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Dr. Chemali


Ncpotsmom

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I saw him in November and was VERY pleased,. I've been waiting for years to get the proper diagnosis and he nailed it. I would have done cartwheels if I could. I was impressed. Then he did my EMG in December with a follow-up with his Physician Assistant (PA) in January which left me very disappointed. I will only see Dr Chemali from now. Furthermore, Dr Chemali is very knowledgeable, professional quick and doesn't ran his mouth a lot so you have to asks questions and he will tell you what you need to know and that's it.. He's not the type that will go into extra long conversations.he precise and gets to the point. He has patients that travels near and far to see him. Some of his patients are on this forum and they spoke highly of him before I met him. They all told me that he's quick and he very confident. He says what he want you to know and you can't pick his brain too much. Give him a try to see how he can help your daughter. Let me know how things go and best wishes for you and your daughter.

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I saw him last July and had a very good experience, but was disappointed with the follow-up. Although I'd been diagnosed before I went, he's the only POTS specialist I've seen and it was amazing to be somewhere where they really understood what was going on. I also loved the support staff - the nurse I had was wonderful, and his autonomic lab tech was great and has been doing it for years. They kept me supplied with huge cups of water (and food too during my full day of testing!). Even the phlebotomists, who work for a bunch of different doctors at the hospital, knew all about Dr. Chemali's patients and POTS and were so friendly. Like Marigold said, Dr. Chemali is very knowledgeable and no-nonsense. He listened to my whole history and was pretty helpful in putting the "big picture" together - I got POTS at 22 but he asked me some things about my childhood and suggested I may have had some predisposing signs for a while. I had an appointment with him on the first day, then the next day I had a ton of testing done - I think 25 vials of blood drawn, glucose fasting test, nerve biopsies, QSART, a repeat tilt table test, and a couple of other autonomic tests. It was an exhausting day - I traveled there (also from NC!) so they pushed all my testing into one day but they'll spread it out if you want to stay longer or live in the area. I think he may have a sort of standard panel of tests he does on everyone, then adds certain things based on your specific history/symptoms. I was told to do water&salt, compression stockings, etc, then we'd talk medication later. (Also for the people that live in the area, they've partnered with a local Y to develop an aquatic exercise program - pretty cool.)

Unfortunately I didn't end up really finding a cause, but I have post-viral POTS so that's not too surprising. I did find out I have small fiber neuropathy & he suggested I see a geneticist about EDS since I'm hypermobile. Like Marigold I had a negative experience with the follow-up with his PA. His practice is, understandably, insanely busy and he brought her on to help him manage some of his load. As I mentioned before, the other staff in the office were great. During the autonomic testing, the lab tech kept asking me to report my symptoms and as I described lightheadedness, shortness of breath, etc, my mom, who was in the room, interrupted and told him it was probably my "anxiety" and he turned to her and said "Nope, your daughter's not anxious, this is what pretty much all of our patients report." And that was probably one of the best doctor's office experiences I've had since this all started!

Overall, it was a good experience and I would definitely recommend him, particularly if you're in NC. Good luck with your daughter and I hope you get some answers!

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After a year and half of seeing almost 20 different doctors to find out what was wrong with me (unexplained body ache, fatigue and tachycardia)…. Dr Chemali found out what (paraneoplastic channelopathy) was wrong with me on my 2nd visit. I highly recommend him. I am very grateful to him. There’s nothing he can do for me… like many of us… but he has given me piece of mind that at least I know what is causing my illness. As mentioned above - He is a no none sense kind of guy. I always felt kind of rushed every time I saw him. My impression is – I think he is just very busy. Haha. But I am very happy I saw him. I found out about him on this forum.

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Great. I'm glad your daughter has musical talent too. Dr Chemali usually has a concert somewhere in the fall for all his patients and family. I missed it last year and he commented during my first appointment "don't miss it again" with a smile. I hope to attend this year. I hope you will find the cause for your daughter's POTS. I'm seeing him for Myopathy and Small fiber Neuropathy. The cause for mine is very complex and still on going, however Dr Chemali was the first and only doctor to diagnosis me. I can't tell you how difficult and frustrating it is when no one knows what is wrong with you and can't put a name to it . I grateful that he was able to do that for me. Best wishes again and keep us posted

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