Help!  My 73 year old mother has had swollen ankles and knees that are causing her great pain 24/7.  This has been going on for 8 months now and is getting worse.  She has seen her doctor, who dismissed it.  My mother then insisted a couple of months ago, on having a specialist.  She is bound to medicare referrals and doctors.  They sent her to an orthopedic, who stated he could only treat the knees but he didn't have any diagnosis or control over her swollen ankles.

I know there is a deep root to all of this, but she is in extreme pain.