acromiclavicular joint and mild thumb interphalangeal joint disease

How do you tell if you are told you have arthritis if it is from osteo arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis? I have been diagnosed with RA but with all these xrays i just had it sounds like I have more osteo that rheumatoid arthritis?

Hello,
I must confess your question is in a domain where I can't speak with confidence.
RA is a systemic - bodywide - disease that attacks the soft tissues around the joint initially, rather than the bone itself. So multiple site arthritis is the norm.

Having said that, the AC joint and the thumb joints are prime centres of osteoarthritis. In fact the most common two joints to get OA.
RA is diagnosed from a blood test, but this test is not 100% accurate, so at the end of the day, the diagnosis is often a clinical one, made by a rheumatologist with a lot of experience.

If you have arthritis only in the AC joint and the interphalageal joint of the thumb, then yes it could be OA, I guess.

RA is an inflammatory, autoimmune disease, which produces red, angry swollen joints.

If the diagnosis was made by a rheumatologist, then better accept his / her word.

My only recommendation, either way, is that you start to take omega-3 fish oil (or from flax seed, or both) and a chicken bones bouillon. Type these into the Search this site at Chiropractic-Help.com

I hope this has contributed.

Dr B