Seattle Doctor for Fibromyalgia
February 9, 2016 12:49 PM Subscribe
My wife and I are looking for a doctor or clinic in the Seattle area with expertise in diagnosing and treating fibromyalgia.
My wife was diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a local rheumatologist last summer who is no longer practicing. We're 90 minutes north of Seattle, and would like to get a second opinion and get a treatment/management plan in place. Any recommendations on either specific doctors or clinics?
My wife was diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a local rheumatologist last summer who is no longer practicing. We're 90 minutes north of Seattle, and would like to get a second opinion and get a treatment/management plan in place. Any recommendations on either specific doctors or clinics?
Best answer: I believe Dr. Philip Mease at Swedish runs a biofeedback clinic designed to help fibromyalgia patients manage chronic pain. Unfortunately, we live two hours away, so while we can visit a Seattle rhuematologist every two months, we can't afford the travel or time away from work to commute weekly or more often to his pain clinic. But it might work for you, being closer.
It is so hard to find any doctor willing to treat fibromyalgia. We have had the most luck with Seattle's small pool of rheumatologists. Of those, we have had a very good experience with Dr. Vivian Stone at Virginia Mason. I think she is probably the best practicing rheumatologist in the area right now. Even if you have to wait a few months to get an appointment, I would recommend trying to get in.
While you are waiting, or if you need other support, we have had good results working with a rhuematology-specialist nurse practitioner, who can do almost everything a doctor does, and has more time available and is more willing to manage the whole patient and address lifestyle changes and mobility issues in a way that a bloodtest-focused MD just doesn't have time for. Again, our personal recommendation (having tried several) is for Kori Dewing, also at Virginia Mason.
My wife has rheumatoid arthritis that interacts with and amplifies her fibromyalgia. If your family is in similar straits, we have several years of experience navigating the healthcare system and changing our lifestyles-- diet has been huge in reducing inflamation. If you want to talk offline, drop me a metafilter mail message. Best wishes in what we know is an awful situation.
posted by seasparrow at 2:13 PM on February 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
It is so hard to find any doctor willing to treat fibromyalgia. We have had the most luck with Seattle's small pool of rheumatologists. Of those, we have had a very good experience with Dr. Vivian Stone at Virginia Mason. I think she is probably the best practicing rheumatologist in the area right now. Even if you have to wait a few months to get an appointment, I would recommend trying to get in.
While you are waiting, or if you need other support, we have had good results working with a rhuematology-specialist nurse practitioner, who can do almost everything a doctor does, and has more time available and is more willing to manage the whole patient and address lifestyle changes and mobility issues in a way that a bloodtest-focused MD just doesn't have time for. Again, our personal recommendation (having tried several) is for Kori Dewing, also at Virginia Mason.
My wife has rheumatoid arthritis that interacts with and amplifies her fibromyalgia. If your family is in similar straits, we have several years of experience navigating the healthcare system and changing our lifestyles-- diet has been huge in reducing inflamation. If you want to talk offline, drop me a metafilter mail message. Best wishes in what we know is an awful situation.
posted by seasparrow at 2:13 PM on February 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
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posted by ethidda at 2:02 PM on February 9, 2016