First Appointment with My Rheumatologist

(May 2, 2008)

So. Today I had my first appointment with a specialist.

I woke up around seven and got on the computer until we left an hour later. We arrived around 10:00, and waited for about an hour or so. I flipped through college brochures I'd gotten in the mail and read some of Return of the King.

When we finally got in, I was seen by a student doctor. He was pretty attentive and examined me thoroughly. However, he was obviously a bit nervous, and he did not write down everything. (A small rash I have on my arms and legs, my stomach problems, etc.) He bent my fingers, but since it was noon everything but my thumb was in working order. (The pain is at its worst in the morning--sometimes it's a stiffness in the joints and not even very painful--and wears out by midday until it gets as severe as my thumb.) I don't think I made it clear enough to him that my thumb had begun hurting in the same ways two months ago, so he thought nothing of my other fingers and didn't think much of my thumb. He left to go talk to the big doctor and relay everything he'd found to him.

The Main Doctor I didn't like very much. He came in, poked around for a few minutes, and didn't seem to think there was anything terribly wrong. While that may be true, I felt like he ignored half my issues or didn't spend enough time to explain why certain things didn't matter. He thinks I have Sjögren’s Syndrome, but we don't know for sure. It was such a rushed interview, he left again before I'd had half the time I needed to collect my thoughts and ask questions. It wasn't until I saw their backs going out the door that I realized, 1) They did not try to bend my thumb at the middle joint (which is what hurts the most, and which I can no longer bend without having to manually force it--very painfully--with my other hand), so they were not aware of that pain, and 2) The Main Doctor thought that I had broken/injured my thumb somehow instead of thinking it was a gradual process.

Then I had to get a ton bloodwork done, and my chest and hand ex-rayed. Apparently I don't get called back for an update unless something is wrong. "No news is good news!" as the nurse said. However, I find this extremely vexing. It could be a wait as long as two weeks, and even longer for the Main Doctor's letter saying what is going on. Which means, unless something shows up in my bloodwork, I will not progress any nearer treatment--even of my hand if they decide it isn't worth worrying about. Or, if it takes two weeks and they decide there is a reason for me to go back, it'll probably take even longer for me to get another appointment, meaning more time waiting.

At least I've got new pain medication. My old one didn't do much of anything for me, and my doctor said it was really old and outdated. The new stuff is working much better.

I am hoping that whatever is wrong will show up in my bloodwork. However, a lot of the problems tend to not show up, so if the doctor is only concerned with bloodwork there's a chance that I will be overlooked. This is Not Good, and not something we're going to stand for. If that happens, the plan is that we'll get my clinic doctor (who is very nice) to give another referral and go to the other hospital, where hopefully I'll receive more attention. (I wouldn't mind going there anyway.)

So, I'm pretty frustrated.