OT-- What a total trip at the dermatology visit today. Oh my!

[Guest guest]

I guess I am just so outdone and so shocked at the way my visit

turned out.

I don't know if I am just not good at picking doctors or if this is

routine procedure and everyone else is going through the same

things. I finally found a dermatologist at a local hospital. I have

been having painful areas (what appears to me to be nodules) in my

legs since May 2006 maybe sooner. I was given prednisone at the

rheumatologist clinic by the PA. No more was done. i continued to

complain about the area, however. I traveled 300 miles to see my old

rheumatologist and was told I needed to see a dermatologist. I have

yet to find a primary care doc here. I would still be just picking

someone out of a hat. However, lately the nodules appeared on the

back of my legs this time between the calves and the ankles and are

very painful very. the tissue is swollen from the extreme edema but

also it seems hard to touch, not just swollen. I got to the appt

early. He asked why was I there. I told him. He mashed vigorously

all over the area not taking any kind of care to not hurt. I thought

I was going to scream. He then said he needed to do a biopsy rather

abruptly, asked me to lie down on my stomach so he could do the

biopsy.. I told him about my arthritic hips and I couldn't do that

without pillows or sheets or cushions or something and he was well

how do you sleep. My husband said on her back propped with pillows.

I was so taken aback at his ignorance of how RA can affect the hips

and the type of pain I am in from the RA and the things he expected

me to be able to do or else he couldn't help me…. So we took the

biopsy with me standing and leaning across the semi bed in the room

and then again with the medical assistant holding my leg because the

other one didn't take. no type of anything the numb the pain

because of blood thinners I bled everywhere and he was not able to

cauterize the area. I have never seen anything like this. This was

his first time seeing me. what happened to evaluating me first,

scheduling an appt for the biopsy, then bringing me back to a place

suitable for someone with arthritic hips, one that was sterile than

doing the biopsy with gloves on this time. Oh my! Anyway, they will

call for the results and I guess I go back for followup but I was

just shocked at how abrupt the appt was. I was told to dry soak the

are which I will research because I have no idea what dry soak means

and neither did the pharmacist. He didn't even look at the other

areas of concern like whether this is psoriasis on my scalp.

where are the real doctors? Is Mayo clinic the answer or will it

just be more of the same. Playing doctor to myself is getting real

old. By the way I am still in pain, moreso after the biopsy and

manipulation of the affected areas.. Am I supposed to be still in

pain? Isn't that why I went to the doctor in the first place, to get

rid of the pain?

Hope your day was better.

peace,

Ebony