Pain Management Clinic at GW

edit: I've read & re-read this post, wondering if I have been unduly harsh.... perhaps I was in my choice of words, but my sentiment remains the same.

Duncan's mystery arthralgia still remains a mystery. What also remains a mystery to me is why the three different rheumatologists he's seen since June suck so hard. It's not a good sign when one wonders if one's rheumatologist has ever taken a academic course beyond undergrad immunology or reads current literature on a regular basis. One would think that rheumatologists would also have a functional, working knowledge of pain management, but that too has been lacking.

On Sunday the pain was severe enough that, for the first time, he had to use a fentanyl patch. I am thankful that a very understanding family doctor let us have them, "on standby", just in case, en route to figuring out this mystery. Nevertheless, pain levels were only diminished (as opposed to disappeared) and he still took two days off work.

On Tuesday he had his first appointment at George Washington's Pain Management Center. While the visit got off on shaky ground due to miscommunication by the nurse, it ultimately ended positively. I (we) came away with a decent amount of faith & hope that Dr. Desai would be very competent in managing the unpredictable, often debilitating levels of pain that Duncan deals with. Thanks to Dr. Desai, we can now focus on trying to find the underlying cause.

I only hope that the people at Hopkin's Rheumatology department will be as seemingly good. Unfortunately, they have a tougher task at hand- figuring out the cause of this (auto)immune-related arthralgia. Immunology/Rheumatology is not as straightforward as the art & science of pain management.

Based on the brief interaction with Dr. Desai, anesthesia doesn't look like such a bad option if I ever make it in & through med school.