A Diagnosis Not Expected

Since 2004 I have suffered with severe burning feet and lower back pain. I have been to many doctors and finally 3 weeks after my spine surgery in November 2007 I finally found the doctor who was able to tell me the news that I have severe chronic aggressive Rheumatoid Arthritis. Unfortunately, for me this should have been found 4 years ago, but harshly to say the doctors have all kinds of excuses when they can't diagnosis a condition. I was told that I developed the peripheral neuropathy from taking to much vitamin B, then another doctor told me that I had burning feet because I was depressed, then I had a doctor who told me that my spine was in horrible shape the L4-L5 and I needed to have pain management to control the spinal stenosis. Well it goes on and on.

Finally when I had enough of the cop outs from these doctors who don't know there you know what from you know what, I asked my neurosurgeon who did my double fusion to recommend me to a Rheumatologist from the UM school of Medicine in Miami, FL. So I am now seeing a wonderful honest RA specialist and she was the one who told me that I have this horrible illness. My back is healing well except it was not fusing and the bones were thinning out because of the prednisone I am taking, so the doctors decided that I must go off the prednisone and take the methrotraxiate once a week. In about one month I will be going on the Humira or the Embral to try and get this illness in remission.

I am constant pain daily. I still must wear the proform brace and the orthofix brace 4 hours per day until I see the surgeon again in April. I was told at my last visit that if the back does not fuse then I will need to have another operation to remove the screws.

The outcome from my surgery is that I don't have any more spinal stenosis, but now the RA. I have a positive attitude and I am looking for work presently.