I have to admit I was a little nervous about my first visit with the rheumatologist. I wasn’t really sure what to expect and there was a certain amount of fear of the unknown. At the same time I was really hopeful that this doctor would help me get back to my old self again.
When I got to the office I realized that this was a practice of 4 rheumatologists and my mother had been to one of the doctors in the practice years before when she still lived in Rhode Island. At the time I really couldn’t remember if she liked the doctor or not.
The office was clean and the office staff seemed to be efficient and polite. I filled out all the necessary paperwork and insurance information and waited to see the doctor. Lucky for me the wait was only about 15 minutes. The nurse called my name and led me to the doctor’s office.
He was about my age and he seemed very professional. I learned that the practice was associated with Brown University Medical School and was a teaching practice. He seemed very nice. He asked me a few questions about what was going on with my body. I explained that it all started with my ankle and then my knee and then my wrist. I told him about the Lyme Disease, that we live in a area where there are a lot of deer ticks. He asked about family history and I told him that my mother has rheumatoid arthritis.
It may just be my impression, but it seemed that the minute I mentioned that my mom has RA, that was it. There were no more questions, no other ideas as to what was going on with my body.
He then led me to the exam room, where he listened to my heart and lungs and moved all my joints every which way. He squeezed my finger joints and wrists and then announced that he believed that I had rheumatoid arthritis.
My initial reaction was “What happened to Lyme Disease?”
He said no it was RA. He said that he wanted to do some more testing but he was fairly certain that it was RA.
I said something to the effect that I thought that Lyme Disease kinda jumped from one part of the body to the next and what about the fact that I had tested positive for Lyme.
He said that with my family history, he really felt that it was RA. He said that he wanted to put me on some medication that should make me feel better, while he did some testing. He told me to trust him, that he would help me feel better. That the medication would get me back to my old self again and that he would see me again in a few weeks with the test results.
At the time I was in so much pain and this man was offering some relief. I decided to have the additional test done and take the medication. It was only for two weeks and maybe this guy could help me feel better. After all the other doctor wasn’t really helping. I needed to be able to take care of my baby and I was sure that the tests would show that he was wrong about the rheumatoid arthritis.
He gave me a prescription for prednisone and told me to set up an appointment to come back in two weeks.
My instincts were telling me that this wasn’t right, but I told myself that this doctor was teaching at one of the most prestigious medical schools in the country, who was I to question his expertise. So I took my prescription and I made my appointment and I hoped that he was really going to make me feel better.
The next part of my story has had the biggest impact on my life. It has taught me a great many things and I can’t wait to share it with you.
hmm.. curious to hear the rest of your story. My first visit to my rheumatologist, she was pretty sure I had RA but sent me for blood tests and x-rays before perscribing any medications. I don’t have any family history of RA though.
I am quite anxious to hear the next part of this story. I did not realize that your youngest was still a baby when you were diagnosed. When I was diagnosed, my now 22 month old was only a few weeks old. When I was first diagnosed, I did not know I had a history of RA. After my diagnosis, my mother told me that my grandfather had RA but they did not call it RA when he was diagnosed. It was Rheumotism. My grandfather died in the early 1980s. He was in his late 60s. RA advances were not there yet.
Boy Lana, I can’t imagine trying to mother an infant that young while dealing with RA. You are truly amazing!
It’s funny – not ha-ha, but funny peculiar – because I’d have put bets on it being RA, as well. Not just because of your family history, but RA does (in my experience) tend to jump from joint to joint in the beginning. However, just because you’d put bets on something doesn’t mean you don’t consider other options and given where you live, it’s sort of a no-brainer to at least take a gander on the idea of Lyme Disease.
Looking forward to the next installment!
Hmm! with my experience and all I have got to understand about Lyme disease I would have kept walking until I found an experienced Lyme Literate Medical Doctor one who had seen hundreds of patients and was prepared to listen for how ever long was necessary. My first appointment lasted 2 hours even though I only paid the standard fee for one hour.
Any doctor, Rheumatologist or what ever who ignores the fact that you had a positive test for Lyme and now is putting you on steroids does not know his stuff.
Steroids are a complete no no for a bacterial infection and antibiotics should at least be tried before any doctor suppresses the immune system
There is a growing number of doctors questioning the Auto immune Theory because after all it is only a THEORY not a proven scientific fact that the body is attacking itself!!
Do have a look at the recent video I posted on my blog by Amy Proal. Science is still evolving and no more so than in the area of Lyme Disease.
It is not just Lyme Disease that can cause symptoms of RA but many other infections too. See http://www.roadback.org a very interesting website for anyone with Rheumatoid Arthritis a link on my blog in the last post also takes you to an amazing interview with Dr Brown who was treating RA patients with antibiotics for 50 years in his clinic until his death in the late 1980′s fascinating watching and a must for anyone with RA.
I very much look forward to the next stage of your journey Jo.