Navigating care between multiple doctors who aren't communicating is genuinely exhausting — and it's unfortunately a common frustration for people managing RA. You shouldn't have to be the one holding everything together, but sometimes that's exactly what ends up happening.
Here are some practical steps that can help:
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Navigating care between multiple doctors who aren't communicating is genuinely exhausting — and it's unfortunately a common frustration for people managing RA. You shouldn't have to be the one holding everything together, but sometimes that's exactly what ends up happening.
Here are some practical steps that can help:
- Designate a "quarterback" doctor — ask one physician (often your rheumatologist or primary care doctor) to take the lead in coordinating your overall care
- Keep a master medication list — include every prescribed and over-the-counter medication, supplement, and herb you take, and bring it to every appointment
- Use one pharmacy — a single pharmacist can flag dangerous drug interactions across all your prescriptions
- Remind each doctor — whenever a new treatment is being considered, remind them of everything else you're already taking and ask about interactions
- Ask for a pharmacist consult — if a doctor seems unsure about interactions, request that a pharmacist review your medications Being open and honest with each doctor about your struggles is also really important. Let them know the current situation isn't working and that you're suffering as a result. Doctors can only help fix problems they know about.
If a doctor isn't listening or responding with empathy, it may be worth seeking one who will. As one myRAteam member shared, it took seeing three different doctors before finally finding one who truly understood their pain — so advocating for yourself, as tiring as it is, really does matter.
July 30
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