Four months later you're still waiting for a referral? I would suggest that you make an appointment to see your family doctor again as soon as possible and ask if he can work the system somehow so you can get in fast. If you family doctor pats you on the head again, try calling the blood doctor's office for help. And of course you're depressed - you've just been diagnosed with a chronic illness, you've gone through a really scary period and you have uncontrolled pain. And your doctor appears not to be terribly proactive in terms of helping you. I'm not sure what I am mentioning the other patient has to do with your case, except to scare you and/or make you feel like you're a wuss for having trouble coping (don't believe him), but the goal is to prevent that kind of damage from happening in your joints and in order to do that, you'd need treatment as soon as possible. Living well with a chronic illness means becoming a strong, assertive advocate for yourself, so I would recommend going back and throwing a polite fit in your doctor's office, insisting on some sort of action.

You may want to check out our section for people who are newly diagnosed for posts about the various aspects of living with a chronic illness and tips on how to manage side effects, medical professionals and life in general.

Hang in there. It gets better.