Specialists-A WASTE OF TIME & MONEY ON A SO-CALLED (NP) DERMATOLOGIST WHO KNEW NOTHING!

Going to a "Specialist", Getting NOTHING but MAD, when they do not know a thing about WHY you were sent! When My Rheumatologist (NP) & My PCP BOTH already had agreed I had "probable Psoriatic Arthritis"

I've been "waxing and waning" at least 4 months, maybe more at this "sudden acute break-out" that started on the outside of my right ear, sudden big "flakes" on my scalp (NEVER HAD that before at all", then the top part of my upper chest, and my upper shoulders, a spot over my ears, and one on my nose, then on the side of my face... and a bit on my right wrist... ALL APPEARED.. they are round, at the time very, very "flaky, thick" almost as if it had been a sore that took a long time to heal. But, no itching, looking horrible, and no sign of getting better, just every one of them flaked every day... I tried everything I could think of, yet nothing seemed to be helping.

I did my own "research" and found with my other Autoimmune issues, the RA, Lupus, Sjogren's, Raynaud's etc... and my joints getting worse with stiffness, pain, beginning to "twist and turn" all of my knuckles on both hands swollen, I felt it could be Psoriatic Arthritis". 

I had seen both the PCP & the Rheumatologist (NP) BUT this was after 3 months of them beginning to heal. They could still see it on my scalp, and how it flaked off a few places, BUT OF COURSE they had began to look a bit better. As always, about the time you begin to get well, & go to the doctor so then they cannot get a good idea. 

BUT, everywhere I had one, a round white scar almost with a bit of a sunken spot in it developed. Plus even now I still have a couple in my ear.

So, after waiting weeks, getting into a "Dermatologist" & try to avoid Dallas, I found one closer. I go yesterday, & before I went I called & asked if there were any "precautions" they were taking, other than the normal ones for the Coronavirus. Well, the lady on the phone about half acted as if she didn't even know what I was talking about. Then she said, "we are going by what the authorities are saying. So, still a bit hesitant with all of my other issues (even the pacemaker, it's been there 7 months but it can be like the autoimmune illnesses, a complication, even with the flu etc. I always am very cautious during the flu season. 

So, I go into the building, NO HAND SANITIZER, NO WIPES, NOTHING... not at the door, at the lobby EVEN NONE IN THE RESTROOM! Well, by now I was a bit nervous. Of course I had my own, so I put some on, after washing my hands, and & went to find their office. Again, I go in the office, NO HAND SANITIZER, WIPES AND EVEN NO KLEENEX!!! NOW I was REALLY getting to the point I wondered if they took "any" precautions. There was NONE in the rooms, and other than a very small "posting" you could barely read on the wall in the waiting room, NOTHING about it! They called me in, the nurse NEVER asked about a fever, if I had been exposed possibly, or had been out of the country. Plus again NO HAND SANITIZER, NO TISSUES, NO SIGNS POSTED, NOTHING. SO, that was bad enough, then she was an hour late!! And she "barely" looked at anything I was trying to show her, or listen to what I was saying. And just said, "I don't think it is psoriasis"and I asked what about these white round "scars" left? She had NO answer... for one thing they are ugly & with spring and summer coming it is bad enough with the scars I have due to surgeries. So, she basically, told me the same thing I knew, about lotions, what to use etc.. and said "if I have some that come up she can see "better"then call & come back. 

By this time I was fuming and disgusted, and she even tried to shake my hand! I almost walked out without paying the co-pay I was sob freaking peeved! I left there upset in tears, ruined my day, when I could have been home working on my lawn, a waste of gas and money for a co-pay I should really not have owed. I paid it, hurried out, used my hand sanitizer, then went to the restroom and washed my hand... & the closer I got home, the more upset I got.... I wished I would have taken pics when the places were so bad... so, at the last I asked her "would Enbrel be a medication they MIGHT USE TO HELP THIS?"  SHE SAID "YES"... one of them & there are several others out they use for it. So, I said well I went back on my Enbrel about 4 to 5 weeks ago. So, I told her that, & she said well let's "hope", that will help. (So all of the paperwork I filled out over the previous weekend, along with medications, illnesses, surgeries, whom my doctors were etc... she NEVER even looked to see I was on Enbrel, Prednisone, Plaquenil, & Methotrexate.. because those 3 are the older ones they use... NEVER, NEVER, EVER WILL I GO BACK NOR RECOMMEND THAT OFFICE TO ANYONE! I have had a doctor or two really upset me over the years, but this one really "did not know her rear from a whole in the ground"....

SEVERE CHRONIC PAIN & BEYOND SERIOUS WEATHER POTENTIALLY HORRID!

The "Weather Channel" showing weather not looking good for much of the country - serious headed this way it seems! stay safe!

https://weather.com/forecast/regional/news/2019-04-12-severe-thunderstorm-tornado-wind-hail-weekend-system-mid-april

PLUS some of this MAY EFFECT US with CHRONIC PAIN and other types of severe Pain!

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/weather-and-joint-pain#1

After "many" strange" symptoms, DO I ADD yet "another diagnosis" to me endless list of crap wrong with me??? "CPRS"????

I finally made a trip to Urgent Care with what I feel is a very bad Lupus and RA flare, but there are several "symptoms" strange that add into the mix of it all... I was telling my friends on Facebook about the ordeal and one lady mentioned that I should be seen by a Neurologist who specializes in "CPRS"???? Complex Regional Pain Syndrome! I look it up and guess what, MANY of my weird symptoms "fit the bill" - I am just about ready to scream and run, I am so fed up with health problems and the "list" is endless.....


 I had not even thought about that. could it be caused by a very severe sprain? Actually I've had three sprains in that right ankle. The 1st one when I was 40... I had just gotten home after my 1st heart attack, and went toget out of the bed. That foot was "so asleep" I didn't realize it, so when I stepped up I twisted the hell out of it, and it was bad. In fact I had to make a trip to the ER thinking it may have been fractured. Then about 5 years later I stepped crooked on it, when the wind blew me out of a car door at a store here. I was dressed for work, and had went into a store at lunch. The wind was terrible, and when I opened the car door, the wind caught the door and made me twist it again. 

Then in 2016, the day before Mom's funeral in June, I stepped off my front porch, talking on the phone to my daughter, and my neighbor had called to me, and the grass was so wet with dew, both feet came out from under me, and I sprained both, but the right one was bad again. It was so swollen it looked like I had a softball on it. I had to wait, and that Monday after her funeral, went to have it X-rayed at Urgent Care. It was not fractured, but I pulled it again so badly, for 6 months it continued to swell. It was really after I fell fractured the right hip, and then early last year, I went to a foot specialist. He put an injection of corticosteroid in it, and I went for PT about 3 weeks. It went down and "seemed" fine, after that injection. Then last week, I went to the market, and when I got home I noticed my sock I had a bad indention in that foot and ankle.

 I didn't think much of it until then I noticed this week every time I am up on it, or sit at the computer, with it down, it swells terribly again. And I've noticed it hurting now, yesterday it was huge again when I went to Urgent Care about the Lupus and RA flares. I hoped the injection of corticosteroid for those would help reduce the inflammation, thinking that the Lupus, RA and just the very bitter cold weather, that was swelling my fingers and other joints may have caused it again to swell after it being so injured. 

But it never dawned on me, other than I was fearful my "heart" may be causing it to swell. When I had my 1st heart attack, for about 8 weeks before I had it, every day my ankles both of them would swell horribly. That was when I was in "great shape" watched my weight, exercised daily, and never thought I would have a heart attack, yet I did on Jan 8th 2001! So anytime unless I've sprained them etc it worries me that my heart could be acting up, but I've just had an echocardiogram, and a check up with my heart doctor about 3 months ago or less... 

so between knowing it is so damaged from the sprains, and the RA and Lupus, it will swell and hurt, especially with such very cold weather... my fingers, and every joint feels "swollen" and stiff and hurt like hell. So, last night I took one of the Metoprolol's that is for the "extra beat" of my heart. I had slacked down taking them daily because my doctor felt that they were causing me to have a very slow heart rate. In fact we talked about putting a pacemaker in, so I could take the medication and not have to worry over the heart rate problems. Then I will be damned I had one of the damned very cold, wet night sweats!!! Those are the reason I had cut down on the Metoprolol anyway. 

IF my heart rate gets too low at night, we feel my body compensates, by one of those horrid, cold, drenching night sweats, I was wrapped up all night in a heavy robe, and blanket, because then I get so cold after that sweat, I shiver all night, and I feel so bad, I can't even get up to change my clothes, I am just so cold, it just almost hurts to get up and have to change... I swear I thought 2018 would be "better" and it sure has not started off very well for me... I think I am just freaking cursed....


Strange enough, when I look it up, much of those symptoms are true... for one my "OTHER LEG" from the knee down has hurt now for about 10 days, it wakes me up at night, but it is in the other leg from the knee down into that ankle! Also, it looks so purple, but I thought it was spider veins, I suddenly have them in both ankles, and I've asked before because up until I sprained them, I didn't have those terrible ugly looking things, but that ankle and foot looks purple especially when it swells or I have problems with it... 

it has been injured badly twice... and it will even give way with me at times if I am not very careful with it... the "sudden" swelling was strange to me... unless it has just been swelling due to the Lupus and RA... 

so I guess even my Rheumatologist may not really be able to tell me, nor really the foot and ankle specialist... that does seems and I've heard of it of course due to Barby Ingle and many others that have the problem, I just didn't put two and two together thinking that could be what is going on with the ankle in itself... but now that you have said something, and I read the "symptoms" I am wondering if it may be something else like that  and I will definitely check on it. I see my PCP who was the one who diagnosed my Lupus and RA. He really knows a great deal about "other problems" such as something like this... he is a younger doctor and he is very well educated in other illnesses, syndromes, and things that some PCP may not know much about. Plus if I talk to him, he will know of a Neurologist who could look at me and see.

What is even stranger about this, is that suddenly also i about the past two weeks, I've had severe problems with my left arm, from the elbow down to my wrist and fingers. It wakes me up every night, swollen, and throbbing and like it's "asleep" with that pins and needles type of pain. It did it again last night, along with everything else, needless to say I was up since about 2AM, between everything hurting, the night sweat mess, and such I got up and turned on the television again, and said to heck with it... 

and of course I also have the "autoimmune issues" which I knew often go along with "CPRS" again I guess out of everything, I never put this together with the other problems and symptoms. Of course my first thought it dammit, I DON"T NEED ANYMORE FREAKING HEALTH ISSUES!!!! So, if this is the case then I just "chalk up" one more to the never ending damned list of crap wrong with me... again I feel totally "cursed"!!!!!!!


And here is one link talking about CPRS....  https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Complex-Regional-Pain-Syndrome-Fact-Sheet