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my Diagnosis from RA..are they all created equal?

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Posted 9/19/2013 7:28 AM (GMT -5)
  So I had my visit with RA and she had absolutely NO bedside manner (I'm a nurse)

 I believe that once she saw in my chart that I suffered anxiety/depression, she wrote me off as just a nutcase.

when I point blank asked her if she "believed" in Fibo. she hesitated for about 5 sec. and then proceeded o explain that it was the neurotransmitters over reacting to normal pain...blah blah blah

she believes that its my anxiety/depression that has brought this on mad

so she goes ahead and has me change in to a gown and tests my tender points and YUPPER..Its all there

So she has dx me with Fibro and had blood drawn to r/o Sjogrens and Lupus

wants me to f/u with P/d dr on going on amitryptaline, wean off Zoloft and take it from there, see her in a month unless blood work shows something unusual.

so there it is. She never validated all my pains or talked to me about any of the other symptoms I have, saying that they could be from Fibro. She was no help really other then giving me the dx

Will need that for disability

So now I really start researching, have 3rd visit with accupuncture today, keeping up hope it will help with the IBS and Fibro.

I have read Fibro 101 and am grateful to all of you with all the stories and info you have.

going to see if I can find a RA who actually believes in fibro. in my area..of course not sure how to go about that rolleyes

Posted 9/19/2013 5:39 PM (GMT -5)
I am sorry you feel as if this rheumie wasn't helpful. However, I don't see that she was not validating FMS, at least from your description.

Was this your first visit with this doctor? It is standard to not offer a diagnosis until blood work and other diagnostic tests have been administered and considered. Her pause might have been to collect her thoughts. She did give you a preliminary diagnosis, right? The symptoms could be fibro, but could also be, or be complicated by, other issues.

A month is standard for the followup. Zoloft and amphitryptiline shouldn't go together, due to serotonine symdrome.

And, sorry, perhaps I am a little cranky tonight (I probably am), but a doctor is not meant to validate our symptoms, but to try to piece together lots of little bits to make sense of a puzzle. A large and complicated human puzzle.

And, as someone who has depression, I can assure you that the symptoms of FMS do get worse when interacting with other conditions.

You might be right... and this rheumie might not be a good fit.

I find acupuncture does help. I wish I could afford it more often.

Hope you get the answers you are looking for.
Posted 9/19/2013 9:41 PM (GMT -5)
Lainey- seems like we have something in common, Frustrated with doctors.Sometimes you never know about them. I would give them a chance and after a few you will know if you need to move on. I have learned more about fibro here then I was ever told by my Dr's. So at least you got your diagnoses and you can go from there.
Posted 9/20/2013 8:42 AM (GMT -5)
Myself and Angel, thank you for your responses. Myself, I guess I might have been looking for something from this Dr. that I shouldn't have. She did say that I had the tender points to lead to believe its fibro. She did check it as her Dx on my check out paper.

Now we wait for blood work to come back and see if theres anything else.

I went to accup. yesterday and she suggested high doses of Vit D (my level is 33 and she wants me closer to 100 being I have all these problems) also she wants me taking Iodine? anyone else take that?
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