If you’ve been diagnosed with
lupus, you already have a good idea of what a rheumatologist is and what she does. And there is a good chance your rheumatologist is suggesting that you put together a team of professionals to focus on your symptoms and their effects on physical, psychological and social functioning.
Who makes up these teams and what jobs do they perform? Follow along and get a feel for who might make up your dream team.
1. Advanced Practice Nurse
Seth Joel/Getty Images
An advanced practice nurse (APN) provides preventative care, treatment, and management of acute and chronic illnesses using advanced clinical skills, diagnostic reasoning, and advanced therapeutic interventions. They are astute at combining education, research, management, leadership, and consultation to provide individualized patient care.
2. Occupational Therapist
Brent Stirton/Getty Images
Occupational therapists have one primary goal: help their patients create and maintain independent, productive and satisfying lives. They do this by working with patients to improve their ability to perform tasks in living and working environments, and by designing treatment plans that help patients regain, maintain or develop living and working skills.
3. Patient Advocate
Darrin Klimick/Getty Images
As a lupus patient, there may be times when your disease has such a powerful effect on your well-being that you may not feel capable of adequately managing your healthcare needs, especially when it comes to navigating the healthcare system. When and if this occurs, you may want to consider engaging the help of a patient advocate.
4. Physical Therapist
Carlos Davila/Getty Images
One of the primary symptoms of lupus is joint pain and arthritis. If you suffer from this, it is possible you will work with a physical therapist (PT) to help you restore function, improve mobility, relieve pain, and prevent or limit permanent physical disability because of the disease. The overall goal of the PT is to restore, maintain, and promote physical fitness and health.
5. Psychologist
One aspect of lupus that is sometimes overlooked is the role the disease plays on the mental state of a patient. Since lupus can be a debilitating disease on a number of levels, living with lupus can sometimes be a struggle. That is why many patients might consider including a clinical psychologist on their healthcare team. Psychologists can also help identify psychiatric complications of active lupus disease.6. Rheumatologist
Getty Images
When most people hear the word rheumatology, they think rheumatoid arthritis and make the logical leap that a rheumatologist treats diseases of the joints. She does. But she also diagnoses and treats diseases of the muscles and bones, such as osteoporosis, and a number of autoimmune diseases, such as lupus. A rheumatologist treats more than 100 such diseases, in fact, and many of these diseases involve multiple organ systems and complex differential diagnoses. Treatments can be complicated, and there are usually specific requirements for monitoring therapy.
7. Social Worker
SW Productions/Getty Images
Social workers offer a broad range of services, from emotional support to referrals for community resources. They may provide counseling services, advocate for a patient, or work with community groups to develop resources that will aid medical patients and other constituencies, including people with lupus.
