Derma Day!

Today is Monday, June 19, 2023. The day started at 5:05 am for me with my daily routine of breakfast then step by step I got dressed and ready for the start of my day. From the beginning of my diagnosis I have been seeing various doctors from different departments for my condition. Given that I have dermato-myositis, I honestly thought I’d be seeing a dermatologist from the very beginning. But I didn’t. Part of the reason was because there isn’t a dermatology department at Amiri Hospital, and another part is that my rheumatologist team of doctors informed me that my skin inflammation and the rash I had would slowly get better with the medications they had started me on. As always, I listened to my doctors and waited to see what would happen. Thankfully the skin inflammation causing the rash on my hands, arms, chest area and face was slowly, slowly fading. However, right before I was discharged my rheumatologist told me that at this point it was time to see a dermatologist since the rash still persisted. With great effort on my rheumatologist’s part, she was able to get me an appointment with a highly recommended dermatologist. After much anticipation, I finally finally finally met my dermatologist today…and I couldn’t be happier! I’ve said this before, and I’ll keep saying it, I’m so blessed with all the doctors that have been treating me from day 1. ربي لك الحمد والشكر.

My appointment was at 8:00 am at the Abdulkareem Al Saeed Dermatology Centre, and of course we were there promptly on time. I had to be at PMR by 9:00 so the occupational therapist could asses me, so I was a little worried as the clock kept ticking but my doctor still hadn’t arrived. She arrived around 8:20 and when we entered her office I was just so excited to finally meet her. The first thing about her that put me at ease and comforted me was that she is currently treating another dermatomyositis patient! Finally, a doctor treating me, aside from my rheumatology team, who has seen a another dermatomyositis patient before. Hearing her talk me through everything and listening to her confidence in my treatment plan moving forward, really reassured me that I’m in the best of hands. Luckily for me, I don’t need to be on any more medication at this point for my rash. Hopefully the ongoing cortisone treatment I’m currently on should keep reducing the inflammation that’s causing the rash. Only certain moisturizers, shampoos, conditioners, and topical oils were recommended for me to use for now. My follow-up appointment with her will be in 2 week’s time and we’ll take it from there. I’m so thankful that the newest addition to the team of current doctors overseeing me is truly terrific.

As you can imagine, it was a long consultation given that it’s the first time she sees me and needed to hear my story, then examine me, then discuss what will happen in the near future. Unfortunately, I missed my opportunity to meet with the occupational therapist at 9:00, but I did arrive on time for my physical therapy session at 10:00. I’m happy to report that my PT saw some improvement in my movements from the previous day and was so encouraging in our session that I felt fantastic by the time it ended.

I was home by 11:45 and although it was a relatively ‘short’ day of appointments, I was still tired and had to catch up on my rest for the rest of day…I had some homework from my PT to work on later in the day! I’m pleased with another successful day and I hoping tomorrow will be just as great, if not better.

اللهم أعني على ذكرك وشكرك, وحسن عبادتك.