grrrrrrrrrrr.
Soooooo, uh. Remember how I was kinda annoyed at my rheumatologist, because I found out that my IBS could be linked to my arthritis and she never mentioned that? Plus the whole bit where I didn't feel like I could ask her questions because she always responded kinda angrily, like I was questioning her authority or some bullshit like that, instead of just wanting to know more details about what is happening to my actual body HELLO.
Ahem. Anyway. Saw my new rheumatologist this week. And now I'm more annoyed at my previous rheumatologist.
You know what else is related to my arthritis? All the tendon issues (achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, etc etc) I've had through my entire life. That's part of the whole syndrome. Which, by the way, is almost certainly psoriatic arthritis, not rheumatoid. Previous rheumatologist just said rheumatoid, and then when I brought up that someone on the internet had asked if I had ridges on my nails because that's a symptom of psoriatic arthritis (and yes I do indeed have ridges on my nails), well that's where we get into the angry reaction stuff, and after she got done snapping at me she admitted that yes, it probably was psoriatic arthritis, but she was calling it rheumatoid because it was all basically the same but if it was rheumatoid then it was easier to get approval for subsidies for the Really Expensive Treatments.
...Which she then never fucking applied for, so there was no fucking point in dancing around what type of autoimmune arthritis it was, was there?
Oh, and then we get to the bit where previous rheumatologist really wanted me to lower the dosage on the steriods that supplement my main meds, but never actually said why until I looked things up online and discovered, hey, at this dosage I have a 30% chance of developing cataracts. New rheumatologist is right up front with that, and about the bone demineralisaton that long-term steroid use can cause (didn't know much about that, thanks previous doctor), and is doing the paperwork to try to get me onto the hoopy expensive medication, and has also explained the other reasons why he really really wants to get my arthritis under better control, which are that irreversable progressive damage is happening to my joints and tendons all the time (I knew that) and that slowing it down is good (I knew that) and that the longer it goes uncontrolled the higher risk of stroke and cardiac problems I have (WAIT WHAT THE FUCK WHY DID MY PREVIOUS DOCTOR NEVER MENTION THIS SHIT WHAT THE HELL?!?!?).
Fuck SAKE.
There was also about a ten-minute stretch in the middle of the appointment where he kept asking, "Okay, did [previous doctor] try you on [drug name]? No? How about [drug name]? No? Did she try [drug name]? No? Did she test you for [thingy]? No? How about [other thingy]? ...No?" And he never said a single disparaging word about my previous doctor, but damn, I think he wanted to. He's also wayyyy more supportive about me wanting to continue IVF than previous doc ever was.
Right, so, one thing that my previous rheumatologist wanted to do was to get me back on methotrexate - and she wanted this A LOT, the last couple of appointments I had with her were basically "How are you doing? Still trying to get pregnant? Well I can't put you back on methotrexate while you're doing that, let me know when you stop, keep taking painkillers in the meantime, bye." One time it wasn't "when you stop," it was "when you give up," which as I'm sure you can guess did not sit well with me. Now. It is possible, and I'm giving her tons of the benefit of the doubt here, that she wanted to get me back on methotrexate because the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will not approve the hoopy expensive arthritis medications unless you have been on methotrexate for at least six months and two other drugs for at least six and your arthritis has not been controlled by them. I was on methotrexate for more than six months all right, but maybe she felt that it was long enough ago that the PBS wouldn't count it. Maaaaaybe she wanted to put me back on it as the first step in getting me the better options.
And maaaaaaaybe if that was her reasoning she should have fucking told me that. And maaaaaaybe she should have done the paperwork for those better options back the first time she put me on methotrexate and it didn't work. Maaaaaaaaaybe I think that even if she was working towards getting approval for the hoopy drugs she was still a shitty doctor and maaaaaaaybe I'm really glad I'm not going to her any more. Maaaaaaaaaybe I'm kinda pissed off that I didn't get fed up enough to fire her years ago.
----- Originally posted at my Dreamwidth account, feel free to comment on either site!
Ahem. Anyway. Saw my new rheumatologist this week. And now I'm more annoyed at my previous rheumatologist.
You know what else is related to my arthritis? All the tendon issues (achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, etc etc) I've had through my entire life. That's part of the whole syndrome. Which, by the way, is almost certainly psoriatic arthritis, not rheumatoid. Previous rheumatologist just said rheumatoid, and then when I brought up that someone on the internet had asked if I had ridges on my nails because that's a symptom of psoriatic arthritis (and yes I do indeed have ridges on my nails), well that's where we get into the angry reaction stuff, and after she got done snapping at me she admitted that yes, it probably was psoriatic arthritis, but she was calling it rheumatoid because it was all basically the same but if it was rheumatoid then it was easier to get approval for subsidies for the Really Expensive Treatments.
...Which she then never fucking applied for, so there was no fucking point in dancing around what type of autoimmune arthritis it was, was there?
Oh, and then we get to the bit where previous rheumatologist really wanted me to lower the dosage on the steriods that supplement my main meds, but never actually said why until I looked things up online and discovered, hey, at this dosage I have a 30% chance of developing cataracts. New rheumatologist is right up front with that, and about the bone demineralisaton that long-term steroid use can cause (didn't know much about that, thanks previous doctor), and is doing the paperwork to try to get me onto the hoopy expensive medication, and has also explained the other reasons why he really really wants to get my arthritis under better control, which are that irreversable progressive damage is happening to my joints and tendons all the time (I knew that) and that slowing it down is good (I knew that) and that the longer it goes uncontrolled the higher risk of stroke and cardiac problems I have (WAIT WHAT THE FUCK WHY DID MY PREVIOUS DOCTOR NEVER MENTION THIS SHIT WHAT THE HELL?!?!?).
Fuck SAKE.
There was also about a ten-minute stretch in the middle of the appointment where he kept asking, "Okay, did [previous doctor] try you on [drug name]? No? How about [drug name]? No? Did she try [drug name]? No? Did she test you for [thingy]? No? How about [other thingy]? ...No?" And he never said a single disparaging word about my previous doctor, but damn, I think he wanted to. He's also wayyyy more supportive about me wanting to continue IVF than previous doc ever was.
Right, so, one thing that my previous rheumatologist wanted to do was to get me back on methotrexate - and she wanted this A LOT, the last couple of appointments I had with her were basically "How are you doing? Still trying to get pregnant? Well I can't put you back on methotrexate while you're doing that, let me know when you stop, keep taking painkillers in the meantime, bye." One time it wasn't "when you stop," it was "when you give up," which as I'm sure you can guess did not sit well with me. Now. It is possible, and I'm giving her tons of the benefit of the doubt here, that she wanted to get me back on methotrexate because the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will not approve the hoopy expensive arthritis medications unless you have been on methotrexate for at least six months and two other drugs for at least six and your arthritis has not been controlled by them. I was on methotrexate for more than six months all right, but maybe she felt that it was long enough ago that the PBS wouldn't count it. Maaaaaybe she wanted to put me back on it as the first step in getting me the better options.
And maaaaaaaybe if that was her reasoning she should have fucking told me that. And maaaaaaybe she should have done the paperwork for those better options back the first time she put me on methotrexate and it didn't work. Maaaaaaaaaybe I think that even if she was working towards getting approval for the hoopy drugs she was still a shitty doctor and maaaaaaaybe I'm really glad I'm not going to her any more. Maaaaaaaaaybe I'm kinda pissed off that I didn't get fed up enough to fire her years ago.
----- Originally posted at my Dreamwidth account, feel free to comment on either site!