Guest guest Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Just as in any profession, there are good doctors and bad doctors. I tend to think the first one you saw wasn't very good; so I hope the referral you got this time was from a reliable source. I got one from my ortho but my internist knew her and thought she was excellent; but the internist gave me another name, too, because it took two months to get appointments with either. I put my name on the " wait list " and decided I'd go with the first one who had a cancellation. She took a pretty thorough history but the minute she saw that I had psoriasis (not bad - just a little on my elbows that I've had since I was in my teens - not even active most of the time) she knew the diagnosis. While I still am a bit scared about going on Embre, I consulted with both the ortho and my internist and both agreed that of all the classes of medicines out there, it was the best. My internist is adamantly opposed to prednisone - said it's hurt too many people. Hopefully, you will have better luck with this new doctor. Don't be afraid to ask questions, consult with your primary care physician if you have any doubts. These diseases are so complex that I think we owe it to ourselves to learn as much as we can and become our own advocates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 , If I were you I would choose another rheumy. Don't go to the same one. Remember, you are in charge of your medical care, and if the doctor doesn't treat you right, find another one. I would follow my own advice, except I belong to Kaiser Permanente and they have only so many in the area. So my rheumy and I go around and around. He forgets who feels the pain. He figures he knows more about the disease than I do and I don't really think he does. I also was on prednisone for almost a year at the beginning while I waited to get an appointment to a rheumy, then it took a long time to be weened off it, but I was more than happy to take it. It was like my lifeline. I couldn't always take the Vicodin at work. As soon as I got in to see the rheumy, he put me on Methotrexate, (5 years ago) I took enbrel long enough to decide it was not my wonder drug, but I was then off the prednisone and have been just fine on the mtx alone. I still have little flares of pain, but I have a tendency to push myself and do too much. Like now, I have been shampooing carpets. It has taken me 3 days, where before I would have had it all done in one evening, but you can see what I mean. I eventually get the job done, but I have to pace myself and rest in between. So, you really don't need to be afraid of the prednisone nor the rheumy, but if you question something, tell him about it. You can find so much information online these days, arm yourself with knowledge about the disease. God bless, Janet in Ca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 27, 2007 Report Share Posted July 27, 2007 - print out information about PA from sites like the Arthritis Foundation and take it to the doctor. Make sure you study ahead of time and if the Dr. says *anything* that is not correct, don't hesitate to correct him and point to the papers in your hand as evidence. I have had very little extreme swelling, plus my bloodwork is always normal for all of the inflammatory markers! Luckily my derm saw me at the worst, when I did have bad swelling, and my rheum takes the derm's word for it. Even when I had several sausage digits, my bloodwork looked normal. It's not uncommon. My x-rays are normal, too. Consider coming right out and asking to try methotrexate, which is a first-line drug to try for PA. Take some infomation about MTX being used in treatment for PA. Just google " psoriatic arthritis methotrexate " and you should find lots of reputalbe info about this. Let me know if you need help finding any of this information. regards, sherry z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2009 Report Share Posted March 1, 2009 Dear Suzzie, I laughed when you said your husband reminds you of where you are now and where you used to be. Mine doesn't really know what to say in words, even though I have his full support, but I think even you will find this funny. He tells me to go shopping. LOL Blessings, Lottie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 17, 2009 Report Share Posted April 17, 2009 http://ldn.proboards.com/index.cgi? LDN_Users/ Spotlight_ldn/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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