???

[Guest guest]

Hi

I don't know if I'm at the right site or not. I have been undergoing treatment

for RA with

methotrexate and Enbrel for the last couple years. I never have swelling in my

wrists,

hands, feet ankles, but I do have a lot of pain in my hands, fingers, wrists,

hips, neck, and

tailbone.

My rheumy suggested that maybe i have AS. I was having a lot of pain in my

cervical

spine and tail bone, so I saw an orthopedist who took x-rays and an MRI of my

cervical

spine (neck) and just x-rays of my lower spine (tailbone) area and said I have

degenerative

disc disease which is causing compression on my nerves and spinal cord. The

recommended treatment is fusion.

THe MTX and Enbrel have not helped, so my rheumy told me to quit the Enbrel and

she

would get me on another biologics drug, but she has had trouble getting approval

from

my insurance company, so after 8 months there has been no new drugs introduced.

I

continued taking the methotrexate, but still no help.

At this point, I don't know what to think. I do have osteoarthritis, and wonder

if all these

symptoms are just OA instead or RA or AS.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,