rhemy appointment

sandy123

hi all
what can my husband expect when he goes to his first rhemy appointment tomorrow, any advise will be helpfull thank you

woodbon

Hello, I have OA, and I assume your husband has RA? So I don't know quite what the procedure is. I expect he'll ask lots of questions and maybe ask for x-rays and blood tests. I'm sure someone who has RA will be along in a while and give you better information that I can. All I can say is, and its common to all appointments of this sort, is that your husband thinks about any questions he wants to ask before he goes and maybe, even write them down, also have a pen and paper to write down the answers. In these sort of situations most of us, certainly I do, forget what we want to ask and what we've been told by the doctor! :oops: If you have a written record of the important points, you should feel more confident. Also, if possible, perhaps he may like you or someone to go with him for support, also two heads remeber more! Good luck and take care Sue

sandy123

thanks, yes i will be going in with him, only get half a tale if he goes in alone lol,

alicea

sandy123 wrote:

hi all
what can my husband expect when he goes to his first rhemy appointment tomorrow, any advise will be helpfull thank you

Hi sandy123 i went to the rhemy a couple of days ago. He asked a lot of questions and examined my joints, i then went for bloods and xrays , I am also going for injections next week as a day patient, but i am no nearer to knowing if it is RA . I have had i knee and hip replaced over the last couple of years but in the last 9 months my joints in my hands feet shoulders neck are really bad . I have also lost my voice which is also something to do with one or the other .
So to be honest i think he wont find out much tomorrow.but are at least seeing the right people i dont know if your husband found it hard to see the rhemy It as taken months for me to get to see one. hope that is of help, all the best alicea/

topgirl

Hi,
I was diagnoised with RA in March. At my first appointment the rumy first went through all the notes with me and asked lots of general ones( some quite strange! but there are over 200 different types and I think the answers he gets help him to get a better understanding of your condition)
He then did an examination and looked at all joints and discussed the pain you are having...
He then discussed the medication that you can have and what it will do and possible side affects..and what drugs you are already taking..i.e painkillers..I decided on Sulfazalizine( spelling?? :oops: ).
He explained that he was going to do more bloods and xrays and if he was happy with those he would write to my GP to start treatment..oh he also offered me an injection in my knee there and then.
About 4 weeks after he wrote and told me my bloods were ok and that they had found more problems in other joints. He said he was happy for me to start treatment.
Please note that when you start on any RA drugs they need to be monitored to make sure its not causing problems with any other health issues...dont worry about this, it just means that any problems are quickly dealt with...I have bloods done every 2 weeks at my GP's and they write in all the different results( about 10!!). After a while you have bloods done every month.
I then see the Rumy nurse every 6 weeks , but can ring them any time....
The only negative thing is that these drugs take a long while before you see any benefits...3- 6 months i believe....I have only been on them 2 months so i cant say yet whether they have helped.
I hope this is helpful...i seem to have waffled on a bit :roll:
Hope everything gones well.
Kay
x

frogmorton

Hi Sandy123
Make sure you take a list with you of everything you want answered.
Tell him how long the pain/stiffness lasts each day and what effect it has on his life - such as not being able to drive
Tell him about any other symptoms which might not seem relevant such as having a fever or being very tired etc
Everything else has I think already been said.
I had bloods done chest xray jab in my bum was weighed, BP taken and that was about it and had meds prescribed in my case hydroxychloroquinine (plaquenil) amitriptyline and arcoxia.
All the best
Toni

sandy123

thanks for all the replys, will let you know how he gets on,

joyful164

Hi,
At my first appointment with the Rheumatologist, he had about 20 students with him. He asked me to go through all my symptoms, he asked them to look at my toes and fingers and my heel which was the size of a tennis ball. He then sat in front of me and one by one he asked each student what they thought and they all diagnosed psoriatic arthritis, where upon, an injection into my right heel was administered. When they had pulled me back down from the ceiling, they said they were putting me straight away on to mTX, and to take painkillers. I've been adding to the I've been adding to the pills every visit. Now up to 17 a day and one injection. Not added the Natural Products tablets I am taking. I always swear by making a list out and even doso before I see my gp or the pain clinic. I just wished that I had known about this forum before I knew that I had PA. Good luck

joyful

debatat

Just wanted to wish you well for your appt today. Let us know how you get on.

Deb

woodbon

Hi, I hope all goes well for you both. Love Sue

sandy123

hi. went well very nice doctor, had x rays done and had an ijenction put him on tablets as well so should start feeling a little better know, go see him again in 3 months time, so hopefully all will be well, thanks again for listening,