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Is it difficult to get into Internal Medicine?

Posted by justsomechick22 @justsomechick22, Nov 28 11:28pm

I am currently a patient in the cardiology department. I was able to get in with zero issue for a heart condition that was found immediately postpartum.

But now, 2 years later, I have a plethora of other issues that have come up. They were an issue before my pregnancy, but have significantly worsened. I was sent to a local rheumatologist who was less than kind, so I figured I’d reach out to the same department at Mayo. I was told it’d be best to apply for Internal Medicine so they could look at my full picture, not just a bunch of separate issues.

I’m just curious if it’s been difficult for people to get in? Especially if it’s technically a self referral? My primary did send a referral for rheumatology now too & I still see cardiology… but I self referred for internal medicine.

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Janell, Volunteer Mentor | @jlharsh | Nov 30 6:19am
In reply to @justsomechick22 "@jlharsh it’s a lot of symptoms that I experienced prior to having my son, but they’ve..." + (show)
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@jlharsh it’s a lot of symptoms that I experienced prior to having my son, but they’ve just gotten much worse. Joint pain, fatigue, hair loss, facial rash, mouth sores, cold/numb fingers & toes, dizziness… the list goes on. Plus the symptoms that I see my cardiologist for (racing heart, palpitations, chest paints, etc) , since it’s still an ongoing issue.

My primary actually ordered my labs - ANA titer 1:160 speckled pattern, lupus anticoagulant positive, low complement, plus more. Unfortunately, the rheumatologist I saw laughed at me & said it was “just fibromyalgia,” and proceeded to lie in her notes. The clinic that has a monopoly in the area apparently doesn’t allow second opinions from another provider in the same department. If I have to make the drive for care, I’d really like to go to a place where I know the atmosphere & I know the providers actually care.

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@justsomechick22, it sounds like cardiology is definitely involved, if not heart problems then whatever is happening may be affecting your heart. My encouragement is to have a conversation with your Mayo Cardiology Team and let them know what is going on. I am so glad to hear you have a primary care doctor who is supporting you.

My local primary care doctor did ANA testing prior to a cardiology appointment. He told me to expect a heart cath and to be referred to Rheumatology. Cardiology then told me no need for a heart cath but they would be happy to do one as my issues were psychosomatic. I even told them I thought a medication I had taken caused a problem and that noticeably irritated them. I was told I needed to tell my primary care to treat my fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel. Notes from this visit (and others) do not accurately reflect what I recall and only caused stress, enough that I needed to stop referring back to my historic documentation.

To Mayo Clinic….I was told they knew what was happening but they did not know what to do about it. They wanted to work with me to figure it out. Their approach would be to first protect my heart, then address one symptom at a time. It would be a marathon. It is not pleasant to think of where I would be without my care at Mayo Clinic MN. My approach has been, and continues now that I have a wonderful team supporting me to look forward and do the next, best thing in front of me. You can do this!

The very nature of who ends up at Mayo Clinic supports why they are the right place for you. You are going there because they deal with health problems that are beyond what our local providers typically figure out. Their approach may be different than what you expect (that’s why it works) so it will become important to buy into their approach and walk through their process.

I also want to encourage you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Don’t stress yourself about it, just do the best you can to be consistent and continue making progress.

I am happy to share anything you think may be valuable, and I would like to stay plugged into how you are doing if you are willing.

When do you see your local primary care doctor next? What does your eating and activity look like? What are you thinking is your next step?

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justsomechick22 | @justsomechick22 | Nov 30 7:42am
In reply to @jlharsh "@justsomechick22, it sounds like cardiology is definitely involved, if not heart problems then whatever is happening..." + (show)
Profile picture for Janell, Volunteer Mentor @jlharsh

@justsomechick22, it sounds like cardiology is definitely involved, if not heart problems then whatever is happening may be affecting your heart. My encouragement is to have a conversation with your Mayo Cardiology Team and let them know what is going on. I am so glad to hear you have a primary care doctor who is supporting you.

My local primary care doctor did ANA testing prior to a cardiology appointment. He told me to expect a heart cath and to be referred to Rheumatology. Cardiology then told me no need for a heart cath but they would be happy to do one as my issues were psychosomatic. I even told them I thought a medication I had taken caused a problem and that noticeably irritated them. I was told I needed to tell my primary care to treat my fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel. Notes from this visit (and others) do not accurately reflect what I recall and only caused stress, enough that I needed to stop referring back to my historic documentation.

To Mayo Clinic….I was told they knew what was happening but they did not know what to do about it. They wanted to work with me to figure it out. Their approach would be to first protect my heart, then address one symptom at a time. It would be a marathon. It is not pleasant to think of where I would be without my care at Mayo Clinic MN. My approach has been, and continues now that I have a wonderful team supporting me to look forward and do the next, best thing in front of me. You can do this!

The very nature of who ends up at Mayo Clinic supports why they are the right place for you. You are going there because they deal with health problems that are beyond what our local providers typically figure out. Their approach may be different than what you expect (that’s why it works) so it will become important to buy into their approach and walk through their process.

I also want to encourage you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Don’t stress yourself about it, just do the best you can to be consistent and continue making progress.

I am happy to share anything you think may be valuable, and I would like to stay plugged into how you are doing if you are willing.

When do you see your local primary care doctor next? What does your eating and activity look like? What are you thinking is your next step?

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@jlharsh I’m so glad you were able to find care here & that they are working so well with you 🩷 it’s everything I hope to have as well.
I’d love to stay in touch!

My primary is an absolute gem. Which unfortunately does mean she’s usually very booked. I made my follow up the first week of November & she was booked until January at that time. So it’ll be a little while, however she does communicate regularly with me through our patient portal.

As for lifestyle; mine isn’t the healthiest if I’m honest. I have a toddler who I chase around all day & I do try to swim or go for walks daily with him. But food wise, we don’t always eat the best. Lots of raw fruits/veggies, but also a lot of quick processed things on days my pain is too bad to properly cook. I am trying to make as many changes there as I can though - more protein, meal prepping, etc. it’s a slow process though since I’m juggling so much.

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