Hello
Can't believe it's December already. I am actually just reading the
replies and comments to this original post I made back in August.
Sorry about that, but the last months have been absolute hell
healthwise for me regarding the ankle problem I wrote about.

Just wanted to write again to say thank you for your comments, etc (I
am, however, not a "world class bitch"), I do appreciate it.

Hopefully now this nightmare is coming to an end.  I wound up getting
to the "right" doctor (I think so anyway) who performed a synovectomy
on my right ankle Nov 7th (my birthday - what a present, huh!).  He's
one of the few doctors in Minneapolis/St Paul area who does ankle
scoping and synovectomies so maybe this is why it took so long to
finally get recommended to him?  I could go on and on about how
mistreated I feel I have been by my rheumatologists, the nurses there,
etc etc.  I could have and should have had this surgery MONTHS and
MONTHS ago. It was only because of my assertiveness (rheumatologist
clinic made me feel as though I were a huge pest/inconvience which was
very upsetting) that I finally got to this doctor (Dr. Johannes
Christiaan Coetzee, in case anybody might know of him).

I'm still recovering and my ankle is still pretty painful.  The doctor
assured me that the cartilage and bone are both undamaged (hooray!!)
and he expects that I should regain full range of motion.  I so very
much hope that he is right....because...and I am tearing up as I write
this...this has been such a never-ending hell for me with the pain and
worry and frustration etc. So yes, hopefully he is right.  I'm trying
to remain patient but it's hard because I am so ready for this to be
over and for the pain to subside.  Anyway, he told me that he scoped it
(I saw the photos) and sucked out all of the bad inflamed synovial
tissue that was damaged.  I need to have my left ankle done now as well
but I'm going to wait with that because...I am supposed to be in FRANCE
now teaching English!  I was supposed to go in October but had to
cancel because of the surgery (nov 7th was the earliest I could get it
done).  I'm very stressed and worried now about my recovery and if I'll
be able to go to France (as I am planning at the moment) at the end of
this month to be there and ready to teach when the kids go back to
school after New Year's.

Sorry if I'm rambling..I'm typing this kind of fast.  Does anybody know
of anyone else who has had a synnovectomy like this in their subtalar
joint?  Do you think I should heal OK if the dr didn't see any damage?
I just started physical therapy sessions (painful!).

Well, just wanted to update and share this. If you have any thoughts
please feel free to share them.  I hope you are all doing well.  Don't
give up is the lesson here, I guess!  I'm so thankful the dr doesn't
think I should have my ankles fused. I feel that I finally got to a dr
who knows what he's talking about.  Time shall tell, I guess.

best wishes
Angela

ps -- To johnnie and others.  True I don't know Johnnie and my original
reply to him was a bit testy and maybe rude but I don't think it
warrented all of the insults that came after it.  I was stating my
feeling that at that moment I was sooo stressed out and it irritated me
to have somebody telling me how to feel and act.  I think that's an
understandable reaction and doesn't necessarily mean I'm immature or
any of the other insulting things that were said.   You know, as a
first time poster here I was pouring my heart out, after months of
being worried and scared and in constant pain.  Maybe I was too
sensitive..but I just did not like being told like a child that there
are others out there worse off than I am., etc etc.  Of course I know
this. We all know this.  It's just...a personal thing, I don't know. I
can't even fully describe what I'm trying to say now.  I felt the
comments to be kind of patronizing and that really annoyed me. I'm
sorry I misread their intentions.  And I do really appreciate people
taking the time to read what I have to say and their support.

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Hi,
I'm new to this group.  I guess you could say I'm feeling a bit
desperate which is why I decided to join.  I've been having "mystery"
ankle pain and swelling for a little over a year.  Even though I have
RA (diagnosed and been receiving treatment since 1997), I've been
getting such conflicting and confusing "diagnoses" from different
doctors about this problem.  Rheumatologists have been saying they
don't think it's the RA because no damage or anything is showing up in
the ankle joint on the numerous MRIs I've had over the year.

I've tried a podiatrist, orthopedic doctors, the Mayo Clinic (just was
there
last week and they were puzzled and sent me to physical therapy),
physical therapy, cortisone shots, increased dose of
prednisone..etc..etc.  Today I got some devastating news - I went to
see a very good and reputable foot and ankle orthopedic doctor who sees
mainly patients who have arthritis (80 percent, he said).  Looking at
my last Mayo MRIs (the report) and new Xrays done today...he said that
it IS the arthritis causing inflammation in the subtalar joint...and
that basically my ankles will never go back to normal...and he was
talking about having to do fusing down the line.  He gave me a
cortisone shot and said to see how that goes and to call him back in
two weeks.

I am so upset....I don't want to have to have my ankles
fused.  But this pain and inflammation has been ruining my life for the
last year. I can barely be on my feet (I'm 27, btw).  I have one joint
that is already damaged from the RA - my right wrist.  I had a
synnovectomy done on it which helped but it was done way too late and
now it is useless and constantly painful.  When this ankle problem
started it was my worst fear that the same thing was happening.  And
now....now...I finally find out what the problem is?  Anyway..I'm
getting off-topic here but I'm really upset, of course.  So...just
wondering....can synnovectomies be done on ankles?  Do they work?  I'm
so scared to get my ankles fused...I don't want that at all.

Has anybody had a similar problem?  I'm really worried.

Thanks for listening

Angela
(Minneapolis, MN)