What to expect at the first appointment with rheumatology?

SorePaw

As the title says, what can I expect at my first appoinment tomorrow ? Who will I see? What will they do?

I don't think I want to go, I can't imagine its going to be much fun!

deedeeitsme

Hi there Sore....my first rheumy appointment was being weighed, blood tests, see the consultant who asks about your medical history, family medical history and what problems you are having now. I was examined and sent for xray, went straight back in to see consultant about xray and was booked an mri. That was how my first one went, ones after that, well, thats a different story. Go in armed with any questions you need answering, a good explaination of what your pain is like, how it affects you, what makes it worse, what makes it better. Put it down in writing so you don't forget anything. Take someone in with you because there is bound to be things said that you don't always take in, and of course the support is calming too.

Good luck and in your pocket if needed. Dee x

salamander

Hi Sore Paw, there is nothing to be nervous about. As deedee says, it's mostly blood tests and examination. Mine was a relief, to be honest, I was so ill I was admitted to hospital then and there so was glad that something was being done.

Try and think of it as a positive thing, the first step to the treatment you need. Sometimes first appointments are a bit of a let-down as rheumatology can be a 'wait and see' thing, depending on what you have, so be prepared for that too.

Good luck tomorrow.

applerose

My first appointment was pretty much the same as Dee's - weighed, had my hands and feet examined, was asked about how it was affecting me and had some blood taken. If you haven't had blood tests before, it's nothing to worry about. They only put one needle in your arm (might be a bit of a scratch) and take all the blood they need from that.
Do write down all your symptoms and any questions you have. If I don't do this, I come away realising I've missed something out. Don't worry about how silly the questions might be. You need answers to anything that's bothering you.

dreamdaisy

Make a note of what you want to say, list your symptoms, what aggravates them, what eases them, tiredness levels etc and yes, be prepared to be weighed, have your BP done, and you may be sent for Xrays and blood tests. As for who you will see, well I hope it's a rheumatologist, it should be for the first appointment. I now see mine every six months with an appointment with a nurse practitioner in between. DD

SorePaw

Thank you for the replies. Blood tests and x rays I can cope with. Really deep down what I'm nervous of is a diagnosis if I'm honest. I don't want arthritis, same as everyone else on here I'm sure. I don't know if I am brave enough to have arthritis, obviously I shall just dig deep and find the strength to deal with it but I don't want to have to, same as everyone I know, I'm not special in having these feelings I'm sure.

Up to now I haven't given up hope that the painwill just disappear and it will soon become a distant memory. In fact a couple f times on holiday the other week I woke up without any pain or stiffness and each time thought it was the end of it all, but they were sore again by lunchtime.

I would cross my fingers for a good outcome tomorrow, trouble is I can't! Lol x

merri

First of all have a /hug as you sound like you need one. I can understand being nervous of a diagnosis, but in a sense the diagnosis is the easier bit, as once you have a firm diagnosis, you can start to get the help and treatment that you need, and hopefully will be able to get your life back on track. For me, once I had a label to pin onto this creature that had invaded my body, I knew that what I was experiencing wasn't in my head (as some people thought) and that there were ways and means to treat it.

With regards to the 1st appointment, I've been lucky enough to have 2 of these with different PCTs and they tend to be very similar. Make sure that you have a note with you of all of your symptoms, which parts of the body are affected, and how they are affected (e.g soreness, heat, stiffness, swelling etc), how long you have had them, if they get better or worse at any time of day, what you have tried so far to alleviate them and what kind of pain you are in e.g stabbing, dull, etc. I found that the appts tend to be very standard so expect:

- blood tests
- BP check
- height and weight
- urine sample
- possible sending away for MRI scan/ X Ray

I didn't get a diagnosis on my first appointment to be honest, I think it was about a year down the line so try and see this as a step on the journey, but p[ossibly the most important one. I found that the 1st appointments were really about the consultant getting a feel for how I was and who I was, before looking for medical evidence to support his theory, in my case, to disprove his theory. Take care of yourself and let us know how you get on

SorePaw

Thank you merri. I know that you are probably right re having a diagnosis is sort of like knowing what you are facing and getting on with it.

I've just done some thing a bit silly, I had a poke at the joints in my hands and toes in the hope that they wouldn't hurt, but they did and a couple hurt a fair bit once they were given a squeeze despite not having really given me any grief all day! Bleeming heck, that was stooopid! X

AndyMaz

My first appointment was much as above. Weighed, blood pressure and a physical examination by the Rheumatologist. He prescribed me some new medication and arranged for an MRI scan. I have to go back and see him at the end of November.

The worst bit was waiting, appointments never seem to run on time. The chairs were VERY uncomfortable. You'd think they'd get some better chairs in Rheumatology, wouldn't you!?

SorePaw

Well I had my bp checked, pee'd in a pot and got weighed. Then I waited 20 mins for 5 mins in the room with the consultant. He took a very brief history, poked my joints ( thanks!) and sent me for more bloods and I will be getting an ultra sound appointment in the post followed by seeing the consultant "at the next available appointment".
He wrote "?inflamatory arthritis" on my blood form but that's the nearest he got to saying anything about anything, in fact when I asked he just said he couldn't say until he got the ultrasound scan results. Ho hum! X

AndyMaz

That's interesting. Although my Rheumy was a grumpy old man with a squint and a penchant for causing me big pain, he gave me a clinical decision there and then.

Maybe he's just being ultra cautious? Can't be a bad thing though.

SorePaw

AndyMaz wrote:

That's interesting. Although my Rheumy was a grumpy old man with a squint and a penchant for causing me big pain, he gave me a clinical decision there and then.

Maybe he's just being ultra cautious? Can't be a bad thing though.

Interesting how? Interesting good, it might not be anything after all? Or interesting, it's bound to be something weird?

To be honest, I'm not sure why he saw me . Barely looked at me, didn't take much of a history IMHO just sent me for more tests. I'm sure that he was making much more of an assessment than I realised but I did feel a bit like the extra tests could have been ordered and completed before a trip to see him. It's just another bit of time off work, another lot of nervous anticipation and another lot of car park fees!

Btw how do they do an ultra sound scanon fingers?

applerose

Ultrasound on the fingers is just the same as when you have a scan when you're pregnant.

AndyMaz

SorePaw wrote:

AndyMaz wrote:

That's interesting. Although my Rheumy was a grumpy old man with a squint and a penchant for causing me big pain, he gave me a clinical decision there and then.

Maybe he's just being ultra cautious? Can't be a bad thing though.

Interesting how? Interesting good, it might not be anything after all? Or interesting, it's bound to be something weird?

To be honest, I'm not sure why he saw me . Barely looked at me, didn't take much of a history IMHO just sent me for more tests. I'm sure that he was making much more of an assessment than I realised but I did feel a bit like the extra tests could have been ordered and completed before a trip to see him. It's just another bit of time off work, another lot of nervous anticipation and another lot of car park fees!

Btw how do they do an ultra sound scanon fingers?

Interesting how he wrote down "Inflammatory Arthritis" but wouldn't explain why to you.