NEW Rheumy

June 9, 2004

Finally, went and saw the new rheumy today. She was very pleasant and

actually seemed concerned both about my conditions and about the

treatment (or lack of) that I had been receiving. She completely changed

my meds because the ones I was on weren’t aggressive enough and once I

get use to these meds she is going to put me on some even stronger meds

(kind of working me up to it). I have never been one to go to the Dr.

when I needed to, which may have contributed to some of the extent of

problems I have now, but the difference between the rheumy I had been

seeing and the one I saw today is like night and day (that would even be

an understatement). Needless to say, I won’t be going back to the other

rheumy anymore. Of course, my wife says I should have gone to a “woman”

to begin with. LOL

She has me on Arava, Fosomax, Plaquenil, Flexeril, Loritab and Calcuim

with Vitamin D. The others she mentioned putting me on are Cytoxan and

Imuran. I don’t know anything about these but she suggested I do some

searches on the internet to read everything I wanted to about them and

let her know about any concerns I have. She is also going to be calling

my Pulmonologist tomorrow to discuss the lung problems and ask him why

he hasn’t ordered a Biopsy and repeat MRI and tell him to get an MRI

ASAP and to make arrangements for an open lung Biopsy to figure out

exactly what has been going on with my lungs so they can figure out ,

together, how to get me off the steroids…SOON. She also has referred me

to see an Ophthmologist for my eyes because she is concerned about my

eyeglass prescription more then doubling in 1 ½ years and then almost

doubling again in the right eye just 6 months later. She says it could

be from the RA or the steroids or another condition or syndrome which

I can’t remember what she called it but it started with an M.

It seems strange but I am actually excited about having this Dr. I

guess because for the first time, between the VA and my other rheumy, I

feel like a Dr. is actually going to take care of me. Quite a change of

13 years of untreated RA and 1 year of poorly treated RA, OA and

osteoporosis and neuropathy.

Rick

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