Posts by Peter Taylor9

Does anyone have a recommendation for a private rheumatologist in the greater Los Angeles area? I can't wait until next month at the Mayo Clinic—they won't even give me a solid date, and I've already been sitting around for weeks just waiting for them to tell me when my appointment is actually happening...

Grace Davis77 said:Yeah, all three doctors are excellent—Dr. Bosnić is especially easy to talk to—and they each have clinics on specific days of the week.
You really need to book ahead; the wait times can be brutal, sometimes stretching out for months. Honestly, your best bet is to just drop by in person to figure out your next steps—waiting for an email response regarding online booking can take up to two weeks when things get busy.

I just saw my doctor. Got a referral for rheumatoid arthritis markers... Mihanovic's clinic is closest to me, but whenever I call, there’s nobody left in the lab—I'm supposed to try again tomorrow before 2:30 PM. You have to make an appointment... now I'm just worried about how long this wait is going to be.

I also sent an email to the Mayo Clinic—specifically the Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology—pleading for an earlier appointment and explaining my situation. My fingers are starting to deform... the arthritis is progressing pretty fast, too. My doctor checked, and apparently, they don't have any openings until April.

Can anyone recommend a private rheumatologist? I seriously need one, ASAP.

melloworca6 said:I've heard nothing but great things about Dr. Bosanić—definitely one of the top specialists in her field—though apparently, you have to deal with a pretty massive crowd if you want to see her. 🙂

Thanks for the help, everyone—really appreciate it. Quick question: do Dr. Bosnić and Dr. Sentić also hold office hours just one day a week, or how does their schedule work? I know someone mentioned that Prof. Čikeš operates on a similar weekly rotation...

So, do you actually need to schedule an appointment ahead of time, or can you just show up once you have the referral in hand?

Thanks for all the suggestions... I think I'll try seeing one of those doctors—maybe Prof. Čikeš would be the best bet—but if things don't work out, could anyone recommend a private rheumatologist or orthopedic surgeon? Just want to have a solid backup plan ready...

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good rheumatologist in either Los Angeles or nearby areas. I'm 29, and my X-ray results show bilateral rhizarthrosis, reduced joint spaces in several parts of the wrist, and sclerosis..
The orthopedist at the clinic here is questioning the findings and suspects some kind of rheumatic disease—specifically, the report points toward erosive (osteo) arthritis..
The report also mentions swelling and early signs of finger deformity.. To add to that, I can actually hear my bones popping whenever I open or close my joints—both left and right sides—and it pops even more when I clench my fist tightly. My fingers hurt, along with other digits and my wrists generally whenever I "don't watch it"—basically just doing normal things with my hands... even washing my face can trigger the pain..

It’s really important to me that I see a top-tier rheumatologist. I feel like I'm racing against the clock here, and any wrong diagnosis or wasted time is going to cost me in the long run.. This finger deformation is already getting pretty concerning..

I’d also like to ask for a recommendation for a private orthopedist, just in case I need to follow up with one again.. I was told they can't see the full extent of the cartilage damage on an X-ray and that I really need to get a CT scan.. Does anyone happen to know how much a private CT scan for both hands costs? I'm assuming the wait times through insurance/public health are going to be brutal..

Thanks in advance

I'm 29 years old. Back in March, I suffered a nasty injury. I just got my X-rays back, and the diagnosis is osteoarthritis—narrowed joint spaces, subchondral sclerosis, the whole works. Basically, it's post-traumatic arthritis resulting from that accident. From what I've read online, you can potentially mitigate this kind of damage if you act immediately. Unfortunately, I didn't—and now I'm trying to make up for lost time. My specialist appointment isn't until January of next year, so I'm stuck waiting.

I picked up some Osteo Flex... Each serving includes:

Glucosamine HCl 1500mg
Chondroitin/MSM complex 1250mg
Vitamin C 60mg
Manganese 2mg

There are a few other ingredients in there too.

The dosage seems geared toward an athlete looking to maintain healthy joints, but my goal is different—I want to hit this hard to help my cartilage regenerate and prevent further degradation. Is it actually safe to take higher doses? Honestly, I'm not overly worried about minor side effects like a bit of nausea or anything like that.

I've also started taking Omega-3s—just one serving a day.

Does anyone know of a specific supplement that packs vitamins A, C, D, E, plus calcium and copper? I'm looking for a comprehensive blend of everything that might help in a situation like mine.

I sent an email over to my specialist back on November 21st asking about a preliminary estimate... still haven't heard a peep. To make matters worse, my left knee has started acting up again—it was bothering me this past summer while I was out running, too. I have this nagging feeling that things are just heading downhill.

Could someone take a quick look at these photos for me? I’m just trying to get a sense of the damage and see if there's actually any hope for a full recovery.

I just got my referral for an orthopedist... but it doesn't specify which hospital I should go to.

Where would be the best place to head in Chicago? Also, do I need to call ahead and schedule an appointment, or can I just show up with my referral?

I’m 29... last winter I started doing push-ups again. I felt this pain in my right wrist—actually, it was a familiar sensation from a fall I had when I was a kid—so instead of stopping, I just pushed through. Then the pain flared up, and I made a massive mistake: I tried to "fix" it myself by forcing the joint to move around—side to side, front to back, you name it. Well, the next morning, my arm was completely useless, and it stayed that way for a few days. Not long after that, things took a weird turn; my left hand started acting up. My left thumb keeps twitching, almost like a nerve is firing off on its own, and now my left hand hurts too.

Now I've got pain in my fingers and thumbs... my left thumb feels like it’s pulling backward. It just hurts, and I've even noticed my toes are starting to ache.

I went in for an X-ray and got the results. Now I need to see a specialist.

http://imageshack.us/f/837/39895938.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/96/51945537.jpg/

http://imageshack.us/f/607/nalaz.jpg/

Could anyone tell me what kind of situation I'm looking at here? What's actually going on with the cartilage? My doctor told me it's pretty worn down—that the bones are getting too close together—and basically said there's no cure. I feel like I have to find a solution, though. If this is how things look at 29, what am I going to be dealing with at 50 or 60? I want to try everything possible to regenerate that cartilage—whatever works. What worries me most is her saying that those spaces between the bones can't be increased. Is that actually true?