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Apr. 18th, 2011 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fenrisrangerSpent several hours on Sunday collecting names and phone numbers and everything of about 10 different psychiatrists sorted by increasing distance from home (since there are only 2 covered by my insurance here in my university's entire city, despite it being the 3rd biggest in the state). Was planning to call as many as it took this morning to hopefully find somebody who could fit me in on Thursday to tack on an anxiety disorder diagnosis and get some horse tranquilizers to maybe get me through the rest of the semester without, you know, having a panic attack so bad (or continuing on this unbreakable series of them) that I kill myself.
But then I realized. If I don't get my lupus/fibro/whatever diagnosis legitimized by a rheumatologist before I get psych diagnoses, it will be impossible for me to find a doctor who will look twice at any organic cause of my issues ever again. Especially because I don't have a very elevated ANA and need to find somebody who will try treating me based on mostly self-reported symptoms (you'd think the malar rash would be sufficient, but since I've figured out my triggers for that, I only have two or three bad ones a year, and what are the chances of making it in to a rheumy on one of those pairs of days?).
So.
Um.
Fuck.
But then I realized. If I don't get my lupus/fibro/whatever diagnosis legitimized by a rheumatologist before I get psych diagnoses, it will be impossible for me to find a doctor who will look twice at any organic cause of my issues ever again. Especially because I don't have a very elevated ANA and need to find somebody who will try treating me based on mostly self-reported symptoms (you'd think the malar rash would be sufficient, but since I've figured out my triggers for that, I only have two or three bad ones a year, and what are the chances of making it in to a rheumy on one of those pairs of days?).
So.
Um.
Fuck.
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Date: 2011-04-21 08:34 am (UTC)Is it worth taking pictures for a rheumatologist? And when it comes to rheumy/autoimmune stuff, I get the impression ANA's more prognostic than diagnostic - have you had a dsDNA? 'Cause that plus the malar rash - I think you only need two other criteria for lupus. Fibro's a bit vaguer, but since it's got a very high co-incidence with stress/depression and it's now officially a Real Thing, surely they don't just tell you you're Just Going Mad?
That was the impression I got from the rheum consultants when I was on-rotation, anyway, so hopefully it's similar in the States.
As for dissociation (mine went bad yesterday, yuck), is it possible that these are still panic attacks, only manifesting differently because you were dissociating? Idk.
...so yeah, I'm also one of the 'This is horrible but also weirdly interesting and I shall hypothesise' scientist-people. Feel free to tell me to bugger off.
But, . I hope you make it to the party-ball-thing and that you have fun and that good stuff will start happening for you again soon.
xx