Rheumatologist finally calls.  I am underwhelmed.

After waiting a day and a half to speak with him it is clear that he is rushing on the phone with me.  I don’t blame the doctors themselves anymore, they simply don’t have time, and I don’t really take it personally anymore but it doesn’t mean that it’s not incredibly irritating.  I always feel alone and a bit helpless after one of these phone calls.  The truth is the doctors really don’t “get it”.  They don’t know what it’s like to be in this sort of pain.

I was put on hold two times for four minutes at a time during our short conversation (he had to go because he had patients in the hospital to attend to).  It was a very rushed conversation… I even forgot to ask him a few things.  After discussing quickly what I’ve been doing to maintain my pain he suggested a new type of drug for me to take: a line of drugs that are currently being used to treat chronic pain in Fibromyalgia patients such as Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Savella.  He suggested and has had most improvements with Savella.

Luckily I have been able to avoid these drugs up until now and I don’t like the idea of taking them at all.  They may be good for some people and I know some who have taken them to alleviate pain, but I personally prefer to keep my prescription meds to a minimum considering all that my badass liver has weathered.  That, and I like to be extra careful because of my heart.  You never know how these things may affect your rhythms.

Also, I am not so psyched to take a medicine where the side effects start out with this statement:

You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking Savella, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits for at least the first 12 weeks of treatment.  Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Savella. Alcohol may increase the risk of damage to your liver.

Um, no thank you.  I think I’ll pass on the hostile, aggressive mood swings and panic attacks.  Been there done that with the ROIDS (Prednisone) and it wasn’t pretty.

And here is my favorite part:  “Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.”

Wtf?  That’s hilarious.

Guess I have to keep up my pain management, and when it’s bad take the painkillers and stay home on the couch.  These other medications are not an option for me.  Not cool.