I think I’m in love…

With my new rheumy. And her nurses. And the whole office.

I got to the office, and they had like 80 handicapped parking spots near the entrance. Awesome. But I found a “normal” spot. They have a self-check-in kiosk – score. I avoided the long line. Not that it super mattered because I got in about half an hour early.

The waiting area was nice. It was large, and there were a ton of chairs. Rheumatology shares its waiting area with vascular surgery and cardiology. An interesting mix, but there was a good separation in waiting areas.

The nurse that took me back was very nice. He was a veteran, probably mid-30s, with an awesome sense of humor. I found out he’s a float nurse from GP hanging out in rheumatology sometimes, but I love him. We talked about Arabic, knee problems (he SO wins that one, even before his three deployments), and he really made me feel comfortable. He also super liked joking around with me. It was awesome, almost like having my uncle there.

My doctor herself was so nice. She asked me why I was switching, and I told her that my former doctor’s attitude just wasn’t working for me, that I wanted to be more involved with my heath and walked through these things – not just for me but for the health blogging community.

She talked to me – really talked to me. She got to know me, and listened to me gripe about my health and my life in general. She did a full examination, listening to me about the joints that are sore. We came up with an action plan together, and that’s exactly what I wanted.

So, I’m going back on MTX – but the injectable. She also gave me a stronger NSAID, but one that is known for not being harsh on the stomach. I have a referral to PT, a GP, and an ophthalmologist. The ophthalmologist part was interesting, just because she asked about my history with uveitis. As I told her, she looked at my eyes and began writing down info on a great doctor. She could see that my eyes were not symmetrical and that they were a little red.

Finally.

I am so excited.

Her nurses came in again and gave me a flu shot – while being hilarious. I spent like 15 minutes talking with one of the nurses, just hanging out. I almost didn’t want to leave.

I feel like I’m in charge of my health, and that’s exactly what I needed.

I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful doctor, and I can’t wait to see any of them in the office again.