What to do - greedy for a proper break..!

stickywicket

Just to be totally bossy, Mat :roll: , why not just tell him how things are and leave it up to him to decide whether you keep taking them or reduce?

Mat48

Okay bossy boots I will! He's no door mouse and I've got to bring up the matter of how much vitamin d I should take and show him the lab results of my private blood tests too (and probably incur another patronising lecture about eating sardines and getting out in the middle of each day - both of which I do and have always done!) so I would defer to his views on my intake of Prednisolone anyway. I hate confrontation really (in case you hadn't noticed :roll:). A lot to squeeze into a ten minute consultation though! X

salamander

Can't you book a double appointment?

Mat48

No they just squoze (is that a word?) me in and he's going on holiday for two weeks from Saturday so he will not be keen to run overtime with me tomorrow. I'm just going to copy all the lab results received so far and give them to him to make sense of at his leisure. I will try not to be too defensive but anticipate he will roll his eyes and try and make me feel foolish! :roll: I will only push for him to address the vitamin D one because its pretty easy to address and clearly deficient. The gluten results are unfathomable to me - not normal but not tremendously abnormal either so he probably won't do anything about them at all - same with thyroid and B12. I feel like such a hypo now having spent out money we haven't got to spare - if I had seen the podiatrist only (also paid) then I would have been more confident that this was RA flare as he explained. But I guess its been useful re the very clear vitamin D result at least. And I've got on top of the crushing sensation in my chest now by taking an extra Omaprazole at night so obviously digestive stuff. It pays to be knowledgeable but only within reason maybe?! :oops:

salamander

Maybe you should stick to the most important thing when you see your GP and get some answers about that and then book another appt for the minor stuff. That way, you won't come out not having a clear answer to anything.

I am trying to have a more relaxed approach to test results after having several scares. I never ask for them these days as they will call me if there is anything wrong. As for the stuff I don't know about, my theory is it will become more apparent and therefore get treated eventually. You'll drive yourself nuts if you analyse everything to death. Ditto if you try and find an explanation for every thing related to arthritis.

Mat48

I will just tell him how I'm doing on Pred, hand over the copies of test results with very brief explanation and ask him how much vitamin D to supplement because with winter coming now and low levels of vit D where I live this is something important to me, that will only worsen over the next few months with lack of sunlight - and I feel he can help me with at least. The rest is just blah for me and will probably be blah for him I feel. It is hard not having a rheumy nurse or anyone who knows more about RA and the vagaries of arthritis up here so this is why I use this forum sometimes. Thanks. Mat x

DebbieT

Mat,

You don't do so bad, if you read some of my posts thru Sept til now ud see wot I mean!! At least ure Rheumy is contactable ... Mine no longer seem to care since my Consultant left!!!

I hope ure GP appointment goes well.

xxx

Boomer13

Hi Mat;

I'm attempting to get caught up on AC posts; I haven't been around much and haven't read this one fully yet, but wanted to wade in and offer my support too.

I had a bad time with pred-induced anxiety when I started it in July. Quite horrid isn't it? It took about a month to settle down. I'm still taking it at a reasonably low dose and it's giving me some benefit to some joints anyway.

I will stay on it reasonably willingly now because I have decided that having some quality of life now is more important than the future side-effects.

Wanted to say hello and let you know I'm thinking of you.

xxAnna

Mat48

Anna it's lovely to see you again on here. I'm glad Pred is working for you and hope the wired feeling settles down a bit for me soon. My icy tingling legs are still very troublesome and I am thinking that this weirdness can't be part of the inflammatory process if it's still this bad after a week on Pred. I spoke to my youngest son about things this evening (he has just started a powerful acne med and we were talking about drug side effects). I told him that I'm not sure whether this terrible see-saw of moods is preferable to pain or not. His observation as my son he prefers to see me wired and manic (pacing the floor) but not in such pain and hobbling. This made me see things a bit differently. X

Boomer13

Mat;

At least the pred-weirdness is completely temporary. I doesn't do anything for my neuro stuff either. Just the joint pain. It's an evil contract this trading one form of nastiness for another, isn't it?

Mat48

Yes - as with so much of this autoimmune business it's one huge double edged sword. I would be so much less stressed out by Pred if the icy legs weren't still an issue. I'm trying to rationalise the legs as being part and parcel of hormones and RA but would like to have seen a neurologist to just rule out anything more sinister I admit. At least you understand this strangely obsessing sensory stuff Anna - although I wish you didn't have to of course. X

salamander

You could ask for an MRI scan, of course, anyone can order one.

Mat48

Can't afford to just now thanks Salamander.

Just to update on this thread now I saw GP this morning and he's lowering my dose of Pred - suggests down to 15mg tomorrow for a few days and then - providing no return of joint pain I should aim for 10mg or less until I see rheumy in five weeks.

I gave him lab results and he was a little defensive and said that he still didn't think vitamin d test was necessary and most of the population here would be somewhat deficient as I am. He said if I want supplements he's happy to prescribe them and then told me my calcium levels were low too so I've got Adcal D. I didn't rub his nose in it but I did point out that as I have RA and am taking Pred now and have another winter in the northern hemisphere - I would feel better to be supplemented. He agreed this was a good idea.

I think he's actually right about the testing generally though in that it will often raise more questions than it answers and part of a GP's job is to know when to stop.

He said he would probably be just as deficient as me with Vit d anyway. I managed to hold my tongue and not point out that on his salary he can afford (and does) a few very nice sunny holidays a year to compensate for weeks stuck in his consulting room with pesky, over-curious patients such as me! Thanks for bearing with me here! X

stickywicket

Well done on dealing with the awkward 'tests' matter, Mat. You have a reduction plan. I do hope it works.