Hello,
Writing out of desperation to try and find help for my husband. He has been struggling with constant pain in his feet for over a year which has been getting steadily worse. The pain and stiffness has spread to his ankles and is now spreading to his hips and lower back. He was originally treated for gout which proved ineffective (for around 9 months!). They have at last concluded that this is not his problem and have said, in a pretty vague way, that it may be arthritis.
In this same way as his possible gout was treated, they are now going to treat for arthritis, without being sure what it is, and he is going to be prescribed the drug sulphasalazine. I'm sure many of you are aware of the unpleasant, potentially life-changing side-effects of this treatment. I am very concerned that he would be starting something that will make his life so difficult when they don't even know what it is.
I want to try to help him get the treatment he needs but I don't know whether he is being treated fairly.
I suspect that the hospital is being rather slow, and as the weeks go by he is in progressively more pain.
I no longer know what I can do to help, as he gets more and more negative and depressed. Does anyone have any suggestions?