New to group & have Q re: how to get Doc to communicate more.

[Guest guest]

Hi, I'm new to this group, I signed up about 5 weeks ago after I saw information

re: one of

the members in a book called " What to do when your doctor says it's Rheumatoid

Arthritis "

or something along those lines.

I am still in the diagnosis stage as my symptoms eased & went away for 6 months

from

Mar '07 & I stopped seeing my Rheumy after the 2nd visit.

I have had symptoms since DEC '04 & it peaked APR '05, to the point where it

took me 5

hrs to get ready for work because when I first woke up I couldn't walk at all

because my

ankles/feet were so swollen & my knees so sore. i had to scoot to that loo on my

bum

(pretty funny now i think back to it). I have it in my ankles, knees, shoulders,

wrists, a

couple of fingers (pinkies mostly), elbows & jaw.

It flared up again in OCT '07 after a trip to Tasmania (did too much i think).

At first I

thought it was a workplace injury because it was just in my right knee & thus it

was

treated like such until it cleared up & my left knee flared a week after. I was

on Brufen &

then Voltaren 50 when the Brufen stopped being affective.

I told my current GP, who is a bit of Quack, that I had RA so that I could get

a Rhuemy

app. without all the investigation first (It took 18 months to go from GP to

Rhuemy last

time).

I recently had my Rhuemy app. & it is the same guy I saw last time. One of the

reasons I

stopped seeing him last time was because he wouldn't discuss why he was

prescribing

certain drugs, in this case it was Pyralin ® EN. On my 2nd visit he asked if i

has started

the drugs & I told him no because my symptoms were easing & i didn't like the

list of side

effects.

This time he has prescribed Pyralin again as well as Prednisone & I take

Voltaren as

required. He didn't explain what they were for again or what the blood tests he

was doing

were for, even when I asked, he just said to make sure I'm ok.

I know the blood tests I requested to be taken for the app. were not 100%, there

were 2

markers for poss. decreased kidney func. which is one of the reasons why he is

doing

more tests. He did say he thinks I am right that it probably is RA.

I am taking the drugs prescribed this time because I have done research since

the flare up

& know what they are for etc & have weighed up the pros/cons myself. I am a Chef

&

because I am deaf also I need to be able to work in this area for as long as

possible.

Anyway my Question is how can I get my Rhuemy to discuss my treatment &

prognosis

with me instead of just brushing my enquires off without getting his back up? Or

should I

just try & find another Rhuemy even though he is the only one servicing our

area, the next

closest being at least 1000 km's away or possibly interstate?

Any ideas are greatly appreciated, Sharon