Hi. Im sorry I havent written in a loooong time. Lots of stuff going
on. Since the last time I had another appt with my obgyn (for my
"other" problems, PCOS with extreme irregular bleeding, occasional
hemmorages etc) and she was somewhat helpful. Wasnt sure if she
should put me on Metformin to regulate my insulin or not as I have low
blood sugar, we will see on that one... but she filled out a small
form for me from DHS so I could recieve foodstamps. It was the only
form she will fill out for me because she "doesnt do that". I got
accepted for the food stamps immediatley so thats a start. I got into
a community clinic program at RI Hospital and got the sweetest primary
care doc Dr. Fox. Man is she thorough! She believed that I had
Fibromyalgia from my exam... and also was slightly concerned that I
may have Lupus. I somewhat expected the FMS but the Lupus tossed me
for a loop. She told me to keep my appt with Dr. Silversmith (thanks
for the refferal btw! :) and said Id be needing a rhumatologist and
if she was to refer me one through them it would take almost a year or
two to get in, and that Dr. Wendy was the best anyway. She didnt
know what to put me on so she tried 25mgs of Amitryptiline.
I had my appt with Dr. Silversmith the next week. It was helpful, and
yet at the same time really frustrating. She diagnosed me right away
with FMS... I believe I had 16 or 17 points show as well. My blood
tests came back negative for Lupus, but my physical exam was almost
absolute. Its my understanding that false negs can happen but rarely.
So she was very hesitant about the diagnosis. Which... I know is
awful... Im fine with. I cant take much more at the moment and those
problems dont bother me yet.
She was super nice and thorough. But couldnt help me. I still have
no insurance and am unemployed because of my problems. She really
just didnt seem to understand about that... she did... but really
pushed it anyway. I want to get back to work soooo badly, but
physically and mentally I cant do it right now. Last time I ended up
passing out flat on the floor hemmoraging. It wasnt the FMS, it was
my obgyn issues... but the FMS issues was making work impossible.
Just a combo of everything.
She wanted to try me on Lyrica and cymbalta and a few other meds but
wouldnt prescribe them because I cant afford them. Makes sense, and I
dont blame her for that. She gave me some samples of pain patches and
creams for certain trouble spots, which have helped a little. She
said there wasnt much she could do... she wants to refer me to a
program at Kent Neuro Health that specializes in FMS but she wont
because I have no insurance. She told me she doesnt deal in FMS much
anymore because they have such a great program. She wants me to get
accupuncture and physical therapy... believes I am a great candidate
for those sort of pain therapies because I am still super flexible
(thanks to years of dance class) and she wants me to keep as much of
it as possible, that and Im young... have always tried not to take
meds as much as possible. (I had a bad back injury as a kid and
built up resistance to vicodin... and have antibiotic resistance...
which I found out when I was hospitalized for 2 weeks because of
cellulitis (bad result from staph infection) from a bad cat attack a
few years ago and nothing worked.. ouchie!)
But again... no referrals cause no insurance. She kept saying I had
to get insurance, come back when I have insurance etc. She told me to
leave my FMS up to the RI Hosp doc (who wants me to leave it up to
Dr. Silversmith because she doesnt know much about dealing with FMS,
she is just a general clinic doc!) and told me to stay on the
amitryptiline.... which isnt doing anything.
I told her that the DHS wants me to apply for GPA (general public
assistance). I explained what it is, and how it will cover doctors
visits and can provide me with a huge list of meds for free (including
the lyrica and cymbalta which are on the list). I dont want to go on
dissability, but this leads me down that path for now. Its neccesary
to get the help and meds I need (and money) so I can get back to where
I want to be and back to my life.

with applying for gpa I have to apply for SS. If I get accepted for
SS I get that.. if I get denied, I may be able to get GPA. So its the
mess of forms and appts, deadlines etc.. that I love soooo much lol.
Id be thrilled with either at that point and both would cover my docs
etc and be a big help. Plus Id be able to see the other docs I need
like a GI etc.

She thought the GPA was a great thing. But WILL NOT fill out the
forms. She doesnt "do dissability forms". yep... thats exactly what
she said. But hoped my other doc's would fill them out for me and
that she was interested in seeing the allowed meds list when I get
accepted. Pardon me but WTF???
If I applied under a psycologist because of the mental issues, Id get
it in a flash... and they would fill it out. But Im on a 2yr waiting
list for help there. Ive been to the clinics/therapists you can get
into easy but need more help and you need referals for that.. and
time.. and LOTS of money.

Its bad enough Im paying out of pocket with the no money I have for
the obgyn and Dr. Silversmith.

I just dont know what to do at this point. I think Ive gotten as far
as I can.
ugh lol
~shannon