first rheumatology appointment

Hi Carlybob - from what I remember of my appointment a couple of years ago, my rheumatologist asked me a specific list of questions to determine what kind of pain I'm feeling and where, as well as some general questions about my overall health, then physically (with his fingers) applied pressure to the known pressure points where fibromyalgic sensitivity is. It was about a 20-30 minute appointment. I was told to either wear or bring shorts and a t-shirt to the appointment to change into when I got there, for the physical exam. Not sure if all rheumatologists operate this way, maybe someone else can fill you in on their experience?

If you have any questions about the appointment, you should feel free to phone the office and ask them. Also ask if you are required to bring anything with you (like shorts and t-shirt) to the appointment. Because of the specific pressure points (legs, hips to name a couple) and the movements the rheumatologist will do with them, I don't think a gown would give you as much freedom of movement that would be required during the physical exam. Always best to phone and ask :) Good luck!

I just realized that my earlier comment might not take into account a difference between U.S. vs. Canadian medical system. Carlybob, Sherrine - I apologize if my comment was misleading, am still learning!

Where I live, the family doctor is expected to do all the preliminary testing before sending the patient to a specialist (like a rheumatologist). So all the x-rays, bloodwork, CT Scans, MRI's, etc., would have been arranged for and results received by the family doctor. Once all those come back and the diagnosis needs confirmation and/or further specialized treatment, or else is still a mystery, then the patient is referred to the specialist by the family doctor. In our system, patients cannot just select and call up our own specialist for an appointment - it works by referral system from family practitioners or other doctors only. Patients can, however, request a referral from our family doctor if we are not satisfied with that family doctor's diagnosis, or if we need to have the doc's diagnosis confirmed. The family doc then sends all the test results to the specialist who reviews it prior to the appointment with the patient and can 'cut to the chase' when that patient arrives. When I saw my rheumatologist, he already had all the results from three months worth of tests that my family doctor had ordered for me and which I had undergone, plus the relevant chart notes from my visits with the family doc about the specific issues I was experiencing. That's why my appointment with the rheumatologist was so brief in comparison with Sherrine's.

Carlybob, I echo Sherrine's comment and hope too, that your rheumatologist will be as thorough as hers was :)