Monday 24 October 2011

When good days are good for different reasons

I'm hopeful.

That is a vast improvement.

It isn't that I'm hopeful this wretched thing will go away, or even that some wonderful treatment will alleviate it.  I'm not hopeful that I will get my youthful healthy body back or that I will get to live the way I used to.  I am pretty resigned to having to go on dealing with this giant dump truck of ... well you know what's in the truck...

Today I tried a new doctor.

My opening line was, "I'm not sure if you can help me but I'm looking for a doctor who understands Fibromyalgia and I haven't had much luck."  Oh what shall I call this doctor...  Dr McDelicious might be a little too familiar, and Dr McNotBadConsideringYou'reAPom is a bit too long, Dr McReallyListening is a tad too sincere, and Dr McFocused is a smidgin too brusque... how about DrMcLovely... that works.. Because she was lovely but they are all true.  She gave me 45 minutes of her time.

An Englishwoman she has moved to Australia in the last 6 months (I think she might have married an Aussie bloke but I am only guessing).  I checked her out on the web before the appointment and she already had a couple of bonus points with me cause she also works for Family Planning (kind of the Aussie version of Planned Parenthood).  FMS isn't her specialty (I have yet to find a specialist for it) but she seemed to know what she was talking about and best of all, BEST OF ALL, she did not treat me like I was either whining, lying, exaggerating, faking, crazy or stupid.  She has a plan.  She sent me for a series of spinal X-Rays (to find out if a pinched nerve is causing my numb toes and foot), tomorrow I have a complete set of blood tests done, and when she gets that back she wants to refer me to an immunologist who specializes in CFS. (Yay!)

I wish I had a picture of the look on her face when I told her what the Rheumatologist (Professor McAwfullyCute) had told me I have.  She made me repeat it (AUSRRIWCP) slowly so she could type it into her notes, all the while with a decidedly McLovely skeptical raised brow.

On the downside my blood pressure was quite elevated and that is NOT normal for me, I told Dr McLovely that I was quite anxious about the visit and maybe that sent it up and she told me to not be frightened next time and to remember she isn't scary, (if that doesn't deserve the McLovely title what does?)  I also was having a bout of vertigo (unfortunately it is more than a Hitchcock movie) and my balance was totally shot.  The body wasn't working all that well today and it was all quite a slog but it was still an UBER GOOD DAY!!!

NB for my North American mates a POM is an Aussie slang term for someone from England...  I have been told it's derived from the letters on the back of the convict's clothing P.O.M.E. (Property of Mother England)


2 comments:

  1. Holy crap, that's freakin' awesome! I hope this doc continues to be great, and that you get the help and support you need.

    *breathing a big sigh of relief for you*

    -Jazz

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Jazz, I am really hoping that this will pan out and keep going well. A cooperative GP is a necessity if I am going to negotiate this minefield successfully.

    I REALLY appreciate your support!

    ReplyDelete