I was planning on going to a sports doc if I couldn't get my rheumatologist to give me the injections. But his mind was in a box because I don't have the kind of arthritis you have. It has the same name, but it's got a different cause. Osteoarthritis is caused by normal wear and tear. I also have a little osteoarthritis, I am human and over 30.
Rheumatoid arthritis is caused when the immune system goes haywire and attacks your own tissue. If it attacks the nerves, you get myesthenia gravis. If it attacks the thyroid, you get Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or Graves disease. If it attacks the joints, you get rheumatoid arthritis. Other autoimmune diseases are lupus, scleroderma, Goodpasture's syndrome, thrombocytopenic purpura, some forms of diabetes, etc., etc., etc.
My rheumatologist is very good. He just had his mind made up that because my knees were exhibiting classic rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, which injections don't help, that I shouldn't have injections. He did listen to me when I explained that the part that hurt wasn't the typical place that shouldn't have injections. A lot of doctors won't listen. He listens better than most. |
