July 2011
The second appointment was brief. The APRN basically told me that my blood results came back normal but she was going to refer me to a rheumatologist due to my family medical history. Not really knowing what a rheumatologist was or what they did I happily agreed to go with the hope that I would find some answers.
After my appointment I talked to my mom about my referral and learned that the doctor she sees for her lupus is a rheumatologist. She asked me why I was being sent there if my blood work came back normal... and I didn't really have an answer... so I called the doctor's office back and the APRN explained that many autoimmune diseases do not present themselves in blood work and that she felt more comfortable having me see a doctor who specializes in that area. It seemed very logical to me and so I asked her to refer me to my mothers doctor...
