Hi Karen,
I'm so sorry to hear of your latest setback.
The first rheumy I was sent to here locally didn't even examine my joints. In fact, he didn't examine me at all. Much like your podiatrist not looking at your feet. Hard to believe a rheumy wouldn't check a patient's joints....Or a podiatrist not check your feet. But we're living proof it happens!
I sometimes think these doctors have some kind of sixth sense or a forewarning about me when I get referred to them because it usually ends up being a nightmare for me too.
When I switched from Pittsburgh to WVU, my rheumy up there sent a very nice introductory letter to my new doctor, which he gave me a copy of. After I had seen her a couple of times & felt more comfortable with her, I asked her if he had sent her another separate letter besides the one he gave me the copy of "warning" her about me. She told me he didn't. But I still wonder.
The best piece of advice my rheumy in Pittsburgh ever said to me was that I needed to get rid of most of the specialists I was seeing at the time because they weren't really doing anything for me except causing me more frustration.
I was able to follow his advice till this past summer as I've had something else unusual develop that no one here locally (or even my rheumy at WVU), seems to know what to do about. It actually shows up on film, so we know it's there. But they just keep passing me back & forth, running more tests, seeing more doctors. And never getting an answer. Just raising more questions in fact.
I really, really hope you can be seen by Dr. Khan - you would think the question of whether he is or is not accepting new patients would be a fairly simple one for his staff to answer!!
Good luck & tie a big knot & hang on, Karen - it just HAS to get better at some point!!!
