{"id":255,"date":"2012-10-19T17:49:42","date_gmt":"2012-10-19T21:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tusentakk2.com\/wordpress\/?p=255"},"modified":"2012-11-18T11:29:31","modified_gmt":"2012-11-18T15:29:31","slug":"mayo-clinic-rochester-mn-oct-1-3-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tusentakk2.com\/wordpress\/2012\/10\/mayo-clinic-rochester-mn-oct-1-3-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"Rochester, MN: Oct. 1-3, 2012 – Mayo Clinic"},"content":{"rendered":"

After nearly two years of frustrating delay, I finally got in to see a doctor at Mayo Clinic about my arthritis.\u00a0\u00a0 And what a doctor he was; attentive, warm, patient, methodical, involved and the Chief of Rheumatology.\u00a0\u00a0 I spent all day on Monday, October 1st<\/sup> meeting with the doctor and then being tested in various labs, with the last test not finishing until about 7:30 pm.\u00a0 In each case the technologists were friendly but extremely efficient.\u00a0\u00a0 We could not have been more impressed with Mayo Clinic.\u00a0 Tuesday we did some shopping and went to a movie.\u00a0\u00a0 Wednesday we did a self-guided tour of the fabulous art at the Clinic and then joined another couple in accompanying the carillonier as he ascended up into the tower of the Plummer building to perform his Wednesday noon half-hour concert. You can read more about the bells here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Later that day we met again with the doctor, who described in detail his findings and the treatment options.\u00a0\u00a0 I have inflammatory poly osteo-arthritis.\u00a0 The hope and expectation is that if the inflammation can be eliminated, then the pain can be minimized and the degradation of the joints can be slowed or stopped.\u00a0 The inflammation will be treated using the same kinds of drugs that are used for rheumatoid arthritis, even though my tests have consistently been negative for that type of arthritis.\u00a0\u00a0 So I am now taking two drugs daily:\u00a0 hydroxychloroquine and sulfasalazine.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The literature says that it may take months to see some improvement, but in fact my fingers already seem a bit more flexible and my ankles seem much less swollen.<\/p>\n\n\t\t