Doctors please read

[Wraysbury]

Out of interest are there any doctors on here who are diagnosed with PMR?? I don’t want you to identify yourselves, I simply wish you would step forward and raise the profile of PMR amongst the medical profession. Especially all the anecdotal evidence you now know, and PMRGCAUK always knew, is true, but many physicians brush aside. Thanks in anticipation

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi Wraysbury,

There may be practising doctors on here - but I not sure whether as patients (general age range) or just out of interest. Plus I think they would probably be quite brave to identify themselves - there is quite a lot of complaining about them (some justified, some a bit unfair).

There certainly are quite a few retired nurses, technicians and other health workers.

But I get your point.

[SheffieldJane]

We have a clinical psychologist who thinks we are pretty wonderful and has been disappointed with his own medical care. Enlightened Rheumatologists have been known to use the site as a resource. We keep plugging away. We had a retired GP once a couple of years back but he didn’t stay long, realising that he would always be treated as such I suppose.

[Wraysbury in reply to SheffieldJane]

Oh I wasn’t wanting to pick their brains. I was just trying to encourage them to promote PMR as much as possible amongst their fellows so that they become more enlightened.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

There is a hospital doctor on the patient.info forum occasionally. I imagine having picked our brains he does pass on a few gems to his doctors but I doubt it gets further than that. One GP who was on here told us we were wrong in finding complementary therapies can be helpful. Many of them still believe their own story and probably are unlikely to change their tune.

OTOH - I think Edith Wales' OH has had a thorough education on GCA and PMR and does pass it on at his practice.

[PMRCanada]

My GP’s colleague has PMR, that’s how my GP recognized my symptoms and made a diagnosis. When I was having problems with my rheummy I wanted to ask my GP which rheummy his colleague saw, but for now it’s my GP who oversees me (just fine). I don’t suspect my GP has many PMR patients, but I’ll bet he (and us PMR patients), benefit from the two of them discussing PMR. Having my GP watch and listen to the challenges his colleague faces make my GP more compassionate (my guess) as he is a very good, supportive, patient and informed.

This of course is all my guess as I’ve not confirmed how much the two of them share. Either way, I feel very fortunate to have my current GP. I agree, it would be nice if the medical profession over all were more informed about PMR. They could teach my former rheummy something!!

[Rugger]

The charity PMRGCAuk has a professional membership category available free of charge to doctors, nurses, pharmacists, chartered physiotherapists, ophthalmologists and medical students with an interest in PMR and/os GCA.

They can sign up online at pmrgca.co.uk/pro_membership...

This information is from Issue 25: Summer 2018 of the charity's NewsWire newsletter.

[Wraysbury in reply to Rugger]

Thanks, that’s great, but not really what I was getting at. It’s actually medics who are fellow sufferers who can really help by keeping their colleagues up to date and informed. I’m a nurse myself and do my part in raising the profile, when I can.