Guest guest Posted July 8, 2008 Report Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hi all. I've been lurking here for about a week. I'm 38, and developed PA four years ago, when I wrenched a knee and it never healed. It stayed fairly limited until the last three months, but now it's erupted into a real all-over monster -- fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles, feet and toes *sigh*. It's pretty darn draining, and now I'm almost as bad as my father was Anyway, I've got a couple of fairly pressing questions. One is that the rheumatologist I finally got referred to this monday switched me from Arcoxia (etoricoxib/e/um, a -2 specific) to Mobic/Melox/Movalis (Meloxicam). The change has been dramatic so far, and not for the better -- I'm significantly stiffer and more painful, and having to take Xanax to get to sleep. Does anyone know how fast-acting Mobic is? If it's a blood serum thing, and I just need to be patient for a week or two, that's fine, I'll cope. If on the other hand I should be responding immediately, I'll bite the bullet and pay up the cash to go back to the rheum and ask her what the score is. The other question is related to the financial issues above. I'm an expat Brit, and currently on a long-term tourist visa staying with my brother in Australia (I'm a writer, so I can work anywhere). Unfortunately, whilst I'm covered for critical medical care without question, I'm not covered for chronic or pre-existing issues. Apart from superstars like JK Rowling and Dean Koontz, writers get paid really pitifully, and I don't have the cash to deal with things here... but the British NHS can be very slow to kick in. I'm wondering if it might be better to borrow the money to do the tests and then start methotrexate treatment (what my rheum suggests here) before moving back to the UK, and then go see a doc with methotrexate already pressing, or if I should just go straight back to the UK and start looking to rebuild a life there. Is there anyone British on the list who might be able to give me some advice on how to procede? Many thanks for reading this far, and many more thanks to anyone who can offer any suggestions. Tim. \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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