Can blood tests all be normal and still have RA? I was diagnosed two years ago with seronegative RA and Sjogren’s Syndrome. I have very obvious swelling in my hand and wrist. Pain is mostly mild. I do have stiffness that can last several hours to all day in my hands. However, the only abnormal blood tests was a positive ANA and slight anemia; all other tests have been normal. I currently take methotrexate, plaquenil, and celebrex for the rheumatoid arthritis. I also have basal thumb arthritis and had surgery four years ago to fix that joint.
Success Rate of Surgery
My dad was in a car wreck July 10, and was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra. He recently has been told he would need a new procedure to correct the problem. He will be having the balloon procedure done. With the surgery being delayed for 3 months, will the success rate be higher or lower?
knee aches
I have JRA. my problem is my right knee. its been giving me constant pain and i know it needs surgery. i already have both hips replaced. my question is .. is there other means of getting of the pain other than surgery? not just my knee is in pain, also my shoulders but the knee is giving me a lot of pain. so have to focus on that first. life has been so difficult w/ my condition now. i hope you can enlighten me.
ankle replacement
In ’93 I shattered my ankle and had a plate and 7 screws put in, then in ’03 I had 4 spurs and 2 bone chips removed. The ankle never went back to normal size, after the first surgery. After the second surgery the dr. told me that it was bone on bone, and now I am having problems with my knee and the pain can be made barely tolerable.I am asumming that the problem with the knee is due to not being able to walk correctly because of the ankle. Has there been any impovements on the replacements in the last few years? If you have one repacement done about what is the life of it and can another been done in later years? I am a machinst and work on my feet on concret all day. Will this shorten the life of the ankle? And what is the recovery time before I can return to work?
Surgery or not?
I have Osteoarthritis in one of my knees. The area around the knee is swollen. I am constantly in pain. I am on painkillers every day. The X-ray shows “bone on bone” rubbing. Do I need knee replacement or are there injections available to rebuilt the Cartilage?
surgery, dentist
I recently had screws put in my ankle and went for my dental cleaning and the dentist said because of the surgery I had, I would have to take antibiotics 1hr before my appointment, and I wasn’t able to see him that day. When I talked to my surgeon about this, he said I did not need antibiotics. Why would I need them in the first place? What are the risks of getting my teeth cleaned 2 months post-op?
