I was on Nextdoor which for those who don’t know is a community forum of neighbours who are looking for referrals eg. who is a good gardener, electrician, plumber etc.
Someone was new to the community and looking for a doctor who does Botox injections on the hands to treat raynauds. Has anyone had this treatment?
It has been over forty years since I got the official diagnosis of lupus before that it was MCTD. I have a new family doctor and saw him yesterday and he commented that he loved how on top of things my rheumatologist is eg. bone density testing, bloodwork, neuropsychiatric testing etc. My bloodwork is always stellar. I asked him straight out: “ if I was to walk into his office today with great bloodwork and some minor complaints (joints, fatigue) would I be diagnosed with lupus?” His answer was : “no”. Hence, why there are people walking around with lupus who have no idea or have an idea but haven’t been diagnosed.”
The purpose of my post is to make sure you have a rheumatologist who takes your symptoms seriously and doesn’t just rely on bloodwork. I do understand that depending on where you live a firm diagnosis can mean that newer drugs can be prescribed.