So, after my last post on the matter, i made good on my self-promise and made a doctor’s appointment. This morning i went to see my new doctor.
Holy. Freaking. Crap.
Okay, my new doctor? She ROCKS. Talked to me like i was a human being. She did her grand rounds in alternative medicine, so she didn’t freak out when i told her about my supplements. She did tell me to be careful with the potassium, because too much of it can cause heart arrhythmia. Duly noted; in fact, i’m going to be changing my supplement routine - but more on that in a moment.
She only said one thing in reference to my weight. I’d said, “i stopped seeing doctors about 8 years ago because i was tired of hearing ‘lose some weight and you’ll be fine.”
Her response?
She ROLLED HER EYES, patted my leg and said, “Oh, no, that’s not your problem.”
And that’s totally all she had to say about that.
Full round of blood work (three vials!): thyroid, cholesterol, diabetes, kidney & liver function, enzymes. Will have results tomorrow.
Did a pap, will have results in a week.
Heart good, lungs good. No boob-lumps. Eyes good, ears good. Basic reflexes good. She didn’t say anything about my blood pressure (but they did take it as per usual), so i’m thinking it’s good too.
Got a tetanus shot, very exciting.
She wants me to work on quitting smoking; i told her that ever since i was 20, i had a cut-off date in mind: my 35th birthday. If i stop before then, good times… but i don’t smoke after then. She nodded and we moved on to the next topic.
She also wants me to get exercise - specifically in the form of swimming, and recommended a good wellness center near her that’s MUCH cheaper than the stupid YMCAs near my house. The Y wanted a startup fee of $120 and then $52 a month for ONE adult. She says the center near her cost $93 for THREE months for TWO adults. Score. I do miss having access to a pool.
But WAIT! There’s more.
She’s 90% sure that all i’m dealing with is fibro. First thing to work on is good sleepybits. To help with that, i now have a ’scrip for Elavil (aka amitriptyline), 25mg before bedtime. Got that ’scrip filled after work for a whopping $3.25. Nice. She said that i should notice the effects within a day or three, which is good times like whoa. It also means i can cut way down on some of the other supplements i’ve been taking. Yay.
I can’t remember the last time i went to a doctor and it didn’t suck. Not only did this NOT suck? It was awesome to be talked to like a human being during a doctor’s appointment.
Holy crap. SO excited.
It’s funny - i haven’t taken anything new, but i already feel better. Part of it is because it’s been so long since i’ve seen a doctor at all, part of it is because the last time i had a good doctor was when i was 17 years old and still seeing the pediatrician who’d been my doctor since i was born. Even if something does come back weird in the test results, i feel confident that i have a good doctor who will work with me on whatever comes up. So i’m totally not worried about it. Curious, but not worried.
So yes: i survived a trip to the doctor, and it was totally good times. Holy crap.
April 17, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Hurrah! Good for you! I’m so glad you had a positive experience. Hopefully her recommendations will help with the fibro.
April 17, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Oh, that is great. And this?
It’s funny - i haven’t taken anything new, but i already feel better.
No surprise there at all! Less stress usually DOES feel better.
April 17, 2008 at 6:52 pm
It’s amazing how great it feels when a doctor actually *listens* to you, isn’t it. I was so stressing over my last appointment. The doctor I had been seeing moved out of state and I was seeing her replacement. I figured I’d have the usual fight over my weight and my thyroid dose.
Turned out he’s incredibly cool, no problems, got all the prescriptions I needed and not a single fight.
Now if only work would be that easy *rolls eyes*.
I’m glad the new doctor is so good!
April 17, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Yipeee! I’m so happy for you. If you’re like me, then worrying about what might happen is usually worse than anything that does happen; so it makes perfect sense that when it’s great like this you feel on top of the world.
April 17, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Oh I am sooooo happy for you! Doesn’t it make SUCH a difference when you are treated like the intelligent, capable human being that you are! Now I love your doctor as well as my doctor!
April 17, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I just started taking amitriptyline last night (10mg) to treat chronic migraine/tension headaches. I would be curious to see what side effects you experience (hopefully none!) I have to say it definitely helped me sleep (not the intended purpose) but I have felt quite groggy all day. Please drop me a line!
April 17, 2008 at 7:58 pm
You just gave me a little hope. One day I might find a good doctor, too. One day I might find out if what I have is fibro, too. I lost my faith in doctors a long time ago and I’m not even fat, so my weight never came up as an issue. It seems that in thin people, it’s always your mind that’s the problem because they can’t blame stuff on your fat if you don’t have much of it.
April 17, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Whooooo!!! Oh, I’m so glad for you! Hooray for good doctors!!!
And brava on overcoming your fears and making the appointment and going through with it in the first place. I know how hard it is, and so I’m doubly glad that your courage paid off with such great dividends (or whatever metaphor I’ve just mangled there… grin!).
April 17, 2008 at 8:24 pm
WOOT!!!
April 17, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Hip hip! That’s what I’m talking about–doctors who, geez, do their job.
So glad to hear you found one!
April 17, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Alright! I love a post about a good experience with a doctor
I have been seeing a couple of doctors… so far so good. I will wait to post any raving reviews of their bedside manner until after they figure out whats wrong with me.
April 17, 2008 at 10:19 pm
That is fantastic! You should tell all your friends (fat and skinny, male and female) about her; she sounds like she would be so positive and accomodating to everyone.
April 17, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Yay!
April 18, 2008 at 10:29 am
Wonderful wonderful wonderful news! I am so thrilled for you. It just occurred to me that its kinda sad though that to get so damn excited when someone treats us like a fucking PERSON!!!
Ami rocks. I took it for about 8 years for my fibro and it works better than pretty much anything out there. The tiredness the next day went away within about 10 days and other than weight gain (insert ironic grin here), I didnt have any significant side effects.
A side note that people with fibro tend to not need full “therapeutic dose” of many different meds. You want enough to enable you to get good quality REM sleep but not enough to make you dopey and tired. Start slow and ease up dosage if needed.
My two biggest coping strategies for life with teh fibroz are good quality sleep and these fucking awesome shoes from zcoil dot com. I actually have a life these days.
Keep us posted!
jen
April 18, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Funny, I felt the same way when I finally when to the emergency room for a suicidal impulse. The relief came along the lines of “what, I’m worth taking seriously? You’ll help me and not blow me off? Are you sure this isn’t all my own fault? It’s not? Taking my life seriously is normal and healthy? Okay! I can do this!”
Finding out that someone with the knowledge and power to help you will, even if its just the friend who makes sure you get to the therapy appointment (rather than accepting your blow off of “later”) makes all the difference in the world. All of a sudden YOU feel like YOU have the power to help yourself, instead of the constant feeling of helplessness.
April 18, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I am so glad you had a great experience. It makes all the difference, doesn’t it? In fact… I work for a health insurance company. Would you mind if I read this entry in a meeting next week? Our physicians will be in the meeting, and I’d like to give them an example of the kind of service our clinics should be aiming for.
April 18, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Yay for a good doctor!
April 19, 2008 at 1:59 am
I’m so glad you found a good doctor! I’ve spent quite a few years on a support mailing list for women with endometriosis, and it seems that every second post needs to be answered with “get a new doctor, stat!”.
Amitriptylin seems like a particularly good choice as it can also relieve chronic pain when given in a low dosage, as the one you’ve been given. I tried it for a while for that reason, as the pain was keeping me awake at nights. I truly hope it will help you - and if not, there are others to try. Pain medication is one of those areas where you really just have to try it until you get it right - every person is different and you can’t know which medication is going to work for a particular person until you’ve tried it.