of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves to show whether you have MS plaques or scarring (lesions).
  
  

Additional Tests with MS

• With possible MS, your doctor also might order visual evoked potential (VEP) tests to see your central nervous system's electrical response to stimulation and/or a cerebrospinal fluid analysis (spinal tap) to examine your body's immune response.
  
  

Diagnosis Challenges

• Unfortunately, both RA and MS are difficult to diagnose. Currently, there is not a test that clearly identifies either disease, and individual symptoms vary dramatically. Don't delay getting started on your diagnosis, however, because either disease can progress rapidly. Quick diagnosis means quick treatment---and greater peace of mind.