When I was in the exam room with her, she tested all of my tender points and put me through the roof with several of them, most of them were sore but tolerable and a few had no reaction. She looked at me and said "you have fibromyalgia." My husband was there he witnessed this so I'm not making it up or having to rely on my faulty memory. She then proceeded to tell me that she didn't do CFS so couldn't comment on that. She also told me that she wouldn't be taking me on as a patient and that I would have to find another rhuemetologist to treat me. I asked her if she knew any CFS doctors in the area and she told me that she would check. When we talked on the phone she told me my lab test results: low D and no parvovirus and that she didn't know any CFS docs. When I got the letter there was this wishy washy statement:
"Based on the constellation of signs and symptoms, she has some features that are consistent with fibromyalgia. As far as chronic fatigue syndrome, some of her symptoms can be associated with this. There is some overlap between the two and the treatment is usually mutifactorial. It is a diagnosis of exclusion."The letter was your basic "cover my ass" variety. She had included stuff in it that didn't happen, such as claiming she went over all the side effects and hazards of taking Celebrex (never happened), messed up some of my symptoms and then no solid diagnosis of FM.
Today suddenly she says that she can't tell if I have fibromyalgia from just one exam. She would need to see me over a course of time to come to that diagnosis but she won't take me on as a patient. She told my lawyer that she doesn't get involved in legal cases.
So the trip in to Boston, the wait for the appointment, the wait for the diagnosis all was a colossal waste of time. I now have to find another rheumetologist that will actually keep me on as a patient, properly diagnose me and be willing to write a letter saying that I have fibromyalgia.
Oh, no!! What a cowardly doctor.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried the doctor databases? here is a post I recently wrote about them:
http://livewithcfs.blogspot.com/2011/01/finding-doctor-for-mecfs.html
There are LOTS of FM docs on these databases and plenty who do both FM and CFS.
Good luck!!
Sue
I have an appointment with a Lahey clinic rheumetologist but it isn't until April. The trouble is that my LTD deadline is fast approaching. I need a diagnosis fast and a doc that is willing to put pen to legal paper. I wouldn't have minded so much but this chick didn't tell me any of this up front. She wasted my time in so many many ways. If I had known she wasn't going to take me on as a patient, diagnose me or write a letter I would have no trouble going out and finding another doctor. Instead it is now two months later and I have to start all over again. Most docs around here have a 4-6 week waiting period. I can actually get in to see Dr. Kormaroff but tht wouldn't be until summer at the earliest. From a medical standpoint this isn't a big deal but from a financial standpoint I am coming very close to being very screwed.
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