Hi Billie,

Thank you for posting your comment.  I understand what you mean about physicians not paying attention to the emotional and image side of RA.  I didn't have a female rheumatologist until I was in college and I think that would have helped.  My male rheumatologists are like my dad, they didn't want to talk about the emotional side.  I would get the "buck up, it's not so bad" or "you're making too much of things." 

The people I found most helpful in helping me feel better about my image were the occupational therapists, even though I saw them for exercises and splints.  Maybe it was because they were women, or maybe because they were the ones always making and fixing my splints, trying to correct my deformities.  Years ago I had a silver ring splint for a boutineer(sp?) deformity of a finger.  It was a little uncomfortable, but I liked it because it was easier to pass off as jewelry.  The OT had other patients who had their silver ring splints set with jewels to jazz them up and I thought that was pretty neat and way more stylish than the sweaty, smelly foam and plastic splints and neoprene.