Hello, anyone know any good arthritis Drs in RI?

Hello everyone,

I am usually in the CD board but due to my Crohn's I have arthritis.  I have seen 2 doctors in RI and after testing for all other possible causes they cannot seem to help me.

I started remicade in 2001, the drs I had ruled out RA, lyme, etc and finally said peripheral arthritis. I know at any time though that it cold be ostoearthritis or RA. I had tried naprosen, ibuprofen, vioxx, and celebrex before remicade. The remicade worked for my joints well however my ileum perforated in Feb so my last infusion was Dec 26. My new GI would rather wait on placing me on remicade( I changed GIs while in the hospital since my old one was not aggressive enough when my gut started to flare a yr ago. I think my GI would prefer entocort first (joints have been my worst issue thru 20yrs and had those symptoms 1 yr before my gut), then imuran, then remicade or humira. I have been on all the above except humira, I am a chicken when it comes to giving myslef a shot....I work as a vet assist and place ivs in animals and draw blood all the timebut cant do it to myself, granted during tough blood draws (I have horrible veins) once the nurse has pierced my skin with the needle I at times help her fish for the vein. One time for remicade I was so dehydrated I was asked to come back in 1 more week (btween the nurse and the Dr they tried a total of 9 times).

I have seen 2 diff Drs in RI, one kept testing me for everything even those that were impossible (gonorrhea..sp?) at that time. The other one gave up after telling me to try remicade which was what my GI was waiting for was that to be the last resort and I was given the infusions there. I have Lidoderm patches (I moved out to Cali for a yr) and I had a great RA there did a bone density on me (since from pred I have osteopenia that was Dx when I was 22) they did spine, hips, arms, legs and she sent me a full copy of the report (color pics and all). she was the one who introduced me to the lidoderm patches I was getting remicade every 6 weeks for a while and would still ache prior to the next infusion and using those helped the pain. They help a little now but I also started having issues with remicade. My last infusion in CA I got dizzy and my BP dropped (mine is low to begin with). I had my CD go into remission so my GI had me get the remicade every 8 weeks instead once remission was evident. With my more recent (if you can call it that) infusions caused heart arrythmias and made my pulse sky rocket (my pulse avg is high normally 109)