This doctor has no sympathetictic mannar at all it was my Very appointment with him and he basically said I was lying about it all he said I had no swelling which I do no damage was going to take my pain medication away and prescribed me Cymbalta you can't be going back to the blood results which where negative but we all know it doesn't have to be in your blood hey when you going to send me for some more blood work but I was so pissed I walked out I mean you didn't even examine me all you did was left in my arms tried to until I screamed in pain my general doctor has already diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis from the first time she saw me she said you have red Knuckles all the classic signs I have nodules all over I can barely hold the remote for the television he basically said I was a hypochondriac for pain. I feel so let down and frustrated i mean i started crying and he left the room what kind of doctor does that he wasn't even going to order xrays!! I hate this im in so much pain and feel like none understands.
Very disappointing appt with rhumy for the first time... - NRAS
Very disappointing appt with rhumy for the first time i walked out in tears!
Im sorry for the rant just very upset
Jaclyn, you must be feeling awful right now. I did a quick google on Cymbalta and noticed that as well as being prescribed for depression and anxiety it can also be used for fibromyalgia and muscle pain.
I guess this was a rheumatologist you saw(?) Is there a possibility that he was basically saying that he doesn't think you have RA but do have something else? Even so, it sounds as if his communication skills were completely up the spout & he's left you feeling insulted and confused.
Rant away! I would! But you know you're going to calm down at some point and re-evaluate. If it does turn out that you have RA or another form of inflammatory arthritis, you would not be the first person to be blown out, belittled and mis-diagnosed. Not by a long chalk unfortunately! And the way forward requires perseverance. If you and your GP think that inflammatory arthritis is likely (and RA is not the only type) then I reckon the next step would go back to the GP, biting your tongue (that's the hard bit!) and ask for a referral to a different rheumatologist. And ask you GP to do you bloods too .... 'cos something might show up another time.
It's going to be interesting reading your follow-up letter (I'm assuming all consultants send these, though not 100% sure) because it may make things a little clearer than this appointment did.
You take good care and keep trying till you get a respectful approach and some real answers. You may have something like osteoarthritis that doesn't really have much of a treatment plan, but it still hurts, it still needs to be considered. And if anxiety is a factor then that is a real thing too, not something to feel ashamed about
No he did not suggest i had anything else he simply said my blood test were negative and was gong to do more but nothing else he wanted to take my pain medicine away and give me cymbalta to help me sleep but this was my first appt. With a rheumy and my gp had started me on methatroxate but a very low dose she figured the rhemuy would up it but didn't even refill it so i don't know im going to be finding anther rheumy that care and wants to help not jist blow me off like im crazy. Thanks for you reply
My gp is awesome and i don't have to worry i know she'll give me new referral she told to make she i didn't take no for An answer she knows i have RA no doubt i have all symptoms from morning stiffness to swelling on both side hands shoulder knees and feet are affected so far my wrist hurt unbearable i have nodules everywhere dry mouth dry eyes but im so little that my hands don't look swollen unless you know me which he don't and can tell he doesn't care.
I feel for you. We are so vulnerable at times like this and that doctor just kicked you when you were already down. It seems your gp and that doctor are disagreeing with each other and you are in the middle! Why can't they liaise with each other? Some doctors seem to have chips on their shoulders and need bringing down a peg or two. If you don't fall into the criteria they follow they just treat you like it must be in your head. Pure ignorance. Glad your gp is a good one! I never realised a gp could prescribe methotrexate! Good luck xxxx
My heart goes out to you. I can tell you were still upset and crying when you wrote this post. I had to read it a couple of times to understand what happened.
I am utterly disgusted at the way you were treated. Not cool....
My old rheumy refused to look at my nodule on my right hand because he told me,
" You should be fine now...your RA is under control"
When I told him my knees and ankles were now swelling, he refused to look. It was almost like I made him look bad by not being in remission. I now have a new rheumy who has started me on MTX. You need to find a new rheumy.
I wish you well
Sue
He wouldn't even look i tild him i had noduels and he said how do you know what that is like i was stupid and didn't research my disease. Its so frustrating my husband asked him if he thought my joints looked red and he said no well when you push my skin it turns white. He was only going by the blood work which was negative but we know you can still have it. He wouldn't do xrays nothing said i was hypersensitive to pain but that was it no you may have this or that.
Well he didn't go to charm school did he?! How awfully you've been treated, to the point of being rude, certainly dismissive & showing no compassion.... he's patently in the wrong profession. I'm upset for you Jaclyn, it's clear you won't see him again so I suggest you go back to your doctor, try to keep your emotions under control (I know that will be difficult, well I know it would be for me but prepare & write down as much as you can remember) & talk through with her about where you go from here. She also needs to be aware of the consultants manner for future referrals for her other patients. Also ask her if she'll order the necessary bloods again, you should be having drug monitoring bloods so a repeat RF & anti-ccp could be done at the same time. That's something else, if your doctor was so confident to prescribe MTX the tests she'd ordered must have revealed autoimmune of some sort? Here in the UK I don't think I've heard of GP's initiating the prescribing of DMARDs as they're specialist meds & the initial prescriber is usually a Consultant so, again, she must have been pretty confident you had rheumatoid or one of the other autoimmune diseases that MTX responds to.
Do you have reviews for Consultants over there? If you do try & do some research, gather as much info as you can on others for when you see your doctor to discuss the report. It's probably dvisable to wait until she's received her copy so she's aware of just what the Consultant is considering diagnosis-wise. In the meantime try to calm your worst affected joints with heat or cold, whichever you react to best & rest, try not to overdo things. I'd be surprised if this experience doesn't bring on a flare so be kind to yourself. We're here if & when you need us. x
Thanks for the kind words we dont have consultant over here but i will be telling my GP just how awful he was i know she will do more bloodwork and xrays if i want she is very good at listening to me. At first she was scared to prescribe methatroxte but she knew it was going to be 3-6 months before i could get in to see rheumy and she seen what was happing to me in such a shorty amount of time i went from very active to hardly able to move in 2wks so she wanted to try and stop damage along with all the pain i was in she is very sympathetic. I know she is not going to be happy with the rheumy who pushed me aside like junk! I will not give up im 33 and have baby who depends on me.
I do know exactly what you mean I saw one of those 4 weeks ago who told me I don't have Ra!!! I have been diagnosed 3013. She said I had no inflammatioh in my blood when I asked what I did have she said she did not know!!!
Well i can certainly sympathise with you and boy do i understand. You need to go to PALS and report him for his bedside manner and demand to see another dr. I know the hospitals are becoming overwhelmed with the amount of people who are suffering with ra as my consultsant is not going to be working at my hospital as he has too much work at the other one. Hugs darling.xxxxxx
Hey sweetie, it took me 18 months to get a proper diagnosis of sorts and I am sero negative RA so keep trying. There were times I wanted to chuck it all in and the wonderful people here helped me so much. I really feel for you, it is so tough when you get an Ahat Dr who is so arrogant they don;t want to listen or fob you off saying it is in your head. Try again and go back to your GP and talk to them about how badly the appointment went. Get a referral to someone else and keep trying until you get a respectful and proper diagnosis.
what a total idiot, you need to see your GP, why certain people take up the medical profession is beyond me, this one sounds like he belongs in a lab As far away as possible from contact with us normal guys and girls.
It is truly awful when you get a so called specialist saying there is nothing wrong and making you doubt yourself. I must admit when it first happened to me, it felt so wrong. But luckily my wonderful GP did not give up and sent me to a different hospital, it wasn't a quick process but I am now receiving excellent care under a brilliant Dr.
It will be sorted and you will see the light, in the meantime just rant and rave on here, and know your not alone. warmest Craig
Thank you so much its so wonderfull to know im not alone and until i seen all these response i thought i was you all have made me feel so much better about myself i was really depressed and ready to throw in the towel i have had it with doctors who think they know everything and belittle you. I mean i know my body and i know when its swollen but according to him i had no swelling im a little person with tiny hands and feet so when they are swollen someone who don't know me might not see it but i can. Thanks again for listening.
Poor jaclyn11305,
You need to go back to your GP to get you another rheumathologist. Especially when you are new to RA, you would like to know more about your condition from your doctor and would like him or her to give you the needed attention and to show his or her concern of your situation. I am really sorry to know about your situation right now.
When I saw my rheumatologist for the first time, she merely looked at me and asked some questions then she just gave me appointment to go for the X-Ray and blood test. No medication for me at all and nothing much she advised. There she left and I was in great pain and in tear with shock.
I demanded to see her again and she came and told me that it was the hospital procedure not to gave any medication until all the tests were done. I demanded to have something to reduce the inflammation and pain. She then told me to go to visit the GP and get the pain killer for temporary relief and my appointment would be 3 weeks later.
You see, if I did not demand, I would be in great pain without any medication for 3 weeks before I saw the more senior and experienced rheumatologist. Moreover, RA patient must be treated early to avoid damage of the joints, therefore, go to your GP immediately and get yourself another good rheumatologist.
I wish I had a £1 for every visit to hospital where I came out in tears or frustrated. I was 5 years before I was officially diagnosed with RA. The consultant I had been seeing finally asked if I wanted a second opinion and I said yes, my new consultant did lots of tests and I did have RA. I was beginning to think it was all in my head too.
Don't give up! Rant away as much as you want better to get it out of your system with people who understand.
Patsy57
Complain. Keep it polite and factual when you are feeling a bit more composed. I doubt you will be the first. Even if Rheumy doesn't think you have RA they should tell you what they are going to do; even if it's to refer you back to GP
Thank you for listening i will not give up until i get answers to why my body aches in every joint and is swollen everyday i have bumps on many fingers toes elbows knees and shoulders so i know this is not in my head if i didn't notice something different every day that developed i would think maybe it was a little in my head but the pain is unbearable and the cracking of every joint upon moving is crazy.
My daughter had the same reaction recently with a new rheumatologist. Makes you wonder why they do the job at all.
This post is 7 years old so you may not get a reply
I`ve just realised the age of the posts. I didn`t even look at the age of the posts! I`ll delete my comment.
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