like moe said,
Take all your records or have them sent to the ruhmy before you go.
First ask the referring doctor(GP) if they personally know the doctor you are being referred to or are they just picking them off a list that the insurance company provides? then make your judgement based on that knowledge.
Ask right up front BEFORE going to the rummy appointment. what is the doctors stance on fibromyalgia. dont go to him/her if they dont believe.
now as doctors want your money, the staff maybe instructed to say they are understanding.
If you finish your appointment and feel that the doctor is not understanding of the fibro, then tell them, " I want my money back and do not send a bill to my insurance. i do not pay for consultations with doctors". has worked for me every time.
Its a privilege for a doctor to see you and not a right for the doctor to see you and charge you for nothing at all. it's the same for the patient.
think of your questions that you want answered.
first question i would ask is: Have you helped others with fibromyalgia. and what have you done to help them?
why am i having this pain? why are the pain killers not working on that pain? what other tests do you think need to be done and WHY?
what is the treatment plan you are thinking for me? what meds do you think i need to take? what pain level do you think you can get me too and how do you plan to maintain it?
just some of the questions i ask each doctor on the first visit.
Take notes so the doctor sees you are wanting to learn and get help. not just let him do the guessing on his own.
You play a very big role in your treatment plan.
Your guess is as good as the doctors guess. you are in total control of your treatment plan.
Take steps to make informed decisions about your treatment and the drugs you take.
Doctors are there to help you and advise you, not make decisions for you.
if your doctor, like my doctor does not believe in the MJ, then ask him/her what research have you done yourself to have that opinion.
tell them YOUR research has proven it to work on your body and pain. ask why is it helping you then?
My PM doctor answered, She has not done her own research and the stuff she read does not prove it works so she does not believe in it.
I told her it's not about what you believe! it's about what works on my body and my pain levels. i want to try it and see if it helps.
she told me if i wanted to try the MJ, i would have to get off of all the drugs she has prescribed me and im on my own. as if that scared me lmao!
I told her if she still wanted to continue get the $600 per visit and the kick back on the $14,000 per month meds she is prescribing, then she must do research on the MJ and convince me that it dont help. if you are not willing to help me or learn what can help me, then i will find a new doctor that can help me.
Like i said above, doctors want your money and you are in control of your treatment plan.
she is doing the research and wants me to wait one more month before i go try the MJ.
so she can get $600 plus the kickback money on the drugs one more time.
If she tells me no i cant try the mj i plan to tell her not to charge my insurance for this visit and i will find a new doctor.
I have already tried the MJ and it does help dull my pain and reduce the pain level a small amount.
id also say that it helps just as much as the med that can kill me at any dose.
i hope this helps you now and in the future with your treatment.