Health Care is a big issue for me as it is for anyone who has chronic health issues.  Not having health insurance was one of the biggest stressors I had last year and being eligible to purchase insurance, at a discounted rate, was a blessing.  I was able to find a rheumatologist who specializes in treating fibromyalgia patients.

My first appointment was actually a month ago – I had a 3:00PM appointment, arrived at 2:45 and by 3:30 she still had two patients to see ahead of me.  I couldn’t wait any longer because I had to be home to meet the boys at the bus and wasn’t able to get in any sooner.

I picked a 9:00AM appointment – her first of the day to ensure that I wouldn’t have to wait.  I arrived about 10 minutes early for my appointment and about 9:20, I was called back to the exam room.  It seems the doctor had been caught in traffic and was late.  So they’re batting 0 for 2 here with timeliness.  She did do a very thorough exam and confirmed what I already knew – I’ve got fibromyalgia.  But she also discovered that I’ve got a couple of other things going on too – a form of arthritic and another thing called “hyper-mobility syndrome”.  The hyper-mobility syndrome is largely symptom-less but it does put one at a greater risk of injury such as sprains.

The arthritis appears to be associated with the gene HLA-B27.  I will be doing more research into the gene and other things that are associated with that particular gene.  I wish I had access to my biological family to be able to ask if any of them have any of the same issues that I have.  I also hope to be able to check the kids and see if any of them are carriers of this gene.  According to my preliminary research, the northern Scandinavian  population has a 24% who are HLA-B27 positive.  (I have a mix of Swedish/Scandinavian ancestry determined by my Ancestry.com DNA test).

This new doctor did have many suggested medication changes which will take several months to implement fully.  My goal in seeing this new doctor was to improve my current symptoms and to hopefully get back to the point I was before I got sick – where I was exercising regularly and was able to train and complete sprint triathlons, 5K’s and moving towards 10K’s and 1/2 marathons.