well the day for my app. with the new rheumy has finally arrived. I am so apprehensive i was tempted to cancel it ,but i have waited too long for this app. so i will keep it. ( I have had severe fatigue,pain in left leg,left arm,both knees,numbness in both legs at night. mouth sores,butterfly rash,blood and protein in urinalysis. positive ana,high crp. All my previous rheumy did was test every 3 months and tell me i have connective tissue disease,i finally just stopped going to him and made this app. with new dr. its been about a year since i saw anyone. my fatigue and pain is much worse. Any one have any advice on what i should say or ask this new dr.? Thanks,ee

Hi, elizabethellen,

It may be good to take with you a quick reference list of medical symptoms, dates when they reared up, etc. While some drs. like to control the dialogue by peppering you with questions, while others ask *you* to do a run-down of symptoms, etc. So if you have a brief list, you could handle either approach without forgetting anything major.

You could take any copies of recent labs you have. Rheumie may not want them (may only trust his own labwork), but at least you could offer. (Some rheumies ask for labs to be forwarded in advance.)

As far as what to ask... hmmmm... It never HURTS to ask, if rheumie wants to do more tests, what he/she is testing for. It seems some will answer clearly but that others will hold their cards very close to their vests (in my experience, anyway).

But I hope you do go in with good expectations. If your optimism re: the new rheumie is fated to run out, there is plenty of time after the appt. to feel that way. I actually think I "telegraphed" to a couple of specialists how little I expected them to accomplish---and they did not disappoint. :D

When I finally went to a big-city rheumie, I marshalled my best behavior and tried not to be antsy or sarcastic (I was so burned out on drs. by then).

Check in when you can & let us know how it went, OK? GOOD LUCK, from Vee

thanks vee, I will do that. ee :)

:wave: Good Luck, and don't cancel! Don't be afraid of the physician, assert yourself....... it took forever for me to take up for myself in the Exam rm. Take the list and list of meds, remember to breathe, Don't feel afraid to say "I find that upsetting", or "I really think this needs to be looked into more in depth." And it is ok to ask what the test are being run for, and the highs and lows should be explained. My prayers are with ya! :angel:
Felicia

Elizabeth good luck today with your new rhemu doctor! I have a appointment with a new doctor next week - a female & I'm hope this one will be better.

Question for everyone - should I tell the new doctor the previous rhemu doctor's findings or in-conclusions? Or start from scratch?

Dear elizabethellen and Sun_Shine,

I learned NOT to tell a new dr. what the previous ones had Dx'ed, unless specifically asked. My drs. seemed to have little regard for one another's opinions, but that's just my own experience.

Except when absolutely necessary, I did NOT mention the Internet, fine & wonderful groups such as this, etc. My drs. hated such things, I suspect, with the notable exception of my current rheumie, who actually asked what *I* thought was wrong with me.

So I told him that I had Internet printouts in my handbag, then shut right up without specifying what. He quickly wrote down his first 4 guesses on a piece of paper & folded it shut. After he finished the exam & his staff started new labs (blood & urine), we sat down & exchanged my printouts for his little piece of paper. I'd missed just one, he told me (vasculitis), but our lists matched on SCLE, APS, & RA. I suspect this rheumie is one in thousands...

In general, my governing rule was to avoid anything that could be perceived as an insult to the doctor's "stature", at least not on the very first appt., or until I was forced into back-to-the-wall fighting mode. :D Even then, they'd take umbrage. Most seemed eager to perceive an insult, even where none was intended, I found.

On female drs.: I learned NOT to expect any particular bond by virtue of us both being women. My female drs. saw themselves first as doctors, miles above me in the hierarchy of mere mortals vs. trained drs. But, again, that's just my own experience.

GOOD LUCK! Vee (who bowed & scraped herself through at least 8 specialists before going to two, a rheumie & a dermatopathologist, who really helped)

Vee,
Just wanted to tell you how much I love your posts and how inspiring you have been. I take your advice to heart and it helps to hear how other people deal with Dr. I myself have alwaysbeen afraid to inconvience or bother them. I am getting over my fear of being viewed as a bad patient and starting (slowly) to stand up for my rights or question things. thanks for posts!

Veej thanks for the post, it is always nice to hear how others deal with the doc situation. I like you have learned not to mention the internet or other sources of info. It is wonderful that you have found docs that listen and are taking such good care of you. We will all keep looking, and kissing a lot of those frogs, but we will find our prince.

VeeJ - I'm so glad to have you posting! You are such an inspiration. It's terrible that it took you 8+ doctors but, at least it helps those of us who are our in our "quests" to know to keep trying until we find the right one.
Thanks for the tip on the female doctor - your right I would of gone in there thinking I had a "bond" as a female and might of shot myself in the foot. I'll go with the doctor first part - woman last. :cool: And I'm excited for my appointment next week w/new doctor so I'd better take myself down a couple of notches so I don't get disappointed. As it's already been a long haul & it might be a longer haul to get to the right one. One foot in front of the other - baby steps.
But, thanks to your tips I've written out a complete history of symptoms & tackled getting a complete family history from my mother. (Which interestingly included a Grandmother with Lupus.). Along with my lists - I'm armed for battle IF need be.
God Bless to all - I'll keep you posted. :wave:

Vee,felicia.sun shine, Thank you very much for your advice. Vee, I am so glad you told me to go in optimistic,I really tried to do that,it worked.
The dr. was so nice, did not seem in a hurry at all.He did ask a lot of questions (I had my list) he also had my records,after looking over everything and talking to me he said ,my records show a very high ana,but that i need more test done to determine if i have lupus or something else.He said my leg pain was bursitis. I was very pleased with the app. I go back in 3 weeks for the results of test, I wish i had gone to him sooner,I actually did cancel the first app. i had with him months ago because i had heard that he was not very likable from my pcp nurse. she was wrong,or maybe it was me going in smiling and optomistic ! elizabeth

EE, I'm so glad your appt. went well. You give us hope! I will be seeing a new rhuemie soon (in a couple months) and I will try the optomistic approach. Of course I am always optomistic and I think that is the problem sometimes, I am not taken seriously because I have a smile on my face and don't appear to be 'wrecthing' with pain. Let us know how your test results turn out.

Glojer

Dear Elizabeth, Yaaaay---a meaningful appt., is what this sounds like.

Funny... and just as you described---when one person recommended a dr., or another person disparaged a dr., I swear, every time I reached the opposite conclusion. So you did a very good thing for yourself, going with your own instincts.

Keep in touch with us when you can, OK? I'm really glad you got a solid foot in that rheumie's door! Take good care, Vee