Yeah, I get to make the hour and half trip to see my rheumatologist tomorrow. Don't have to be there until 12:45 so that is good. Our weather is bad and "iffy" as far as snow and ice, so we'll leave plenty of time. I'm lucky I don't have to drive so I usually snooze. We take some things to eat and drink in the car. My hubby can drop me off and go have lunch nearby as I'm usually there for some time.
I have not seen her since August and I know I will hear about it. I had my knee replacement on Nov 2 and didn't feel like going up there while I was still not feeling good. I also went to my GP the other day to have my thyroid checked as I am cold all the time. So cold I wrap myself in an electric blanket most of the day. I got the results by mail today. I asked them to do the more extensive test this time. All 3 numbers were within normal amounts. I don't have them right now, but seems all is well there. I do take one thyroid pill a day. I will mention this to the rheum and see what she has to say. Lucy
Who is your advocate with the doctor?
Hi lucy, Well, have a safe drive tomorrow. It is windy in Minnesota and it is supposed to get nasty with 30 below wind chill and snow.
I am sure you will have a good visit with your doc even though you haven't been there as often as she would like. Ask her to check your hemoglobin level and ferritin level. Sometimes when we have surgery our iron can drop. In fact sometimes it can drop just because we have sjogrens and the bone marrow that manufactures the red blood cells is affected.
Otherwise, I have to admit that this winter is the coldest that I have ever been. However, I am not wrapping in an electric blanket.
TAke extra clothes in case you have car trouble---yes, mother,lol. That is what we do in MN cause we can have some bad weather on occasion. Also, snacks and water just in case. I always have snacks and water no matter where I go. Just a habit of mine. Good luck and let us know how everything goes. Irish ;D
Hi Irish- thanks for the "talk" as I know you and I do these little dr vacation trips. We always have a blanket and extra gloves etc in the car. With cell phones etc it isn't quite as hazardous as older times. BUT as you know, Mich as well as MN can turn on you in one heck of a hurry.
Joe I have to be my own advocate and am pretty good. The last dr I chewed out was my orthodoc for not giving me enough pain meds after my surgery. I told him not to make "me the perpetrator." My husband was blown away and said he'd probably never see me again. My hubby usually stays in the waiting room as I find it distracting with he and the dr trying to converse and the subject gets off track. I have the orneriness to face docs if they need it. Hubby is a good companion, but not too good at advocacy.
I will ask about the stuff Irish mentioned. In fact, I'll print it right now. I am very happy so far about my knee recovery.
Good news about your knee recovery.
Have a comfortable trip with no incidents -- unless they are funny as they happen.
Best,
Soycoffee
Because of snow, cold weather and 30 mph winds, we didn't go and made an appointment for next week. If weather is to be bad next week, we will get a motel and go the day before. I hate missing this appt because I have missed a couple of others after my knee replacement. Hope she doesn't kick me to the curb. Lucy
Keep us informed, please.
I feel for you - we used to drive from GH to Ann Arbor for my appts at U of M. 3 hours on good roads if we got that in the winter. If my appt was in the morning we would drive over the evening before. A lot of time and expense when sometimes my appts were only 15 minutes long! It was ridiculous. Glad you decided to be safe and wait for better weather. Try to stay warm. My sister-in-law makes corn bags that I heat in the microwave. I have one that is a muff so I can put my hands in it. It helps quite a bit.
Good luck Lucy and I'll keep the fingers crossed that the weather is lots better for your next appointment.
Patze
Quote from: eyeamdry on January 18, 2012, 07:43:05 PM
Yeah, I get to make the hour and half trip to see my rheumatologist tomorrow. Don't have to be there until 12:45 so that is good. Our weather is bad and "iffy" as far as snow and ice, so we'll leave plenty of time. I'm lucky I don't have to drive so I usually snooze. We take some things to eat and drink in the car. My hubby can drop me off and go have lunch nearby as I'm usually there for some time.
I have not seen her since August and I know I will hear about it. I had my knee replacement on Nov 2 and didn't feel like going up there while I was still not feeling good. I also went to my GP the other day to have my thyroid checked as I am cold all the time. So cold I wrap myself in an electric blanket most of the day. I got the results by mail today. I asked them to do the more extensive test this time. All 3 numbers were within normal amounts. I don't have them right now, but seems all is well there. I do take one thyroid pill a day. I will mention this to the rheum and see what she has to say. Lucy
I wonder what tests they ran on you? I have hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease) and for at least 10 years my tsh/free t4 etc were all within the normal range (it wasn't until this past year that they are finally showing abnormal levels). My original endocrinologist had run the antibody tests (anti tpo and there is another one I don't remember the name) and I only found out I had hashimotos after my sister had been diagnosed and we compared labwork one day. I suffered many years with symptoms of hypothyroid as my dr refused to treat me until my labwork - tsh, t3, t4 actually showed hypothyroid. That is a very outdated approach to hashimotos. Anyway, I found a new doctor who would actually treat my symptoms regardless of what the labwork showed. Sooo, just throwing that out there as a possibility. You may not have it, but the normal thyroid testing does not reveal it and as we know, once you have any autoimmune disease, you are very likely to develop others. Just my 2 cents../