Heidi, I have worsening arthritis that is also messing up tendons, muscles, the meniscus in my knees. There's no way to tell how bad it's getting without doing imaging beyond x-rays. It's the MRIs that show what doesn't pop up on x-rays. I don't want to lose the ability walk. I don't want them to let things get to the point I need joint replacements if it could have been prevented by other treatments beforehand.

The radiologist who read the x-rays I had back in March picked up on nothing, they didn't even bother noticing the arthritis nodules on my finger and toe joints. I have a fracture in my left ankle and they didn't even notice that. I walked around on essentially a broken foot for months with the rheumatologist not knowing there was something wrong and not taking the difficulty I have walking seriously.

This new knee orthopedist says my knees aren't so bad and was shocked when I told him I have a lot of difficulty on stairs and can't get into the bathtub to shower anymore. Without him doing advanced imaging the way my first rheumatologist did Pre-Covid he's not going to understand why.