Has anyone seen Professor Cope at Guys Hospital? As good as D'Cruz??

[Annalouk]

I was referred about four weeks ago and my appointment is next week. I wanted to see PRof D'Cruz but have been assigned to PRof A Cope in rheumatology. Can anyone tell me if he is any good please? Specifically with seronegative lupus?? I was told that so I wouldn't have to wait so long I was assigned to the next available rheumy who could deal with lupus patients. I haven't been diagnosed yet as my local hospital don't want to diagnose me because I am complicated and have lots of symptoms. To me it's quite clear. I have high ANA coarse speckled, butterfly rash, sun sensitivity, joint and muscle pains and a load of other symptoms. Most of my other bloods were fine except ESR which is often raised and protein in urine and renal test out of normal range. They just won't join the dots!! Is it worth seeing Professor Cope or should I wait for D'Cruz?

[lupus-support1 Administrator]

Welcome to LUpus Patients Understanding & Support (LUPUS) at HealthUnlocked.

I do not know Prof Cope, but I do know Pro David D'Cruz. He was trained by Prof. Graham RV Hughes at St Thomas Hospital and Prof Hughes has trained most of the lupus specialists in the UK. Prof D'Cruz works with Prof Hughes at the London Bridge Hospital, London.

I am not in any position to judge as I do not know Prof Cope. I do not know whether he is an expert in lupus; many rheumatologists are not. What I can tell you is that Prof D'Cruz is excellent and I would wait to see him if I was in your situation.

Sero-negative lupus is not uncommon and this has been recognised by lupus specialists. Apart from "classic" SLE ie malar rash, lupus nephritis and positive ANA, there are lupus variant conditions. In many patients, their blood tests are "normal" or "unremarkable". ESR is an indicator of inflammation, but you also need to know the C-Reactive Protein (CRP). If this is high, this is generally a result of an infection. If the CRP is within normal levels, then it is inflammation).

Just to reiterate, I do not know Prof Cope and in any event, this should be your decision. I do not know your financial circumstances but if you do have private insurance, go and see Prof Graham RV Hughes who is acknowledged by the international community as one of the leading, if not the leading researcher in lupus. He is the Editor of the prestigious LUPUS journal. Should you decide to see him, you can then see Dr D'Cruz via the NHS. Both of them work together. Just to say, Prof Hughes is well aware of patients' financial situation and it is not uncommon to see Prof Hughes (take along ALL your blood tests) as a one off.

We also have another website called the LuPUS Message Board where you can also post questions and talk to other people. Registration is FREE and we offer free information and free online psychological support. We specialise in psychological support with our own counsellor/psychotherapist available.

By becoming a Member, you will have access to the private forums and because they are private, only Members have access and even bots and search engines are forbidden. Many of our Members are at St Thomas' Hospital or have been. You can also discuss this with the people there - it is a more confidential platform.

When you register, please use the following format for entering your date of birth: nn-nn-nnnn where n=number. Please use the "-" separator and not "/".

Finally, please go to: lupus-support.org/LuPUSMB and Sign Up.

I look forward to talking with you more!

Sometimes we need to talk to people who understand and who are not family or friends.

With good wishes!

Ros