Reflection! My Rheumy Appointment Today.

Geared up for some of pred. reduction bashing! Health is the new religion! You can live forever if you do this or take that! Went better than my expectations! Good Doc. Just doing his tough line on steroid reduction & a!endronic acid! Myself. Refusing Met. & he did give a sniff of the the new one on the block! Declined! Reluctant to give to give power to myself to get off the the pred. There's the game!! Picture of tomato moth cat. Don't ask how I got my legs into that position!! ATB.All.

[Hidden]

Further later reflection! He said my burning stiff shoulders & back of the head stiffness were not a symptom of GCA! It could be spinal. That my markers were ok. Warned of the perils of steroids on the bones. Seemed to suggest people get addicted to them & I should accept some level of pain or discomfort! (As if I don't!) Went on to say basically that there was nothing he could do for me if I refused sparers & didn't follow his tapering plan. (Maybe I should have rang him every time I had a flare!) A further appointment in a years time was agreed although It won't be with him as he is retiring. I am now going to get a Dexa scan which I have never had. A decent doc but firm in his own views. It was conducted in a good atmosphere with some smiles between gritted teeth! Got to see what the feedback to my GP is now!

[scats]

Talking to yourself Peppergoggie? I'm sure that's a sign of something!

I haven't seen a rheumy yet only been threatened but I think the conversation would be similar. Doesn't help make you feel better does it, You should try sleeping at night.

How many feet do you have? Perhaps you should see a vet? Take care.

[Hidden in reply to scats]

May as well scats! Not sure what it's sign of! Must see a consultant about it! Like never! No one else listens apart from this forum!! It makes me feel a quiet rage. He was a decent communicator it's just that he couldn't say the right things!! The feet! Ah! it's all done by mirrors! ATB

[scats in reply to Hidden]

Quiet rage not good for you. Let it out!

[Hidden in reply to scats]

Ha! I always found a straight jacket a bit restrictive! And I bruise more easily now when the security guys sit on me!

[Omanain]

Wouldn't it be great if they just put us on repeat prescriptions for pred and left us to deal with it. I find these trips to the rheumy clinic and the GPs pretty stressful, having to decline all their wonder drugs, (Bet they wouldn't take them themselves! ) and worrying about their latest views on pred reductions.

[Hidden in reply to Omanain]

If only Omanain! But they would give up their power then & we may over prescribe becoming pred. addicts!! Who the hell would want that! All this nonsense adds to our stress which adds to the illness which we all know. I offered to sign a disclaimer which went down like a lead balloon!! It could have worse. It could of been more helpful! ATB

[Rugger in reply to Omanain]

My GP has put my pred on repeat prescription and is happy for me to taper as I see fit. I keep him informed and can email him anytime and see him every couple of months for a "catch up" - at his request! We have a great deal of mutual respect! This is all on the NHS and I recognise that I am SO fortunate.

[Hidden in reply to Rugger]

He/She truly is a star doc Rugger.

[Omanain in reply to Rugger]

That is great. A truly enlightened GP

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I also get what I want and when I want it - even from the rheumy who wanted me on methotrexate until I provided graphic details of the side effects in the first month! We don't have repeat prescriptions here - you have to ring up and request it. Then most things go direct to the pharmacy of your choice.

To be fair - I had a similar relationship with the GP practice in Durham. Once the PMR was admitted to...

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

How did that rheumy take that? Most consultants do not like to be wrong do they? It's part of their armour & status. If it's an agreed trial fair enough. Often it isn't though & it's pressured through.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

Well enough - we already had a pretty good relationship before I agreed to try it at all. The first time I met him it was with his book in my hand and we discovered all these people we both knew in the PMRGCA field in the UK.