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Medications for Temporal Arteritis/Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA)
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jul 7 8:52am | Replies (353)Comment receiving replies
Just an update to everyone regarding possible Temporal Arteritis diagnosis. I saw an RA Specialist yesterday and I really did not get any information from him that I already knew and furthermore did not care for his attitude...this is the first time that I met a doctor which I actually felt was a true "quack" and an established one at that. All he could feebly tell me was that he did not think my SED Rate was all that terribly high and then felt my temples and said my pulse rate was good. He kept pushing for me to get another SED Rate blood test in his own blood draw clinic which I declined. I asked him if I should put cold or warm compresses on my temple in order to ease the pain and he said it really did not matter. He also was not that concerned about getting an artery sample and the final blow was that he actually told me that if I had Temporal Arteitis for three months already and have not gone most likely I would not go blind. That was the frosting on the cake for me.....I wish that I could call Medicare and tell them what I thought regarding this office visit....I can only imagine what he will bill Medicare for, probably $700 to $800 and he even did notice that I had a CAT Scan of my head done.....I wish that I had never gone to see him. I am now thinking of going to a good Neurologist back in the Aurora Healthcare Network. This Specialist visit was a complete waste of time and money all around.
Replies to "Just an update to everyone regarding possible Temporal Arteritis diagnosis. I saw an RA Specialist yesterday..."
@charann2000 - I was just reading an article that said 7-20% of patients with GCA had normal Sed Rates.
Hi Tinkerbell, My SED RATE was 29 two weeks ago, which this RA doctor thought was not very high at all....he even said that 50 would not be considered bad for someone in my age, 69 years. Did your SED RATE increase rapidly from the first ready or did it gradually increase? I do not see any swelling whatsoever at this point in time, however, several days ago the pain seemed to migrate to my left outer ear and it was intermittent, one discomforting sharp pain every two minutes...Excedrin Migraine did not help this...It finally dissipated by the end of the day. I have had one or two days since this all began where everything seemed to clear up on its own but came back again the next day. I also feel a slight pulling on my left check and temple and eye area. There is some feeling also radiating down my left side of my neck with stiffness....not extreme though. I could not believe it when this RA doctor dismissed my concern for my vision after I requested him to write an order for a neurological eye exam by a doctor of optometry.
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@charann2000 - I think your idea of seeing a Neurologist is a good idea. They certainly saved my vision. I was hoping this doctor was going to help you. The Neurologist could do another Sed Rate for you and see if it has increased. Thanks for keeping me up-to-date on your situation. I take it you are still having a lot of pain. Do you have any swelling running down in front of your hairline. Also, mine started with some swelling on the right side of my scalp which moved down to the area in front of my hairline. The dermatologist actually took a picture of it. Have you had any pain in your teeth. These are all symptoms I had but did not know they pointed to GCA. What was your Sed Rate again?