Teach Them Well

How fabulous on so many levels! You being able to inform him and “teach” him about GCA, him eagerly learning (which will benefit his future patients), validation of your misdiagnosis, and finally having such a fine young man in your family married to your daughter. Win, win, win, win.

It must have felt great to impart such wisdom and share your story.

So happy that you are able to play a such a positive role in an otherwise negative experience. Sounds like a Restorative Justice Health experience to me. Congrats!

Hopefully, the rest in this particular lecture won’t “miss” a GCA duagnosis in the years to come either.

Small steps, small steps, but welcome ones!

"who, frankly, takes more of an interest in my health issues, than my daughter does 🤔... What's up with that?"

It's cos he's a medic - all healthcare professionals have a very different worldview Be careful - you may find the future dining table conversations a bit full on!!

What a lovely young man! Love that you taught him about it and that he listened. Good thing to keep in mind for all of us...that maybe the next generation of docs will listen if we tell them!

Yea, for the next generation of doctors! Happy that he called and listened to you Melissa. 🤗🤗

This is wonderful Mamici.you have a lovely son in law.xx

That’s lovely mamici,you deserve to be happy xx.

hmmm “UK medical system” ... I think we all have good and bad stories but on the whole our system works pretty well , and I know I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay for the treatments I’ve had in my lifetime let alone while I’ve had GCA/PMR ...

This warmed my heart!

I work with 3rd and 4th year med students. I've shared my illness-story with many of them. I tell them my mantra has always been 'Be nice to med students as you never know when they may be called on to treat you'. And then tell them about my 'health scare' in which I saw 5 specialities: Psychiatry (yep, a psychiatrist was the one that initially diagnosed my GCA. She's a friend.), an Internal Med doc, a Rheumatologist, a Surgeon, and an Ophthalmologist. And each one of them, I had initially met when they were a medical student. By telling them, I hope it strikes an interest in them to at least look up GCA/PMR. My Rheumatologist is a teaching physician, so I've also had some students join in my appointments. Usually a Resident/Intern, but every now and then I get a student.

You must be so proud of your son-in-law. Medical school is so rigorous. I'm in such awe of those that go through it. And how wonderful that he's taking such an interest in your illness -- and sharing what he's learning from you with the others. You never know - someday he might just save someone's sight by having his interest ignited by your journey. Stranger things have happened.

Thanks for sharing!

Wow! What a useful son in law. Wonderful you’ve been able to point him in the right direction so no one he sees will have to suffer the way you and so many others have in the past. Our son in law works for a large company who along with lots of other stuff manufacture top of the range power tools. My husband thinks he’s the best thing sliced bread and the workshop is stuffed with machines to do anything you care to do to a piece of wood. I love my son law, wonderful man, but to me having a medical expert in the family very useful.

How satisfactory. My son in law ( GP) kept spotting PMR after my diagnosis. Aussies have that benefit now.

As for daughters well didn’t you know that it’s your job to be invincible?

I have just tried to like your great post three times, it kept coming up as dislike, if this shows up on your alerts please know it is a site thing or my device is suffering from sympathetic PMR related " brain fog!".

This is a great post , I am so glad to hear that there is progress going on to prevent the misdiagnosis that has happened for years.

Even if we charge to stalk your daughter's squeeze to his hospital to get the right help

( Don't tell him, I am sure it will be a lovely surprise!!😂😂)

I am not surprised he shows more interest than your daughter, there is nothing a medical student loves more than a person in their vicinity that they can use as a test mouse as they train.

Beware though, my friends daughter is training as a Practitioners Associate, and like me you may find yourself , trying to hobble off to escape them , when they suddenly pop up with another thousand questions and ask if they can prod you with stuff!

Thanks for the entertaining post, and again sorry , if my poorly tablet made it seem like I took huge dislike to your amusing anecdote!

Good Man👨‍⚕️

He will make a great Doctor

Sounds like a very fine young man...so keep schooling him as I am sure it will help many of his future patients and much of that credit will be due entirely to you.

Like you I have discovered that being the strong independent can cope with everything type of Mother can sometimes backfire just when you need that little input of sympathy/empathy.

I texted my son today, who is currently abroad, to tell him that my diagnosis of PMR had been confirmed. He responded...”OK good stuff...”.

Really? Think that might be code word for don’t want to think there is anything wrong with you.

Hope you are holding your own xxx

Hi Melissa

Great to have a doctor in the family - although my brother who lives in another OZ state and is an ophthalmologist 'prefers' I think not to talk about familial illness if it can be 'avoided'. He at least warned me however when I first told him about my GCA to get to an ER fast if I ever had any visual disturbance.

So it is perfect to be 'asked' about your experiences by your son-in-law - he obviously realises already that your personal insights are invaluable to him 'understanding' this illness as well as he can - and THAT is a vital 'lesson' for all medicos to learn - ie the immense value of the 'personal' subjective experience ...

I am not surprised your daughters view you as such a strong woman Melissa - because you are - but we are all fragile and strong it's just what we project they see the most of course. My sons are similar in this way - although being quite different in many others - and even my brother called me 'indomitable' recently which surprised me somewhat. But what can you do - after all we want to be strong and know we aren't always - we are always inevitably both things at different times or even sometimes at once ...

Then of course it can be a fearful thing for our children to finally realise we are fragile and not indestructible ....

XX

You’re so lucky to have him in the family, good choice by your daughter! And thanks for helping to educate him.

Melissa,

What a great story, thank you for sharing it with us.

Enan

Melissa.............. CLONE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi, After 4months of no diagnosis from GP's, a physio who specialised in headaches at the hospital and neurologist my son who is a 42 year old anaesthetist diagnosed GC A and told me to see a GP ASAP as it was a medical emergency. GP was still not convinced until blood tests came back and then I was referred. So some, slightly older, hospital Dr's are on the ball. I must ask him when he was taught, became aware of GCA.

Good that your so - in-law is so interested.

Sorry thought I'd replied....

You must have been elated and I am that it's being brought into the system, just hope it doesn't get lost! Maybe he'll decide to become a Rheumatologist!

Hope he succeeds in whatever he does - such a lovely future for the family - something to be proud of - and your daughter supporting the family too, I've been there, tell her she is a credit to all hardworking ladies! ...and there's nothing 'up' with the daughter issue, it's world wide! xx

That's fantastic!

Hi mamic1, I'm all behind like a cows tails.

Wonderful post, wonderful son-in-law. Best way to learn int it!

While I was an inmate the consultant sent one of his students to see me. I was told not to tell her what my diagnoses was. After numerous questions she admitted that she hadn't got the foggiest idea what was wrong with me.

Hopefully she has now.