Update on my anger about (ex)rheumatologist

[ChinaWuntoo]

I hope I am allowed to make a further moan.

After two unsuccessful attempts to obtain a copy of my (ex)rheumatologist’s report, I had to obtain it from my GP.

Firstly, the rheumatologist states that he couldn't get through to me for the telemed consultation....not true, his record should show that I requested a second opinion and that he told me to refer to my GP. Admittedly we were on the phone for only a very few minutes!

Secondly, the report states, having been on 10mg for 27 weeks, that he wanted me to drop immediately to 7.5mg for four months. I rejected this. Has he read the NICE Guidelines. GP agreed with me on a very slow taper from the present 10mg. After four months I should be down to just below 8mg and hopefully with no flares.

Thirdly, he wants monthly blood tests....the usual at this stage is three monthly, I think. My markers are fine.

Fourthly, he wants another consultation in four months....I thought I'd sacked him.

Fifthly, he states that I should be treated with 200 units of vitamin D....he originally prescribed the usual 2000 units. I accept that this could be a secretary's typo.

Sixthly, he never sent me for a DEXA scan: GP has now done this.

All this in addition to my previous moans.

The report was typed three weeks after the consultation so it's not surprising that he got things wrong.

Why do we cope with these people? I am past the stress of worrying about this - thankfully. What a help this Forum is.... couldn't manage without you all.

Incidentally I have found that the biography of this rheumatologist states that he is: the editor-in-chief of a ‘European Medical Journal of Rheumatology’ as well as sitting on several other editorial boards of medical journals, a Harley Street consultant, a professor of medicine at an African university and he has written a large number of journal articles (I can find none on PMR/GCA); he also is managing director of an overseas petroleum-based company. I suggest his mind is not on his NHS patients who have PMR/GCA.

And this man is the head of his department in a large London teaching hospital!

I should have researched him before agreeing to ‘see’ him. I would have noted that his training ended in 1994 and would have taken that as a wake-up call.

Perhaps the lesson is to stress to our GP before being referred that we want a consultant who is up-to-speed about PMR/GCA.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Unfortunately it is quite difficult to identify the ones who are GOOD at PMRGCA - many of them will claim to know all about it whether they do or not! If you remember we did suggest the ones who would get a Michelin 3* rating (worth a journey) but you felt they were too far away,

To be honest - London is possibly suffering from a superfluity of rheumies looking for the big time in famous university hospitals. I had a similar problem with one daughter who repeatedly had all the symptoms of appendicitis. The GP eventually said to go to the local district hospital but the university one, the same distance in the other direction, was a few hundred yards from dad's place of work. No brainer we thought. They messed about all week and sent her home on Friday night saying whatever it had been it definitely wasn't her appendix, probably abdominal migraine! Next morning it was all back - but this time I took her to the district hospital. They decided it was most likely appendix and planned surgery on Sunday morning provided nothing got worse in the meantime.

One of her doctors there was doing a locum for our GP some months later and he told me that they had removed a visually normal appendix - but the histology revealed an abcess about to burst. There were bands of healed inflammation down the appendix, another episode and it would have burst - peritonitis and dangerous. District hospital 1 - Uni hospital 0 - because they couldn't see the simple answer.

[Jackoh]

Sometimes I’ve just felt it’s good to just have a good rant on here- at least folk understand and it gets it out of your system! 💐

[ChinaWuntoo]

Indeed! And often responses contain snippets of helpful information.

[Suffererc]

With all your ex has got going, I am surprised he got time for patients and ...... are they genuine qualifications

[ChinaWuntoo]

I don't think he had time for me!

His journal articles go back some years mostly. They seem rather esoteric to me but, then, I can't even read the words let alone what they are about. Except I see nothing published about PMR/GCA.

I guess the biography is genuine - obviously written by himself.