5 Month Wait List for Top Fibro Doc

By the numbers, this has been an auspicious week so far. Five: the number of months I waited to see Dr. John Bordiuk at the Marino Center for Integrative Health. I finally had my appointment on Tuesday, August 2. Seven: the number of months I was on blood thinners due to blood clots in my lungs. I finally got off Coumadin on Monday, August 1 - yay! Ten: the number of students in my creative writing class for kids in fourth to sixth grade which started on Monday, August 1. I usually get mostly girls but this time I have five boys and five girls - a full class. It's been fun to see what their imaginations dream up!

Last winter when I was really in a deep, dark hole, I asked the Massachusetts CFIDS/ME and FM Association for FM doctor referrals. The top doc on their list was Dr. John Bordiuk, but they warned me that he had a long waiting list. I called his office in March and was told that he was booking new patients in July but when I finally got an appointment, it was for the beginning of August! As the start of my creative writing class approached I realized that it would be a long, tiring day for me to see Dr. Bordiuk on the same day as my class. So, I called his office to reschedule and was told that I would be put at the bottom of the list and wouldn't be able to get in to see him until January! I didn't know whether to be upset that I would have to wait another five months or be glad that he's so good that he is in such high demand. In the end, I kept my original appointment and saw Dr. Bordiuk this week.

I was surprised that he didn't ask me to fill out paperwork ahead of time for health history and a list of supplements and meds. I did the list anyway because I was sure he would want to know what I'm currently taking. When I checked in at the Marino Center, I asked if I needed to fill anything out and the receptionist said that they were all set. To be fair, my rheumatologist is also at the Marino Center and Dr. Bordiuk did have some background information on me from previous records. He knew that I was coming to see him for fibromyalgia and that I had recently had bi-lateral lung embolisms. He was very kind and patient as I told him my whole sob story. He asked if anyone had ever done a stool sample to test for yeast - a common gut problem in fibro that can cause a whole host of symptoms - and he was surprised when I said no. He was also surprised that no one had ever tested me for food sensitivities. Although I've done many special diets and cleanses to combat fibro that usually consist of no sugar, no dairy, no wheat, no alcohol, no chocolate, no caffiene, etc., I've never actually been tested to see what foods may be specific triggers for me.

The food sensitivity test was easy - a blood test to look for antibodies in reaction to over 180 different kinds of foods. The stool test means I have to poop in a cup and collect samples from different parts of the "specimen" and put it in a tube. Kinda nasty but I'll do it if I have to. Anything in the name of better health, right? Results will be back two weeks after I send back the samples. I'll keep you posted!