Pulmonologists are ancient history. Nobody looks farther, nobody investigates. As I wrote, they even said they saw the problem happening. But nope, wouldn't even discuss it at all with me. Changed the subject and told me goodbye.

Been to two neuro-ophthalmologists. The first one, at a major, ivy-league University nearby (which is really just riding on their reputation anymore), was/is, unfortunately, going senile. Yelled at me and yelled at his people five different times because they hadn't signed me up for their patient portal yet (kept interrupting the examinations to ask, yell, then call front office or various technicians and yell at them.) Went through the eight pages I had had to fill out before going there re-asking me the questions, then yelling at me when I didn't repeat the exact words I had written (to the effect of: Him-What color shirt are you wearing? Me-Burgundy. Him-But here you wrote down Maroon. Which is it? Why are you changing your answers on me? So which is it, burgundy or maroon, and why did you write burgundy if you mean maroon?) and then in his final report, he got ALL of it wrong anyway (I started wearing glasses in 3rd grade, at 7-8 years old. He wrote that I started wearing glasses in 8th grade, at 13 years old. And on and on.)
His resident and his technician were standing right next to him, just behind his elbow, playing with her cell phone laughing at things on the internet the whole time he was grilling me. He didn't even notice. It was pathetic. But he's a huge name here on the East Coast. So, kinda hard to contradict.

Then I saw one, well, actually 2 because she brought her partner in the second visit, neuro-ophthalmologists at Columbia University in NYC. She said it was disgraceful the way I'd been passed around, and there was no reason for it and she would figure this out no matter what, she promised me. Which is why we made the trip into the city the second time, too, when she brought her partner in as well. After spending the whole day there, mostly waiting, she said, gee, you need something done, don't you, here, go see this vascular doctor. And disappeared. We never heard from her again. My local ophthalmologist repeatedly left her messages and sent her emails, she never replied. I called several times, nothing. I asked for her visit report/evaluation about 2 months later, I got a copy of one sheet with a few illegibly scribbled notes on it, nothing had ever been written up. She just disappeared on me. And she's not the first, to promise they will stick to it and help me, and then just literally disappear on me, never responding, no more appointments, not even a "kiss off, honey". Nothing.

Don't have much hope for the rheumatologist. I know the local system and the office, and her two partners (one I saw for a bit many years ago for the fibromyalgia, and left, he was prosecuted for medicare fraud; the other I saw about twice after the first, he is so arrogant that God himself couldn't begin to approach that man, he has quite the reputation in the area even if I hadn't experienced it myself). But she's all I can get to, I no longer drive, this is basically a rural area, there is no public transportation, but the town set up a volunteer service so if you're lucky someone signs up for your ride. If not, you don't go or you call a taxi from the nearby small city and pay $60-$80 per ride to get to the doctor.

This last neurologist kind of muddled past mestinon, obviously he doesn't think much of it. so, I'd be forcing him to take me on instead of going to Mayo, and then I'd be forcing him to treat me in a way he doesn't believe in. And so if there were problems with any of it, the I-told-you-so's would be flying all over me. My local gp doesn't know squat about mg, he ordered the AChR test on my insistence, when it came back negative he was satisified, when I told him the percentages of missed positives, etc, he was genuinely surprised. But, with the new corporation that owns them all, they get clocked in and out of each patient visit, and get disciplined for spending too much time on anyone. So it's not like he can take the time to learn for himself how to help me, without repercussions, or spending his own personal time on it, and he has 4 kids ages 9-15 (he lives in town. our daughters went to preK and K and still go to dance classes together).

It does seem that latest neurologist wanted to scare me off, threatening Imuran right off and not even suggesting or considering Mestinon. So, one thing I know for sure is if a doctor doesn't want to treat you, you're better off not going to him even if it means getting no treatment at all. Some day I may just finally get to Mayo. Meanwhile, it's 3 years until my daughter graduates High School and my son graduates college. I just have to be really careful with this poor ol' decrepit body until then.