Warm wishes to everyone, I neen to vent. Yesterday I saw a Rhumatologist at the Brisbane hospital. He was a cranky old man, who was impatient and abrupt.
After a rushed examination and a brief look at my blood test results he diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia. He said I did not have Auto Immune Disease.
I asked him "What about my psorisis, Hashimotos and costochondritis? I also had Graves disease in the early ninties. All I got was a grunt.
I asked if the prednisone and methotrexate masked the blood test result and he said "in your case, No". Then he dismissed me.
I am as confused as ever. I realize that the symptoms of Fibromyalgia and Lupus are very similar and It would be better for me if it is Fibromyalgia because there is very little organ damage. I just feel that my problem is Lupus based on hours and hours of research and having other immune diseases as well.
I know Lupus is hard to diagnose but i would appreciate your experiences and opinions.
Venting does you good but i am sorry your appointment went down as a disappointment, these Rheumo's who are so abrupt want throwing out the field of their work, why be in it when they've not got time for their patients.
I have psoriasis with my Lupus and you get your other two conditions with Lupus also and to just diagnose you with fibro is the quickest way out and if Autoimmune disease run in the family there's a large possibility of you having Lupus.
Alot of doctor's like 4 or more out of the 11 criteria to show if bloods are coming in negative...which they can...Lupus if you are related to it can fluctuate bloods and throw off false readings but you still don't have to have positive ANA's to still have Lupus.
The symptoms of fibro are indentical to Lupus and your on methotrexate which is surposed to be a good drug, my dermo swears by plaquenil with methotrexate for a good combination for DLE/SLE.
If i was you though i would look for a new rheumo because a 2nd opinion is always better than one plus i'm adding a link below which i put in a discussion i added about 3 diseases all carrying the same traits/symptoms for you to read.
If you have a thyriod diease, that is autoimmune! So I am not sure what he was telling you about not having autoimmune diease. I was diagonsied with fibro five years before I had a positive biospy for skin lupus (tumid). Then it took another five years to be diagonsised with SLE. So yes lupus is a hard diease to diagnosie.
If this doctor was such a jerk, then I would suggest that you find another doctor that you can releate too. I would dismiss him, just like he dismissed you! Sometime, it can take time to find a great doctor. Roman was not built in one day! I am very Fortunate to have a great group of doctors, but I had to go through several before that happened.
Listen to your body and keep pushing to find the right doctor and the right answers. Just keep in mind that this journey is never an easy one!
Well said because you can have fibro...then Lupus can develope along the way or any autoimmune disease.
It's like SK (Susan) she as fibro but also as sjogrens syndrome and that usually comes along also with Lupus.
So NicMic i'd do as Deenie suggested get another Rheumo's opinion...my rheumo was like yours very off handed person when dealing with a patient and now i'm waiting to see another one because my Dermo was totally digusted with him not treating me for my SLE, he gave me the blood results but did'nt want to give me meds.
Alot of member's have dropped on brill rheumo's and some of us are'nt so lucky and i'm one of them like i said, i'm justhoping this new Irish doctor will be people.
Oh what a shame about your GP also...i'm lucky my old GP took me back on when we moved properties as the doctor i managed to get in the meantime was wrongly diagnosing my DLE very badly.
As the rheumo you saw took you off the prednisone for you to ask?
You just vent away Nic...as we're all here to fully supoort one another, that's what the sites about, learning/ understanding and loving.
Thanks for the lovely comment and i do apologise for my spelling mishaps in the last message, i wear gloves while typing and i do my editing half the time than anything else.lol
It must be terrible trying to find a descent Rheumo then mate and i do feel for
It's a shame about you being yelled at by that Doctor but like you say your covered, you can get some that are way out of hand before checking properly.
Yoyr not winging Nic your just staing what you have to go through and when there's no proper support from family or friends, it can be alot for someone....and to go through depression which Lupus can cause and thrieve off besides is a nightmare again, sometimes we're in positions where you can't win and that can get we down.
Seeing a psychologist i hope will help you my dermo offered me councilling and refused after having it for 3yrs previous on other issues....and i'm sitting there thinking it's not a chat i want it's meds to ease the pain.
Oh very nice Nic riding your horse and although you paid for it i bet you felt relief besides...as i used to go fishing for carp with my hubby and it was lovely, you forget all the stress and worry you have, i do miss that.
I'm pretty much in the same boat. My first rhuemy told me I had lupus and put me on Plaquenil. I went to a second rhuemy, cuz I wasn't getting the answers/attention from my first. The second one tells me its not lupus, but fibro and put me on lyrica instead. I don't know which way is up anymore. I just know I have a lot of pain, fatigue and can't even work. I feel your pain and confusion. So sorry
I didn't notice any real significant changes in my symptoms after being on plaquenil for 4 months. Only my foot pain seemed to get better, but that's it.
Sorry it really was'nt helping to how your body needed it then...in the last few days i've noticed my feet give the pain to cramp but because they're not i've not been getting the bad spasms...so it's helping me already concerning spasm issues which are terrible.
"Good comment" JC...because moving from one site to another regarding fibro and lupus both being identical...member's will learn alot of issues from both sites plus symptoms, with those who do have Lupus and those who do have fibro.
Terri xxx