[serenityqueen]

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis as well as Lupus.

A Rheumatologist usally does not treat "regular" arthritis. A Rheumatologist only treats those patients, like myself, who have been diagnosed through lab work with RA, Osteoarthritis, Lupus or diseases of that nature. By no means am I saying that "regular" arthritis is not terribly painful. Please don't think I am saying that.

An Internal Medicine Dr. is a good one to go to for arthritis. They have a little more specialized training in the area of this type of diseases. If there is a diagnosed condition of the knee, your Dr. can refer you to an Orthopedic Dr., one who specializes in the treatment of bones and many times ligaments and tendons.

Humira is one of the classes of drugs that are used when anti inflamatory drugs and the like are not getting any results. These are only used when someone has diagnosed RA and sometimes, depending on the severity of the disease, Osteo arthritis and Osteoporosis. I cannot afford these meds but my Dr. wants me to be on them but unless you have good insurance, they run into a few thousand dollars per treatment. In the beginning of the course of treatment, one starts with an injection or infusion, depending on the meds approximately every 2 weeks. Some of the meds stay at this 2 week time frame throughout the entire time. The ones that are given in an infusion eventually are given about 4 weeks apart. But due to the nature of these meds, side effects and a correct diagnosis being mandatory, they are not recommended until generally other treatment options have not had any results.

I take Methotrexate, which was designed for Cancer patients. It is one of those extremely dangerous drugs if taken by someone who does not have RA. I also take a med, Plaqunil, that, believe it or not, was designed to be for patients with Milaria. I am also on Prednisone, which is a steriod that I have to take daily that has numerous horrible side effects such as bone density loss, it causes one's skin to become extremely thin, can lead to Diabetes . . . My Mom is suffering from all of those conditions due to having to have been on the drug for many years. She has had her pelvis break twice, just from normal wear and tear, her hip broke from walking and she has broken her ankle twice. These are all called stress fractures. I have had to take Prednisone for over 2 1/2 years now and will most likely never be able to be taken completely off of it. If they get my dose down too low, I have so much inflammation around my heart, lungs, kidneys . . . that I am in danger. Prednisone is given in short lengths of time for asthma, other types of inflammation and believe it or not, for severe acne. It is a miracle drug, but, the long term side effects are horrible. Cortizone shots, which are also a steroid based med, most times have fantastic results. They hurt when they are given directly into the joint but these can bring up to around 18 months of relief so I think they are worth it.

Chiy, I think maybe it's time to look for another Dr., in my opinion. Some Dr.s, once they find out someone is an addict, no matter how well they may be doing in their Recovery, are unfortunatey real a$$ holes. I have ran into this myself. Last fall, when I blew my knee out, this one Dr. looked at my old records at the hospital, and even though I had 2 years in Recovery and made it very clear to everyone I came into contact with that by no means do I want any kind of narcotics, he still treated me awful. And he flat out told me that drug seekers need to stay away from the ER. Nearly every hospital has clinics that are based on the person's income and even have different programs where those who make under a certain amt. of money do not have to pay at all. I go to a satellite clinic where I am seen by a Rheumatologist, I have an Internal Medicine Dr. and also, if needed they have Orthopedics, Family Practice, OB GYN, Pediatrics . . . and it only costs me $10 a visit. These Dr.'s are generally residents but they are supervised by regular Dr.'s. I have never been given any care that I would consider less than wonderful. Most of these residents haven't been practicing long enough to have developed the, what I like to call, Holier Than Thou Attitudes.

Until you can get in to see someone else, you can either use Ace bandages wraps for support of your knees or you can buy knee braces for relatively cheap. WalMart, Kmart and alike carry these. Also, anti inflammatories, such as IBU 800, have to be taken as prescribed for them to build up in your system to get the best results. You can use heat, (a heating pad or make some rice socks, see my thread in this forum) and use them for up to 20 minutes at a time, every couple of hours.

I am only speaking from MY experiences as far as anything in this post. None of what I have said is medical advise.

Chiy, I'm very proud of you for doing everything you can to see that your medical needs are addressed the proper way and that you have not picked up out of frustration or pain. Way to go girl, way to grow!

Love and Hugs,
Judy