Arthritis Mom

If you have or suspect you may have rheumatoid arthritis, you need to find a rheumatologist. A rheumatologist treats diseases of the joints, muscles and bones like rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis and many others. Using a specialist for rheumatoid arthritis is important because they have the most training and experience when it comes to these types of diseases, they are most likely to be aware of the newest treatments and what know what to try if the more common treatments are ineffective.

Once you find one, you can make great use out of internet resources to help you evaluate and communicate with your rheumatologist.

When I first suspected I had rheumatoid arthritis, I tried to learn as much as I could about it. I did this through websites dedicated to arthritis and messageboards for people with arthritis. I learned about symptoms (common and rare) and treatments (most effective, less effective) and what to expect from a visit with a rheumatologist.

With this information I was able to determine that my rheumatologist was very up to date on all the latest recommended treatments that I had read about. Whenever I received new information from my rheumatologist I went home and did my own research to determine if I agreed with his advice (with the exception of breastfeeding while taking Humira, I always have agreed with him). Having the right rheumatologist can make a big difference in getting your RA under control, so this was very important to me.

The benefits are mutual. There are times when my rheumatologist will give me a quiz to see if I already know what he's about to tell me. The day he was going to show me how to inject Humira, he asked if I knew how to do the injection. I did. I had already read the injection instructions on the Humira website. What can I say, I was curious, and my rheumatologist was not surprised. It made the process easier for him because we weren't starting from scratch, and more comfortable for me because I knew a little about what to expect.

I think this is one of the best uses of internet health information. It doesn't make you able to diagnose and treat yourself (not recommended), but it can make you an informed patient and it can help you determine if the rheumatologist you've chosen is the right one for you.