My Latest GP Runaround | Arthritis Information

My latest and most frustrating experience with my GP to date was yesterday. Two weeks ago I saw him to ask for a referral. He said he would try, but that they decide who they will and won't see. Since they had lost the blood work they had done previously, they ran it all over. Absolutely no exam of any of my joints, or any questions about my pain.

Yesterday I saw him for the results. He says my results were perfectly normal and that means I have OA. I told him that I would still like to see an RD. He said he faxed them my results and my request for a referral was rejected. I told him they couldn't possibly be the only RD's in the world, and that I would go anywhere if he would just get a referral for me.

He left the room for a few minutes and sent a tech back to me. She said that she was getting paperwork from two offices, and would call me back with whichever appointment was the soonest. The doc came back and told me there was an 90% chance that I would be able to be referred. I haven't heard anything yet. I am afraid that I may have to start all over again with yet another doctor.

I am so frustrated. I wish I knew how someone could have swelling like I have had and not have an elevated ESR or CRP. I can't even get him to examine my joints or listen to my complaints.

If it wouldn't take so long or be so expensive, I think I'd be off to medical school myself. Why are some doctors so lazy!!! It is obvious, at least to me that my problems are inflammatory, yet it is ignored. Steroids work to make me comfortable, and that is what he has prescribed when I have come in with swollen joints. He thinks I should just take the salsalate and tylenol and "live with it".

I don't really know exactly what to do now. I know that something is wrong and I want it addressed. I wanted to twist the idiot's little head off!!!!beadturtle38855.2453009259Beadturtle, I know the feeling all to well. Continue to insist to see a RD. Even with 'normal' blood work, that doesn't mean anything. I had this run around with my GP as well, but finally got through to her, that I wanted to see an RD and I did. And am very thankful for my tenacity in the situation! My GP is useless.

I am really sorry to heard that, I have a bit of a problem as well. Like fighting the GP to send me to an specialist. A few tears did the trick, and thanks God, because I was diagnosed with RA. The sooner they catch it the better.

So keep fighting, or find other alternatives, or other GP. I know it can be frustrating but better that nothing.

If you are in pain and you know something is not right with your body and you're seeing a doctor that says "Live with it" I myself think that warrents a new doctor.

I was dx'ed years ago with RA with negative blood work. The only blood indicator I've ever had that seems to even point to an inflamatory disease is an occational elevated SEDS Rate. There are many, many different criteria that are used to dx'ed RA. Your doctor isn't doing you any favors by determining you don't have RA without exploring other criteria.

Maybe you don't have RA; I don't know and I don't know you....but there's one things I know; and that's if this doctor isn't taking your situation any more serious than he is right now; he's unlikely to feel any differently about things two years from now.

Get a new doctor.

Thanks all for making me more sure that I can't waste any more time on this doc. I only hope that he does get a referral for me, so that I don't have to start over somewhere else. I don't plan to see him or anyone else practicing in this group again. I am definitely not sure that I have RA, but I do believe it is inflammatory. It could be RA, or PA (as meme suggests), or something else. I just know my symptoms don't "jive" with what I know and have experienced with OA. I have OA in a couple of joints, but this is entirely different. It seems they try their best to make you feel like a hypochondriac, or attention-seeker so you will just drop it and make less work for them. I just want answers and appropriate care.And you deserve that. We all do!My GP said I didn't meet the criteria for a referal to an RD because all my blood work was "normal". My RD said different once I went to see him! If you are with an HMO it is doubly difficult to get any action. Thanks so much Teri! You give me hope that there will be an end to this road I'm on.

How did you get your referral? After your diagnosis, did you go back to the GP?I told the GP, I wanted a second opinion from a RD, no if's ands or butts about it, and if she didn't do it, I was going to be going to the patient advocate of my medical group. I had an appt the same day. I don't go to my GP unless I have to, and now that I have the process going with the RD and the OB, I think I can switch GP's which I will do. I only see her, when I the other two drs. can't take care of what I need, such as my Upper GI problems. It's a pain in the butt, exhausting and sometimes overwhelming, but once you find one good Dr. the rest seems to be a piece of cake. Unfortunately for me, because of the OB problems, I can't start treatment for the RA until after. But, I haven't been to bad with the RA lately, just this past week have I been flaring again, and I'm sure it's due to a lot of other stress in my life, which I'm trying to get under control as well!! LOL My insurance didn't require me to have a referral; but my GP suggested I might should see one and I just made an appointment. Granted it took several months to get in....but it was worth the weight. A good RD will tell you right off the bat that the blood work doesn't matter. My blood work wasn't even back from the lab when my first RD dx'ed me after an examination.My GP claims that the RD's require a referral and are picky about who they see. My insurance doesn't require a referral for a specialist, but the RD's won't make an appointment without one. I have Humana PPO.BeadTurtle: Read my response to "Do we need a Reummy" It's my story about dealing with an internist. Good luckI can't believe that BT~most RD's know that GP's don't know very much about RA and surely do not know how to dx it. It's surprising that they won't see you. You might want to call around and see if MAYBE one will go ahead and schedule you an appointment. It's likely to be months off....but that's better than nothing.

Given the experiences we all seem to have had with GPs not being up on all the ins and outs of RA and its cousin diseases, I was horrified to read in an online New Zealand newspaper last week that the powers that be in that country (my homeland) have just cut hundreds of patients off the waiting lists to see specialists in an attempt to shorten the waiting time. You guessed it, one of the 'medical conditions' that is now on the list of diseases that 'don't need a specialist' is RA. All of those people have been told to see their GP which I am sure they have already done anyway.

How would we all be right now if we had never been permitted to be seen and treated by an RA specialist? The GPs in New Zealand are probably as overwhelmed as those here and there's no way they can all be fully up to date and trained in what to look for, sero-negative patients, courses of treatments, side effects etc etc.

Having lived in the U.S. for all of my adult life and beome a citizen, I am now even more grateful that my RA reared its ugly head here rather than in my nativeland. An appalling state of affairs.

Cynthia