A Second Fibromyalgia Opinion

Thank you to 2nd.MD for providing me with a $200 stipend to test-drive this revolutionary online medical service.

I’ve been wanting a second opinion on my fibromyalgia for awhile, but rheumatologists that will accept my insruance in this area are few and far between. When I got a referral to one two years ago, there was only one practice, out of two, that was even accepting new patients.

After I obtained my referral, drove an hour, found the doctor’s office, I was dismissed as a tired mom that just needed a sleep study. Wait? What? That’s IT? I was highly disappointed. Mostly I was disappointed at how quickly I was dismissed, and a sleep study was totally out of the question at that point. My youngest child would not go to bed without me being home. Not.at.all.

So I never got the sleep study. Since then, I’ve seen an endocrinologist who saw me for my thyroid. It’s pretty enlarged. He was also pretty dismissive. I got the “Yep, it’s enlarged, nothing looks cancerous, and you need a sleep study.” Wait? What? But I don’t snore. Not since I had my tonsils out.

Now two doctors have dismissed my increasing pain and muscle spasms as being related to not sleeping well and I need a sleep study. I became convinced that this was just their new diagnostic toy. Not only that, but I’m not sure how accurate a sleep study will be since I’ll freely admit I’m a chicken. Too chicken to get my deviated septum fixed.

Enter the chance to test drive 2nd.MD. I thought, what could it hurt? I mean, what’s the worst that would happen? I’d get told I need a sleep study? It turns out, that’s exactly what happened, but not in the condescending manner as I’ve previously experienced. The rheumatologist I conversed with didn’t treat me like I was dumb, but rather that I actually had a brain I was capable of using. It was a nice change of pace. He also suggested I get my vitamin D level checked.

So, I guess I need to get over my fear of my previous nose surgery and get the work done on my nose that was suggested to me eight years ago. Back then I was told even then I may only gain 30% usage of my right nostril the way the anatomy of my nose is, but who knows what procedures and technology are out there now. Then I’ll have that sleep study, but I don’t see the point of it when I know my nose needs work whether I’m actively snoring now or not.

With 2nd.MD, you can ask a doctor if they think they can help you before you try to book an appointment with them, which is nice. You can also search for a doctor by symptom or by specialty. If you don’t have a web cam, it’s OK, you can request your consult by phone. There are a lot of options available, and I think it’s a great resource for second opinions when you already have test results and blood work in your possession. I do wish there were more daytime hours for those of us who stay home so that I could do my appointment while my family was at work and school instead of hiding in the bedroom while my husband tried to keep the kids downstairs.

Thank you again to 2nd.MD for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about 2nd.MD. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #Clever2ndMD #spon