2nd opinion - more frustration

[Guest guest]

Hi, guys! First off, let me say that I have 168 emails to read so I apologize

if I am slighting anyway. You are all important to me, but I am so

frustrated at the moment that all I can do is vent. But, I promise to read

everyone's emails in the next couple of days!

As you know, I went for a second opinion a couple of weeks ago. So the

doctor called me yesterday (I guess the fact that he called me on a Sunday

should say something about him). He said that he does not think that this is

Stills, Lupus, or Rheumatoid Arthritis, but that it is all caused by the

human parvo virus that I had at the beginning of all this (in August 2001).

He said there is a very small segment of the population that is left with

chronic arthritis and I seem to be one of the people. He said that there is

very poor literature on this topic so my doctors probably didn't realize that

this was the case. And that since I kept going back " complaining to them "

they probably started searching for a different answer. I did not appreciate

him saying I was complaining!! I was " complaining " because I have a lot of

pain and I want it to GO AWAY!!! Now, maybe he did not mean it in the

negative way I took it, but it annoyed me.

Also, when I asked him about my chest, he said in a dismissive way, " yeah,

that pleurisy like thing you get " as if I'm making this up. I didn't come up

with the terms pleurisy or chostochondritis on my own....the doctor here told

me that was what they were.

So I felt like he may be a very good diagnostician, but I didn't want to feel

like I had to explain myself to him or " convince " him that I have a lot of

pain. I just left a message for him telling him that I came to him for 2

reasons: 1) a diagnosis; 2) to alleviate my pain. And that I felt like the

second part is not being accomplished. I asked his secretary to please tell

him that I am really upset that I have all this chest and lung pain and does

he think the changes in my meds that he is making will relieve that pain?

My husband says I had too high expectations of this guy and he may be right.

I really wanted him to be able to give me something that would make my chest

more bearable.

he also told me that he thinks my fatigue is from having 4 children, but

we'll know better when the arthritis goes away. Well, I don't think I am

this fatigued from my children. Being tired if one thing. Feeling like you

will fall over if you don't go to sleep is another.

Ok, I think I'm done screaming. Thank you for listening. I am just so

confused right now. I guess I'll see how he responds to the chest/lungs issue

and then decide whether to keep seeing him. If he is really a good

diagnostician it is worth it. But I want to know he's going to help me

through this and not question me.

Feel good!