Yet another HAE adventure...or two

So I went to my family doctor Tuesday to get a referral for an immunologist. To say he wasn't too happy to see me would be an understatement. Before he even came into the room, he stood right outside the door (or so it seemed) and complained about how I'd waited to make a follow-up appointment to my ER visit until almost a month afterward (if he'd bothered to ask, that was due to some confusion on my part). When he did come in, he listened to my request and then basically tried to talk me out of seeking more treatment for my disease. "There's nothing that can be done," he kept saying, "that's all the immunologist will tell you, too." When I mentioned that there were three drugs out there (well, one will be coming out, soon) to treat the symptoms, he then tried to talk me out of using them "because many drugs have side effects worse then the disease."

Umm, excuse me? This condition could kill me within the day and you're worried about side effects???

During my defense of why I wanted to see an immunologist, I made the mistake of mentioning that my father is a doctor and that made him even more uninterested in having anything else to do with me. He actually picked up my chart and said, "Well, then, your father can treat you," and continued talking about the potential side effects of many medications. I tried to explain that my dad doesn't live in this state, so, no, he can't treat me, but the doc just wouldn't stop talking; and as he was talking, he was walking right out the door. Clearly, this "consultation" was over.

I got my referral, though, so hopefully the immunologist will be more understanding and/or knowledgeable.

My second HAE adventure came yesterday when my top lip swelled up so badly that I looked like the offspring of a duck and an alien. Then, just when that swelling began to go down, my cheeks began puffing up, along with my lower lip. So now, I look like a chipmunk crossed with the offspring of a duck and Tim Robbins. Fun stuff. =P

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