Hi @justsomechick22, I am glad to see you on Connect. How great that your heart issues were addressed and resolved by Mayo Cardiology a couple years ago.

I am a Mayo MN patient and have gone through both doctor and self-referral. Both are good options. One particular experience, I landed at Mayo Clinic (already a patient) when I needed help with what I saw as a systemic circulation crisis, and I was not getting better locally. Through their process of gathering information they definitely did want to know what I thought was happening but then was told there was not one clear specialty that stood out. My visit started off seeing Internal Medicine and that doctor acted as my primary during my visit, coordinating general testing and specialist consults, then seeing me at the end of my visit so we could discuss what was learned. My existing provider was one of the specialist consults during that visit. This integrative approach is in their wheelhouse!

If I understand correctly your situation is different now, maybe not something straightforward. It may require an integrative approach between departments. You are in the process of waiting to hear back from your local primary’s referral to Mayo Rheumatology as well as your self-referral request to their Internal Medicine Department. You are hoping to address a variety of issues that your local doctors have not been able to figure out. It sounds like you are headed to the right place, and your current cardiologist at Mayo may or may not end up involved.

I think if it were me I would first call your Mayo Cardiology Team so they know everything that is happening and find out what they recommend, if they can help. Be prepared to connect with Internal Medicine and check on the status of both referrals. Please do come back and provide updates as you continue through your referral process.

If you are comfortable sharing, would you describe a bit about what you are dealing with? What are your symptoms, and how are they affecting life? Did you learn anything from your local rheumatology visit?