Wrist replacement or other surgery options. att:

[Guest guest]

Hi and group,

My right wrist has been giving me jip for a year now, no improvement at

all even though i wear a brace & all that. Have very little flex in it now,

about 5 degrees. Not that much swelling, not in flare that's for sure. hard mass

in the middle on top side & also wrist area beneath thumb (underside).

I'm a chef & need to continue working until my new career path

can support me (dog behaviourists/trainer).

I'm seeing my Rhuemy again in Feb & he's definately not a " pro-active " type. His

approach seems to be- " bad lucK, take ya pills & die " . Even the young fresh doc I

saw the other day basically said that RA means your life as a productive member

of society is gone. I went to her seeking a referral to someone who can tell me

if surgery is an option, & if not why not(why is that such a hard question for

them??).

I remember reading an article about joint replacement not really being

considered for younger patients (I'm 31) but perhaps it should be as it has good

prognosis. I tried doing an archive search but no luck.

So, would you have any articles about joint

replacements that would be relevant, So i can perhaps present them to my Rheumy.

We seem to be in the dark ages here regarding pro-active care for people with

RA. I can't imagine working for the next 30yrs nursing my wrist. ( & having to

wear a glove over it isn't doing my nails any good).

best wishes to everyone,

Sharon of Oz