My first visit with a rheumatologist since 1993

[Guest guest]

I went today and carried with me three positive dx from other doctors

dating back to 1993. I was originally dx by a RA in 1993 with

fibro, RA and degenerative joint disease. I never went back

to him because I was not ready at age 35, with a new baby to hear the

words RA.

Basically I was told: you have either fibromyalgia or

osteoarthritis or both - no way do you have RA - you could not possibly

be living and functioning with the kind of pain you tell me you are

having. It would be impossible for anyone to exist daily with the

pain you are describing. She refused to comment on the

nodules. Took a blood test to check my liver function????? and my

Vitamin D level again WHY????? xrayed my knees because she does feel I

just might, and this is highly speculative - MIGHT - have some sort of

arthritis in them, and gave me a brace for tennis elbow in my left arm.

Follow up appointment in 3 months. Again WHY? I am so

discouraged. Thank God, unlike some of you I already have

disability for other reasons and am not relying on this for my

income. I just want treatment.

Oh and I am 48 and she told me I am too young to have a dx of RA.

Has she never heard of juvenile RA? She's a Harvard graduate for

goodness sakes and I know more than she does. She asked me what I

wanted her to do for me and I told her I wanted to be treated before

there was more damage done to me.

Her basis for saying I do not have RA: My ankles are not as

involved as the rest of my joints and my hands look *fairly*

normal. I have all the rest of the symptoms on the list that she

was checking off and on the list that has been posted her by Harold

except for the sed rate. Mine has been steadily rising but still

is not high enough to be considered abnormal. I asked the

lab tech that drew the blood if she was checking my sed rate and was

told no.

I'm ready to crawl back into my cave of non treatment and just let this

disease continue its progress with me. I don't need this kind of

disrespect from the medical community.

Oh, but she did give me a pamphlet to give my boyfriend to read about

fibromyalgia and a prescription to the YMCA for water therapy due to my

being dx with osteoarthritis. So I guess it wasn't a total waste.

haha Maybe at least he won't think I am totally nuts. I

know tonight when I tell him what she said he is going to think she is

nuts because he has seen me on the days when I can barely move and my

hands are red and swollen and he has seen the nodules firsthand.

Ila in Maine mailto:sewcraftyme@...Owner:JEFLOVERS/MOD:

sewmurkot/ http://www.ChippewaCabinDesigns.com " Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. " Emerson