"Discouraged and upset"

I recently had an appointment with the Rheumatology department and I left feeling deflated, unsatisfied and more than a little frustrated.

I am a 26 year old female that suffers from psoriatic arthritis as well as the actual skin condition itself and have done since I've been 3 . Upon my previous visit to the clinic I was informed that I was on the cusp of being placed on medication, which would likely be for a significant length of time (many years).

I was then and still am very reluctant to take said medication as after doing lots of research since my last appointment and talking to consultants (I work within the NHS), have realised that the side effects are much worse than the condition itself. The medication provided is basically an immunosuppressant drug which causes the immune system to become suppressed therefore leading to other, possibly more severe health issues, blood tests must also be carried out constantly to check that your organs are still working correctly and also the fact that one of the two medications suggested can cause fertility problems and/or genetic abnormalities in the fetus when pregnant which then requires the patient to have a managed miscarriage (an abortion). Not to mention that said medication has to be taken orally 6 times per day.

As a young female - I personally didn't feel like this option was right for me as I will want to start a family within the next few years and I don't particularly want to be tied down to taking multiple medications per day for the foreseeable future. So with that in mind I started looking into other treatments or management of psoriatic arthritis and wanted to ask the advice of my doctor and was asked 'don't you want to live a long and healthy life'.... yes, I do, hence why I don't want to take medication at the age of 26!  I asked if I could be referred to a dietician to work out which foods etc can be cut or introduced into my diet, as many foods can trigger an inflammatory response (arthritis) to which I was told, 'No, that's not available on the NHS, you'll have to go private for that'. I also asked about hydrotherapy and physiotherapy for my joints which wasn't responded to... there are more options out there so why do the Dr's seem so reluctant to let people try these sorts of therapies???

During this appointment, I was also interrupted by another doctor that asked what my situation was and the response given was 'she's very adamant that she's not taking the medication so we will wait 6 months and have her come back and we can review then' all of this being said with the consultants door wide open for everyone to hear may I add! And no 6 months time isn't going to change my mind just like my mind hasn't changed in the past 4 months or like its not changed in the last 4 years when a dermatology consultant asked me the same question!

I left my appointment feeling very frustrated, confused and discouraged about the service provided by the rheumatology clinic. I understand that medications may be the best option for some people but I personally don't want to have to go down that route yet! I was left feeling like I had been stupid for asking if there were other treatment options available and that my case wasn't being treated seriously. The only option for treating my condition was medication as far as the Dr was concerned. I felt like they just wanted to put me on medication for the rest of my days and that would be that. Usually I'm not one to complain about the NHS as I think the majority of staff go above and beyond to help make a difference to people and I thank them all for their support but I have been left feeling so discouraged and upset by my experience.

Medication

Being listened to

Staff attitude