Hi Everyone, I am a newbie to the group

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone, I am a newbie to the group

Can someone tell me the best

way to find a good Rheumatoligist in my area? I live near

Minneapolis, Minnesota. I see plenty of them in the phone book, but

its just a " crap shoot " . I don't know who is good and who is just

another money hungry doctor. When I told my present Doctor that I was

in need of a different medication because Celebrex was no longer

doing the job, this idiot told me I should go back to Naproxen. I

ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL FROM THAT STUFF. BLEEDING INSIDE AND HAD TO

HAVE A TRANSFUSION! She said that if I take omeprazole with it that

won't happen again. (She actually wants me to take that chance???)

How does one find a knowledgeable and caring RA Doctor in my area?

Thanx, Pat

[Guest guest]

Before I was diagnosed, I was taking Aleve, the OTC version of

naproxen. It gave me a bleeding ulcer, but thankfully it was discovered

before it did too much damage.

The way I found a rheumy was I asked my endocrinologist, who is

associated with a medical school, to recommend one to me. He did, and

he turned out to be absolutely wonderful. Unfortunately, he relocated

at the end of last year, and I'll never find another one like him. But

if you do have a doctor that you respect, you might ask for a

recommendation. It sounds as though you definitely need a new rheumy.

Sue

On Sunday, May 1, 2005, at 12:58 PM, ju2346 wrote:

> Hi Everyone, I am a newbie to the group

> Can someone tell me the best

> way to find a good Rheumatoligist in my area? I live near

> Minneapolis, Minnesota. I see plenty of them in the phone book, but

> its just a " crap shoot " . I don't know who is good and who is just

> another money hungry doctor. When I told my present Doctor that I was

> in need of a different medication because Celebrex was no longer

> doing the job, this idiot told me I should go back to Naproxen. I

> ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL FROM THAT STUFF. BLEEDING INSIDE AND HAD TO

> HAVE A TRANSFUSION! She said that if I take omeprazole with it that

> won't happen again. (She actually wants me to take that chance???)

> How does one find a knowledgeable and caring RA Doctor in my area?

[Guest guest]

You know what, don't discount her too much. I have been through

EVERY NSAID on the planet... I have had 3 GI bleeds. The 1st on ASA,

the second on Ibuprofen and the 3rd on Celebrex. All were serious.

However, I can't live without nsaids. Much like Cyndi, I also had a

disk problem that required 4 surgeries in addition to the RA. I now

take Naprosyn and 2 pantoprazole (related to omeprazole) daily. I

took the Naprosyn and 4 pantoprazole while the 7 ulcers healed!!!

I have not had any trouble since (that was 3 1/2 years ago). And

with all the problems with Bextra, Celebrex and Vioxx, I'm really

glad I was on the Naprosyn with pantoloc. I'm not discouraging you

from going to another rheumatologist, or telling you not to try

other options if there are any, but don't discount it as an option if

Naprosyn was actually helping your symptoms and you can't find

anything else. It's not so crazy. I love my Naprosyn.

Lexi

>

> > Hi Everyone, I am a newbie to the group

> > Can someone tell me the

best

> > way to find a good Rheumatoligist in my area? I live near

> > Minneapolis, Minnesota. I see plenty of them in the phone book,

but

> > its just a " crap shoot " . I don't know who is good and who is just

> > another money hungry doctor. When I told my present Doctor that I

was

> > in need of a different medication because Celebrex was no longer

> > doing the job, this idiot told me I should go back to Naproxen. I

> > ENDED UP IN THE HOSPITAL FROM THAT STUFF. BLEEDING INSIDE AND HAD

TO

> > HAVE A TRANSFUSION! She said that if I take omeprazole with it

that

> > won't happen again. (She actually wants me to take that chance???)

> > How does one find a knowledgeable and caring RA Doctor in my area?