#stitch with @Josh McGough MD MS best post-ER care for someone with
#LongCovid: a really top-notch Long Covid clinic (like Mt Sinai’s or Yale’s) or specialists/sub-specialists on university hospital Long Covid teams. Many of these conditions run in clusters/comorbidities, so sub-specialists & specialists tend to know who’s best to refer someone to bc so many of their patients also have that comorbidity (like my rheumatologist has so many EDS & fibro patients that he can spot POTS & refer them to a good POTS specialist). It’s good for patients to research providers in advance (publications, webinars, advocacy, etc). As for us patients with chronic conditions, if we’re in the ER it’s bc something else is going on (but all comorbidities need to be considered), we’re experiencing new symptoms our doctor wants us to get checked out, or we’re in such a bad flare we can’t make it through the night or weekend. Either way, we don’t want to be there & we know the ED staff doesn’t understand us. If someone is new to a condition, ofc they’re going to be scared & nervous! Have you ever stood up, felt your body swell with a seltzer sensation, begin to see stars, then wake on the sidewalk? Because that’s alarming. That doesn’t mean they need psych. It means they need elevate their feet & get a lot of saline & magnesium. Just because you can’t see the cause of their symptoms doesn’t mean the symptoms have no cause. Nervous system dysfunction is weird & unpredictable & if you think it’s overwhelming to acutely treat, imagine living with it chronically, while half of the medical world doubts that it’s even real. As someone waits to get into sub-specialty or specialty care, encourage them to get involved with disease advocacy (LC advocacy, POTS advocacy, etc). We prescribe it to most of our patients bc it is one of the most effective ways to provide support, a sense of purpose, hope, and community. Patients can learn so much from advocacy groups, including discovering providers who may be appropriate to treat them.
#ChronicIllness #Fibromyalgia #POTS #LearnOnTikTok