Fibromyalgia Experiences

(Continued)

She was almost as talkative as the nurse and had an equally nice smile. She asked me if I would like a glass of water and I said, "Oh, thanks but I already have a bottle in my bag." I realized that this was the first time I had ever been asked by a medical professional as to whether I wanted a glass of water. She explained the procedure and we spent about an hour with her asking questions and me answering them, and her plugging the answers into a computer. The questions were mainly on physical and psychological symptoms and general history. When she found out I get panic attacks sometimes she asked a few questions as to try to discern the root cause, and I explained that I'm a survivor. She pulled some stapled yellow sheets of paper out from a stack at the side of the desk and asked me some specific questions about my abuse history; it turned out they were doing a study on the correlations of that to chronic illness. I found it interesting. I was slightly disappointed that they only asked about the kinds of abuse everyone else focuses on -- physical and sexual -- but I still thought it was a good first step.

The interview took almost exactly an hour. I was then escorted into a little waiting lobby that was within the maze of inner rooms. After only a minute, the nurse came back and fetched me. I had some simple tests done -- pulse, blood pressure both laying down and standing, things like that -- and a test I've never had done before. The latter test was to determine whether I have dry eyes, which is a symptom of certain diseases. It was a rather painful procedure involving treated paper being hooked into my closed eyelids to see how fast they would tear. The tearing was caused by the burning sensation of the treated paper on my eyes. She said that I had to keep my eyes closed for the procedure, which would take no longer than five minutes, and that I shouldn't worry, she wasn't going to leave me alone in the room in the middle of it. All in all, the people at this clinic were the most courteous, thoughtful, and reassuring medical professionals I think I've ever met. And by the way, not only do I not have dry eyes, but she said my right eye held the new record for how fast an eye teared up. Heh.

Then I was given a gown by the nurse and told to change and that the physician's assistant would be in soon. I changed, hopped up on the seat, and began to read again. She came in and told me to have a seat in the chair instead -- "It's much better for your back." She did a bit more of my history and then a physical examination. She also asked me to count backwards from 100 by seven to see how my memory and concentration were. She then emphatically reconfirmed my diagnosis of fibromyalgia -- "Yep! You definitely have it!" I found the way she phrased it amusing. We talked about meds for a few minutes and she prescribed me a new one and suggested that I start acupuncture treatment as well. I said, "I hear that that has helped a lot of people with fibro" and she replied enthusiastically that it was often most helpful. I then asked if the acupuncture clinic at that hospital also did acupressure and she said she had no idea and that I'd have to ask them. She gave me some sheets and told me to go ahead an d schedule my next appointment, and then come back to wait in the inner lobby and she'd come get me again.

I was still waiting when she came out looking for me. She gave me a sheet with what blood tests she wanted done checked on it and told me to go ahead straight down to the lab after I checked out. The first available appointment was for two months away (!) so I took that one. In my next appointment, I will meet with Dr. Buchwald and we will discuss my lab results and my treatment, and she'll "adjust accordingly." I also made an acupuncture appointment but then I cancelled it till I could do more research on the subject, and could find out whether they also do acupressure and how much it would cost per session. Then I got directions to the lab.

I found the lab all right. The lady at the desk told me to put my form in a paper tray on the desk. I paper clipped my aforementioned card to it. I then sat down to read again. There were a lot of people in the lab lobby, most of them much older than me and much more outwardly sickly-looking. They were all called back one at a time, in pretty fast succession. Within five or ten minutes there was only one other person in the lobby, someone that I had gathered (from overhearing a conversation between the woman and a lab tech) was waiting for their child or partner to finish undergoing frequently-endured, elaborate tests that freaked said child or partner out a lot. I got called back by a very tall lab tech with a rather thick accent. He took me into a curtained cubicle and got his equipment ready. He started to get my right arm ready and I warned him that it's much, much easier to find a vein in my left arm. He smiled a little and said we'd see. His smile disappeared and a frown of concentration appeared instead as he completely failed to even find a vein to attempt to stick my right arm. "See, I said that one is hard to get," I said lightly but nervously, and I gave him my other arm. I proceeded to close my eyes and he stuck me. Partway through he said, "Not much further, now. We're almost done with number three out of eight vials." I almost fainted upon simply hearing that. Eight vials of my blood! They are certainly doing more tests on me than any other hospital I've ever been to has.

Then he bandaged my arm and said that I could go. I asked for my card back and he realized he hadn't given it to me. Then I walked out -- out of the lab, then out of the hospital. I started to go the wrong way, but realized after a minute and turned and went the other way. I had to walk up a hill to the bus stop and I was feeling extremely dizzy and light-headed after the loss of so much blood. I ate the protein bar, extremely grateful I'd bought it, and drank a little more water. I walked up to a bus stop and headed home.

The next day, I felt extremely weak and still felt dizzy and lightheaded. That evening I ended up collapsing in a road and injuring myself in the process. I was scared but I fared okay in the end. Over the course of the next few days I ate a lot of foods that contained iron and potassium and drank tons of electrolyte-rich liquids. I had to spend the next 24 hrs. recuperating from my collapse but after that I felt much better, about back to my "average" health. I think the collapse was due in part to already being chronically ill and having a persistent infection at the same time, and being anemic on top of those things. I don't think that I will have that much blood drawn at once again unless there is someone else there to help me get home safely and take care of me for a little while afterwards.

I've yet to start the new med, nortryptaline. I'm not overly thrilled with it, as it's similar to amatryptaline, which didn't work remotely well for me, but I know that if it doesn't work, I can tell them and they will prescribe a new one. And, unlike other specialty doctors I've seen, I honestly believe this clinic will listen to my concerns and believe me.

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