I am 40 year old female nurse that has lived with RA since I was 29. It has been a tough road..since the signs and symptoms started, to diagnosis, to treatment. I have had both knees replaced and now am looking at an ankle replacement. It is very hard to continue to work and try to live a normal life. I want to join this site to offer support to others.
welcome to the site! We have a wonderful community of very supportive members here, so jump right in on conversations and poke about to read the archives.
I've had hip replacements a long time ago and although the surgery and recovery isn't what I would call fun, being a bionic woman its positive sides - at least there's no more inflammation! 
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Hi Ann,
Glad you have joined the site - I'm sure you must have a lot of experience, good & not-so-good to share! I'm 58 and was diagnosed 5 years ago. I've been on Enbrel for 4+ years. I had ankle surgery last year (tendon reconstruction and calcaneal osteotomy). Am wondering what kind of ankle surgery you are heading for ...
Thanks for the warm greeting :) I've got Tallus Tunnel Syndrome. My ankle is giving out and putting too much pressure on the tallus nerve. So the ortho dr gave me an injection in the nerves to try to keep me working a little longer. She said I would probably have to have a complete ankle replacement and wear a brace the rest of my life. I am on my 5th week of Enbrel and I do think it is helping. My sed rate is down to 20 from 58 and I feel better.
I got on this site for extra support. I find that people don't really want to hear about how your doing...they just want you to say fine...so thanks for listening.
I've read about tarsal tunnel - the ankle version of carpal tunnel! But have not before run into anyone who has dealt with it. My problem was on the inside of the ankle, and the surgery straightened my ankle, lifted my arch (always had pretty flat feet which contributed). Now sometimes (especially during recovery) I get pain on the outside I think because it's been repositioned, but it's a definite improvement and the pain is minor and goes away pretty quickly. So - wishing you good luck with that! I guess I would have assumed they would do a similar surgery for tarsal tunnel but maybe there are other issues with your ankle/foot.
I frankly didn't mind wearing the AFO (ankle-foot) orthotic for two and a half years before this became nececessary. It was wonderful not to wobble and feel pain, though I had to 'adjust' some clothes (I used to put those bell-bottom-making triangles in the sides of my more casual pants, like in the 60's) to fit over the brace. And I had a choice of 'designer' plastic. They didn't even offer a plain color, it was lavender with butterflies that I chose, but there were sports options (great for kids & teens). I was kind of concerned that my leg & ankle muscles were somewhat atrophying, but they have come back really well, and now, with exercise bike and Tai Chi, I have calf muscles like I've never had! So - you just never know!