I am sorry you have the pain, but there are a lot of good treatments for arthritis. I know you like this doctor, but you should also have an evaluation by a rheumatologist. There are a LOT of things that arthritis can do, and joint pain is just one of them. Getting an evaluation now, before it is bad, gives you a very good chance of keeping it from becoming bad far longer than you might otherwise have. If it is in your hands to the point that they can see it on the ultrasound, it may also be affecting your other joints.
A good rheumatologist will do a thorough exam and discuss treatment plans that include DMARDs. Those are Disease Modifying Anti Rheumatic Drugs. These medications are specifically used to keep arthritis from getting worse. My mother has had incredible results from Arava. She had a pretty severe and deforming case of ulnar drift, where her fingers came out from the knuckle at an angle from the hand, not straight out the way a normal hand does. It was painful, to say the least, and she couldn't do a LOT of things. She tried other DMARDs, but none helped the way this one did. After a few months her hands were not hugely swollen in the knuckles and her fingers were at a much more normal angle.
One class of medications that are popularly rx'd as DMARDS are the biologics, medications like enbrel, remicade, humira, etc..... I would urge you to run from any doctor who wants to start you on those medications with-o trying the other dmards first. Why? These medications have HUGE side effect profiles and can actually cause some serious problems that don't go away when you stop the medication. I know four people who developed lupus after using one of them - and it is a listed "side effect" of the medication. They don't all cause lupus, and if nothing else works then they are worth a try. But other medications should be tried first. I will say that an old friend's dad almost lost his job with the sheriff's dept (he is there mechanic but has to be a deputy to hold the job) until they tried Enbrel. But he had tried every other option first before those medications.
If you google DMARDs you will get a LOT of info on them. Using them NOW, before the pain is constant or severe, means that you have a far better chance of preserving a lot of years with minimal pain - pain free years you will NOT have if you don't do something to slow/halt the progression of the arthritis.
So get an appointment with a good rheumy, please!
I am glad the pain went away - it is a good sign that you have a chance to really slow the progression!
