The Doctor That Made All Of The Difference!

A doctor should be patient. He (or she) should take the time to sit down with you and understand your condition. A good doctor is thorough. However a GREAT doctor is all of the above AND one who listens intently, offers encouragement and support and gives the advice of a lifetime! I'll tell you the story of my GREAT doctor and how he essentially changed the course of my life!

In 2019 I was diagnosed by a rheumatologist that I had seen precisely once before. After she gave me my diagnosis she was very much dismissive. "You have Fibromyalgia. It means you have widespread pain but we don't know what causes it. Try this medication, see if it works for you. If not try CBD." Then she went into a long talk about how she had no clue how CBD or cannabis had been approved for medical usage without rigorous testing. She finished with, "I'll refer you to a place called Constance Lethbridge. There's really nothing else we can do." I never saw her again. I immediately went to my GP and asked to be referred to another rheumatologist who knew more aboout Fibromyalgia. That's how I landed my GREAT doctor! In the meantime I started the medication she had perscribed for me (an antidepressant) with no warnings about how it may affect me. Needless to say in two short days I became so heavily depressed (which had never been an issue before) I couldn't get out of bed or stop crying. My muscles were twitching and I couldn't keep my hands steady. My pupils were dilated. I was so thirsty I just kept chugging water. Scott, my husband was very concerned and called the pharmacy right away and they told me to stop the medication immediately. I was honestly terrified! I have never felt that way since then and I hope never to feel like that again! I had had a mild case of serotonin syndrome which if left untreated is very scary.

Shortly after I landed my new rheumatologist. He took all the time in the world to discuss my case and asked many meaningful and insightful questions. He never interrupted. I asked him if he could confirm my diagnosis of FIbromyalgia and he said not before I went for an xray to rule out ankylosing spondylitis and one more set of blood tests. I did that and when my results came back he very caringly told me that although there were no definitive tests for fibromyalgia itself, I unfortunately fit the bill perfectly. He said he was confident that this was the right diagnosis but also that it was a frustrating diagnosis for doctors to give because there's no magic cure and the cause is unknown. Then he did something that no other doctor had ever done before. He talked to me about basic healthy living practices. Things like stress management. Even the importance of cutting out toxic people from my life. He encouraged me to move. Quoting some studies, he said that movement was supposed to be one of the most effective ways of managing chronic pain (how right he was) and encouraged me to go slow. We talked about healthy eating. At the end he said this and I will NEVER forget it: "You strike me as the kind of person that will fight back. That will make some of these changes and you will find some relief." His encouragment and his faith in me is what literally got me out of bed. I had spent the last month or two largely bedridden with no energy to speak of. I thought to myself, "if this doctor has faith that I can do this, I should have faith in myself too!" I never looked back.

Even though I did the hard work myself I still credit a large part of my success to him. Without his words of wisdom I think I would have spent a lot more time lying in bed thinking I was doing the best thing for myself by resting. He gave me that vote of encouragement that I needed and I still hear his voice in my head when I find myself feeling discouraged or doubtful. Thank you GREAT doctor.