BobsonDonut

Your story is very similar to mine. Basically either being ignored or accused of drug seeking by most doctors until eventually I got a diagnosis after almost 15 years of symptoms. I’ve had the most benefits from injectable biologics (simponi) but I do get really bad flares sometimes and I find high doses of CBD with moderate to low amounts of THC really help with those. CBD is a known anti inflammatory and TNF-alpha inhibitor as well, and the THC kind of has a narcotic effect helping you ignore the pain, which is why I think it works so well. It does interact with some NSAIDs and steroids like prednisone and may affect your mental health in some way so definitely ask a pharmacist or your doctor before trying. Other things that worked for me were cutting out fast digesting carbs (sugar, alcohol, pasta, most bread, chips etc.) quitting smoking and strengthening my lower back and legs with weight training. Foam rolling, and a heating pad can really help as well although now I find I rarely need them anymore. At 37 my body feels better than it did at 18. This is all probably stuff you’ve heard before but hopefully some of it helps a bit.

Honestly, the point of my comment which I didn’t do a good job of explaining is you kind of have to try a lot of things to find what works for you. These are the things that worked for me, but everyone’s different. You may have to try different diets, exercises, and products to find what helps you. I also want to emphasize the biologics helped more than anything else by far. That is the first step to explore imo.

Also, I live in Canada where these products are legal and accepted so I realize it’s not an option for anybody. Personally I use Monjour Orchard Medley 30mg CBD gummies, and I’ll take about 3-5 on a day I have a flare with 1 Drift brand 10mg THC gummy if I’m in like 7-8/10 pain. If I’m not in a flare up, I’ll take a much lower dose of CBD with no THC to help with the anxiety/depression that comes with chronic pain. Again this stuff can interact with common medications used to treat arthritis so I’d ask a pharmacist first if possible.

Thanks for dedicating your life trying to help!

To add to your point, my diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis was eventually made by a military doctor who wasn’t bound by the fee per service model. He had free reign to spend as much or as little time per patient as he thought was necessary. I really do empathize with doctors who are forced into practicing assembly line medicine. The system seems to be set up to only catch the obvious.