Re: OT Arthritis.

Posted by Buzzman72 on January 28, 2009 at 14:52:09 from (74.129.220.44):

In Reply to: OT Arthritis. posted by Dave from MN on January 28, 2009 at 05:11:21:

Now, I'm not an OLD country boy, so I probably don't know anything about this. So go ahead and flame away, I'm used to it by now.

But my first wife contracted rheumatiod arthritis at age 16--rheumatiod factor in blood confirmed the medical diagnosis. First doctor told her she wouldn't be walking by age 25. In 1978 the rheumatologist we were seeing prescribed gold injections...but the price of gold, of course, made them too expensive for a newly married couple, and she hated them. And the shots were only good for 10-14 days at a time.

Our son was born when she was 24, and our daughter 4 years later. In the interim my wife went through surgeries at Kleinert, Kutz and Associates in Louisville, probably the most famous outfit in the world in the restorative surgeries of hands and feet. She had carpal tunnel surgery, she had surgery to remove calcification deposits on elbows and fingers, but the arthritis continued to progress. Dr. Harold Kleinert was her surgeon in most of these cases, and he was a really down-to-earth guy with a great sense of humor, and he really put her at ease.

But it got so that she couldn't do the grocery shopping without assistance, because she couldn't grip items on the shelf and put them into the cart. Housework was a struggle, and caring for two kids was a challenge, but she persevered. She applied for disability thru Socia Security, and was denied twice before she won her case. On the second denial, she actually won her case before an administrative law judge, but the Social Security administration had 60 days to appeal...and the SSA filed their appeal on the 59th day.

She was waiting for the orthotics department at Kleinert, Kutz and Associates to fit her for special shoes when she died of coronary problems at age 36.

Based upon those experiences, I've got little faith in doctors when it comes to arthritis and their ability to control it. I've got less faith in insurance companies, because when my wife died the kids and I were left with $12,000 in medical bills that the insurance companies refused to pay. [No, I didn't file bankruptcy on them...I paid them, some in full, and some after negotiating a settlement amount.]

If your doctor is any good, "probably arthritis" is a bullsh*t diagnosis and he knows it. Either it is arthritis or it isn't. Get it diagnosed properly, and then figure a plan of treatment from there. "Probably arthritis" tells you he's just guessing...and you wouldn't want him just guessing as to whether you had cancer or not, would you? Bust his a*s on that one, because arthritis isn't anything to f**k around with. They may not be able to cure it, and they may not be able to control it, but they CAN do some things to make it more bearable.

OK, I'm done. Flame away.

Replies:

• Re: OT Arthritis. john d 15:33:50 01/28/09 (0)

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