Hi everyone!
My primary care Doctor thinks I have RA or something related (bloodwork mostly indicates it) and my Rheumatologist appointment is a week away. I was wondering, is there anything you wished you knew before your first appointment? Is there anything specific you would have asked? Are there any ways for me to know if the Doc knows his stuff or anything I should listen for that would indicate he's bad at his job?
Any help would be really appreciated. I've enjoyed lurking on the board for a few weeks and am excited to become a more active member.
Thanks!
Rocky
Welcome and good luck at your appointment.
My only suggestion would be to write down every question you may have.
As far as the Dr. himself, I would suggest that he seems to take an agressive attitude in finding your correct diagnosis and treatment. Not the dreaded wait and see or it could be type.
Hope all goes well for you.
Hi Sagerock...I'm pretty new here, too, and I've found this forum to be super informative!
My advice would be:
1. If your doctor shows little/no compassion...find another rheumatologist! I wasted much time with my first one.
2. Don't hesitate to be agressive with your treatments...the more agressive you are early on, the less likely you are to have permanent joint damage.
3. Be good to yourself. Simplify as much of your daily life as possible. Don't hesitate to ask for help doing things that cause you pain, and get plenty of rest.
I'm not sure Rocky~when I was dx'ed I didn't know the first thing about RA and was caught a little off guard by the whole thing. You'll already be a step ahead by doing a little research on your own and hanging out here. I've found that the experience of our friends here is far better than anything you'll read in books. Years ago I didn't have the internet to explore and learn from I learned early on from books I got at the library. Needless to say it took me years to become as informed as I am now.
Writing things down is a good idea because when you get in the doctors office it's so easy to forget all the things you thought to ask. Having a list will help you and how your doctor reacts to your list of questions will give you a good indication of how patient he'll be. If he acts as if he doesn't have time for your questions it's a good indication of the way you'll be treated years from now as well. Hopefully you'll be lukcy like I was and get a good doctor right from the start.
I wish you the best of luck as you start your journey. Welcome to AI. We're glad you're here.
Hi Rocky...welcome!All of the above is great advice. Being informed ahead of time is really critical, otherwise you might not even understand where the doctor is going with any of it and what he has in mind. The list is important. You should have a list of all your other medications, allergies and health problems. Those you carry with you from now on. Make it a way of life. You want to continuously update it and have it available everytime you see a doctor, go to the ER, etc.
Also, ask about what his office practice is on seeing the rheumy. How often do you see him and does he sometimes have you see a nurse practioner instead? What if you have a problem, how easy is it to get in after you've had your new patient exam? I didn't realize I should have been calling in because I had to wait so long for my first appointment. Consequently, I got very ill to the point of not working really quick. Others have had detoriation because they didn't know they should be going in sooner than scheduled appointments.
Aggressive treatment is key. Ask about MTX. Ask when you should start to see results from whatever first treatments he advises. This will help you not to worry so much if you know what is the expected timeframe. It will also help you raise a red flag sooner if the medicines are not working for you.
I didn't know anything when I went in. You are already better prepared than I was.
Good luck and let us know how it goes. Glad you're here.
There is so much to know, just learn as much as you can and write down all of your questions. Reading threads here will give you lots of ideas.
Welcome!
Welcome. I think the others gave you good advice. My only addition would be to write down your symptoms when you have them and take them with you on your doctor's apointment. RA is very variable and sometimes I forget from day to day how I felt during a bad flare. Take all your medical records with you along with insurance information . I have a book of preferred providers I take with me on visits because I never know when the rheumy will ask me to see another specialist.I also have a list of medicines I'm allergic to and allergies that I give to every doctor who sees me. If you have already seen other doctors, ask for copies of the notes and take those with you. The bottom line is this disease is hard to diagnose and the more you can help the doctors collaborate, the sooner you will get diagnosed.Writing down your questions is such a big thing. I always forget and have to call back.
Keeping a journal of your aches and joint stiffness is important too. My PCP is always about my morning stiffnes and how long it last. If I didn't record it, I would forget it. It comes and goes.
It is true, there are alot of times when I am at the doctors office and I feel okay and I tend to not paint an accurate picture of my day to day life with RA. I finally learned my lesson when the next day after a routine visit I got hit really hard with a bad flair. I ended up going back in and I told him what had happened. Now I know I have to be more careful about being accurate when reporting my symptoms. A log or journal is a really good idea.Welcome to the boards. The people on here really know what they are talkig about and have helped me a great deal.
I agree with what they say and my biggest help in going to the doctors is a daily journal. Every time I go they make a copy of it and keep it in my chart. My brain is almost constantly in a fog and if not for the journal I would be totally lost. If you ever get to the point (and I hope you don't) that you need to be on disability, the journal will also be a big help with that.
Good luck with your appt.
Hi sagerock :) I agree with writing down every question you can possibly think of to ask as well as all of the symptoms you have experienced, whether you think they are related to RA or not. My opinion is that you want a doctor while will definitively diagnose you and aggressively treat you. I travel 2 1/2 hours to get to my rheumatologist because the ones locally (only 2) were not what I seek in a good rheumatologist. Good luck to you sagerock :)