Struggles with my rheumatologist
I have recently seen a new rheumatologist. I was floored when she told me my fatigue is NOT associated with my Psoriatic Arthritis! I also have Fibromyalgia, so as soon as she identified that as something else I suffer with, she blames everything on that. She also made sure to emphasize that can’t help me with the fibromyalgia. I never asked her any questions in relation to the fibromyalgia, so this surprised me as well as the fact I was originally diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a rheumatologist!! Go figure! What does this say to you about this rheumatologist? I’m thinking that I’m looking for a different doctor who will look at the entire picture of who I am and what I suffer with. How about we talk about what you CAN help me with instead of starting out how you CANNOT help me! Jeeez!
Has anyone experienced a doctor/specialist like this?
Oh
, how upsetting! We have, unfortunately, heard similar experiences from others in the community here. It's frustrating when doctors brush off our symptoms as being related to something else, and I don't know what it is about doctors and fatigue - there really seems to be a huge lack of knowledge and appreciation for this symptom, and how much it can affect us. Fatigue is what has the most impact on my life, and no doctor ever told me that PsA can cause fatigue. I only learnt about this from the community here! Suddenly everything made sense for me.
So is the rheumatologist trying to say that your fatigue is related to the fibromyalgia? Or something else? And did she offer you any input or suggestions on managing your PsA? I do know that it's sensible to rule out other causes of/things that could be exacerbating fatigue, like anemia or vitamin D deficiency, but I think it's pretty widely accepted now that fatigue is a symptom of PsA. Here's an article on the topic which I thought may be of interest: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/psa-symptoms/fatigue
I can definitely understand why you're thinking about looking for a new rheumatologist. You deserve someone who will be attentive to you and your symptoms. I hope others will chime in here with their thoughts and suggestions. Please keep us updated on everything if you can. Wishing you the very best! -Catherine, Community Moderator
