Hi there jewl12.

I have OA. and in remission from many years of severe RA. A few years back a rheumatologist said that I had Sjogrens Syndrome too and she gave me meds for it. I never took the meds as I felt the SS was mild and was taking drugs already for the RA. I have never brought the subject up with my current doc as I have enough to contend with and he has never mentioned SS either. I don't get dry mouth like I did and figuring perhaps the SS went into remission along with the RA.

I think what your gyn doctor said is the way to go. I know we want to get off meds as much as we can but as my doc said, it's about quality of life and so you have to way up the pros and cons.
I know Plaquenil is something that when on you have to be closely monitored and the eyes checked regularly.

Perhaps discuss all your concerns with your regular doc. is it a rheumatologist? and see what they suggest for you. Maybe you can drop one med and see how you go but I would talk about it first.

Pain management is a pain. and it's a tough call. I take Tramadol and Ibuprofen occasionally. I use pain patches and do natural things, ice, heat...all the usual arthritis self help suggestions.
Learning to lower my stress level. I have anxiety disorder and lowering that helps with lowering pain as I have fibromyalgia too.

I take turmeric capsules which is a natural anti-inflammatory. I feel that perhaps helps me so I don't have to take so much ibuprofen.

I think what we eat and drink does play a part too. and so making sure have adequate omega 3's in diet. fresh foods. limit junky processed foods.

And then of course keep on moving.
the more we sit around and be stagnant things stiffen up and is not good.

I wish you all the best.

Thanks naturegirl. I will try the tumeric. I've never heard that it was an anti-imflamitory . I am trying to make it on tylenol arthritis when I need it but I know that tylenol doesn't have anything for inflamation. I may have to go back on the mobic, but I'm going to try not to. I think my SS is mild too and sometimes I wonder if it was a false positive sense I tested negative for RA. I've heard a lot of horrow stories on this web site from SS patients and I am not going through all they are (Thank God) not yet anyway. I feel like mine is more arthritis. But that's bad enough. My back and feet get really stiff even when I just sit for a short time. And if I get up in the middle of the night, I'm so stiff that I don't feel like I have any balance. I don't know if I'm much stifer off the meds than on. I wonder if your body gets used to something after so long. If I feel that I need to go back on Mobic, maybe it will work better again after a rest from it. But I will definately try the tumeric for inflamation. I am not going to a rumy.My internest has never even sugested it. Every new thing I show him or complain about,such as my knuckles swelling and my toes and the stiffness he just says that goes along with ostio. I've read and read about the difference in ostio and Ra and still am not sure. I hope he's right about it being ostio . I'm sure he'd change my meds if I complained enough or ADD more but I just want to see if I can handle it as long as I can without getting on so many meds.Besides my husband thinks everybody who takes a lot of meds is a hypocondriac. Mispelled that, I know. Thanks again for your input.

Placquinel has been on the market for years. I used it for my RA.
Heat, hot showers keeping warm. Glucosamine is the best to help the joints. When working i used anti-inflammentary meds and pain killers.
I'm pretty good these days. All the best.

The thing with RA testing, the RA factor can come back negative but it doesn't necessarily mean that one doesn't have RA.
I have had SERONEGATIVE results each time but was diagnosed with RA because I had classic symptoms and other blood tests brought the doc to that diagnosis.

Sed rate (ESR) C-reactive proteine (CRP) And ANA

all these will indicate inflammation in the body and the ANA can show either positive or negative which will indicate if an autoimmune disorder is present.

Have you ever had those blood tests done? Osteoarthritis doesn't really cause a lot of inflammation and swelling. Not really. there maybe a bit but it's not significant like with autoimmune disease such as RA. My joints swelled up terribly with RA.
And RA is usually symmetrical. Both sides of the body are equally effected. so right hands. left hands. right knee, left knee...etc... That was me.

I think our bodies do get use to drugs and they lose their effect over time. that is why doses get increased or change of drug is ordered.

I'm not sure what kind of boodwork he did. When he did it, he did it with other normal bloodwork that he does on a pretty regular basis. He just mentioned that he also was going to ck for RA because I had so much stiffness. When he did it came back negative. He didn't tell me any factors. He just said that I was positive for Sjogrens. I guess they test for several autoimmune deases when they check. I didn't even know what that was but he didn't seem too concerned. Just wrote it down and told me o look it up. He still never mentions it when I go unless I do. I was already on mobic and he finally added Plaquniel. (By the way, I wnet back on my Mobic but not the Plaquniel. I know it's probably silly to be afraid of Plaquniel but before my Mom died she was nearly blind. She was diaetic and also had Macular Degeneration and anything to do with eyes scares me.
Thanks for all the help and excuse the spelling. No spell check on this site.

I would get a referral to see a rheumatologist.