I hope your doing better Candace! I’m currently having a similar struggle in Houston. It’s so hard getting appointments with rheumatoligists, that I worry I might need to quit my job before finding a doctor who will sign off for short term disability. I’m pretty sure mine was triggered by epstein barre virus(which tons of people have and lots of people have it without even knowing it, so maybe that could have been your cause too). The brain fog and fatigue are the scariest part for me(because my dry eyes, mouth and throat are usually tolerable). I went to the first rheumatologist I could get in with, and although they were nice, but they wanted to immediately put me on a medication for dry eye and mouth that could potentially cause tachycardia, which I disagree with because the dryness isn’t so terrible for me and i have a family history of heart disease. When I asked about lifestyle changes, he didnt offer any ideas, while from what I read online lowering stress levels and changing your diet can improve autoimmune diseases.
I know this post was awhile ago, have you since been able to find a good rheumatologist in Houston?
Hillary, if you haven’t received a response from Candace in a few days, please let us know and we will try to alert her to your post.
Seenie