Very annoyed with my Rheumatologist...

strange_wings

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Well my doctor managed to really do a number on me today. Back in August she had glanced at her planner and scheduled me for today, October 26th. I get there this morning at 8:45 to be told she wasn't in today and that I had never actually been scheduled in for any appointment at all.
160 mile drive (320 round trip) with gas prices how they are, and the fact that sitting in the car for that long causes me pain... we were not happy. DH was extremely P.O.'ed

And the best part, I have to wait till December 7th now for an appointment. My pain meds will run out by then, and because of her very strict policies on those (probably the government's doing, not her's) I might not be able to get her to refill them before the visit. If I go behind her back to a doctor I know would refill it, she'd dismiss me as a patient and probably write nasty stuff in my medical files.


At least today wasn't a complete loss, I found out the letter I got in the mail yesterday from her office saying that I needed to go for an MRI next month was yet another mix up. I was worried she was wanting something done with contrast
- I would have refused it, there's currently a class action lawsuit concerning damages caused by that.
(Note to everyone, do not let anyone inject anything into your back without fully researching the potential side effects, especially the ones they might not want tell you. You might think that anything is worth helping the pain, but the potential risk is permanent damage that could leave you in even more pain.)
I also requested copies of my blood work, if anything really stands out at me, I might skip out and find another doc.

Yesterday was a bad day, last night I didn't sleep at all, and today's car ride really took it's toll on me. And I just want to figure out what's going on...preferably sometime this year.


Has anyone else had their doctors do this too them?
I thought the whole reason they have two to three people keeping track of this stuff was to avoid such mix ups.

The only real upside of today, I found a couple of out of print books I was wanting at a bookstore and my husband just left to get chinese food.
 

mom of 4

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Always get an appt card from the office - your proof that you were told to show up then. And most doctor's offices call a day or so before the appt as a reminder I would be very concerned if I didn't get a call.

My dentist has someone call as a reminder and I get an email. And, no, I've never been late before.
 
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strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Mom of 4

Always get an appt card from the office - your proof that you were told to show up then. And most doctor's offices call a day or so before the appt as a reminder I would be very concerned if I didn't get a call.
I did have one, that's what she wrote the appointment date out on. If it weren't for those cards I'd probably forget doctor visits completely.
Not all doctors have called, the spine specialist didn't. Yet other places, like the open mri did call a couple days in advance to make sure I would be there.
 

pami

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wow I would be extremely upset, especially for the distance you had to go to get there.

I keep saying Im going to change my internest from many issues I have not necessarily with him, but his staff, but I havent done so, yet.

Im sorry you had to go through this. I hope you get it all worked out to be able to get the meds you need, even if that means finding another Dr.

And do not go there any more without calling first
 

ellen13

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I'm sorry to hear about your ordeal. I have arthritis in my spine and my hands and have been thinking about finding a Rheumatologist to go to. I hope you don't me asking but what does a Rheumatologist do and what does your doctor give you for pain?
 
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strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Ellen13

I'm sorry to hear about your ordeal. I have arthritis in my spine and my hands and have been thinking about finding a Rheumatologist to go to. I hope you don't me asking but what does a Rheumatologist do and what does your doctor give you for pain?
Initial visit you get a series of x rays done, will discuss symptoms, then you'll likely have several blood test ordered.
Depending on what all three together show, a rheumatologist will try to figure out what type of arthritis and/or autoimmune problem you have.
If you're younger (under 60) and haven't had injuries to cause the arthritis you have it might be worth getting it checked out. Different types of arthritis can progress differently and have other problems that come with them, such as fatigue.

Depending severity and type of arthritis, there are different medicines used to treat it. First line for many are NSAIDs and painkillers. Next would be DMARDs such as methotrexate, then biologics (TNF blockers). Or if inflammation is particularly bad/depending on the cause, prednisone.

Have you had anyone diagnose what type of arthritis you have? If it's just osteo, the treatment is a little different as it's wear and tear. If any, what blood tests have you had?

In my case I have definite arthritis in my lower back, she sort of said maybe degenerative disc disease. There's a bulge in one of the disc... though I think that might have been caused by the arthritis + a fall I had a couple of years ago. I also have sacroiliitis.
Though the main reason I asked to be referred was because I also have pain in several other joints, to the point of not being able to move the affect joint(s) at all. Always fun when the shoulders act up.


So far because I've only had one visit I'm on Naproxen 2 - 500mg pills per day, flexeril (for muscle spasms in my neck and lower back), and ultram 50mg (tramadol). Nothing completely takes the SI joint pain away, but if I miss a dose or two of the naproxen it feels worse. Painkiller is only taken if I'm in a lot of pain.

I wish you luck figuring out what is going on if you choose to go this route. It is for the best if your arthritis isn't osteo or you're not sure.
 

ellen13

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Thanks so much for the information. I'm 57 years old and don't know much about arthritis and I'm not really sure what kind I have but I do have autoimmune problems (thyroid, graves disease) and I also have severe osteoporosis which has weaken my spine and cause two of my lower disc to rupture. My fingers are getting deformed and are really starting to hurt when I bend them. I also have shoulder pain.

I don't know if I can take NSAIDs. I've been taking Advil but they upset my stomach so much I can't take them anymore. I don't know what DMARDs or biologics are but I'll try anything if it will help ease the pain. Prednisone is just plain evil. I was on a high dose of that to treat my eye problems caused by the Graves disease and I developed a moon face, a lump on my back and my legs felt like I was walking around on tree stumps. All that went away when I stoped taking it but I hope I never have to take Prednisone again.

The next time I go to my doctor I'll ask him if I should see a Rheumatologist and hopefully he will recomend one. I'm not really in a whole lot of pain right now but it does seem to be getting worse and it's starting to scare me.

Good luck with your problems and I hope you can find a good doctor closer to home.

Ellen
 
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