Rheumatologist OnCall

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Rheumatologist OnCall Board-certified rheumatologists for autoimmune & arthritis care — telehealth in 20 states + Costa Mesa, CA. From unclear diagnosis to lasting remission.

Rheumatologist OnCall provides people with convenient and accessible access to specialized rheumatology care. With the goal of addressing the unique needs of patients dealing with rheumatic conditions, this innovative platform offers a range of benefits:

👨‍⚕️ Expert Consultations: Rheumatologist OnCall connects patients with experienced rheumatologists who specialize in diagnosing and treating conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and other autoimmune disorders.

📱 Telehealth Convenience: Patients can access consultations from the comfort of their homes, eliminating the need for time-consuming and potentially challenging in-person visits.

🌐 Accessible Anywhere: Whether you reside in a rural area or a bustling city, Rheumatologist OnCall ensures that expert care is available to you, regardless of your location. Check out the states where we are licensed!

🔒 Secure and Private: The platform prioritizes patient privacy and data security, adhering to strict confidentiality standards.

📋 Comprehensive Care: Rheumatologist OnCall offers a comprehensive approach to managing rheumatic conditions, from diagnosis to ongoing treatment and support.

⏰ Timely Assistance: Patients can schedule appointments at their convenience, reducing waiting times and ensuring prompt attention to their healthcare needs.

💼 Collaborative Care: The platform encourages collaboration between patients and physcians, fostering a patient-centered approach to managing rheumatic conditions.

📊 Education and Resources: Rheumatologist OnCall strives to empower patients with information and resources to better understand and manage their conditions.

10/18/2026

It's the day after your methotrexate dose. You're nauseous, wiped out, and wondering if it's worth it.
Before you give up on it, read this.
Can methotrexate side effects be fixed? Most of the time, yes.
The most common complaint is feeling queasy or tired the day after a dose. Here are four things that help:

1. Take your folic acid exactly as prescribed. This is the biggest lever. Many of the patients who feel worst are the ones skipping it.

2. Take your dose at night. You may sleep through the worst of it.

3. Ask about splitting or switching. Your weekly dose can sometimes be split into two parts on the same day, or switched from pills to an injection. Many people tolerate the injection far better.

4. Go easy on alcohol. Methotrexate is processed by your liver, and your regular blood tests help keep you safe.

Feeling sick is a reason to problem-solve with your doctor, not a reason to stop on your own. And if you develop a new cough, shortness of breath, fever, or mouth sores, call your doctor promptly.

Save this for the next time you need it.

Have you struggled with methotrexate side effects?
Comment bellow your experience!

In The Remission Circle, rheumatology-trained physicians answer the real-life questions about your medications that rarely fit into a short appointment. Education and community, not medical care.
Join here: https://community.rheumatologistoncall.com/

10/17/2026

Your doctor said "methotrexate." You went home and Googled it. The first word you saw was "chemotherapy."
And you decided you weren't taking it.
Is methotrexate chemotherapy? Not the way it's used for RA.
Yes, methotrexate is used for some cancers, at very high doses. For rheumatoid arthritis, we use a tiny fraction of that dose, just once a week. At that dose it works as an immune-calming, anti-inflammatory medication, and it's one of the most effective joint-protecting drugs we have. We've been using it for RA for about 40 years.
For many people, it's enough to keep RA under control without ever needing a biologic.
What matters far more than the myth are two safety rules:

1. Weekly, never daily. Taking it every day by mistake is dangerous. Pick one day of the week and stick to it.

2. Take your folic acid. It significantly reduces side effects like mouth sores and nausea.

Add regular blood tests and your rheumatologist's guidance, and methotrexate may be the very thing that keeps your RA in control.

Did the word "chemo" make you hesitate? Share your thouths bellow.

In The Remission Circle, rheumatology-trained physicians explain your medications, the myths, the real risks, and the questions to bring to your doctor. Education and community, not medical care.
Join here: https://community.rheumatologistoncall.com/

Is your gut really the reason your autoimmune disease flares?Heal your gut and the disease will follow. You’ve heard it ...
10/17/2026

Is your gut really the reason your autoimmune disease flares?

Heal your gut and the disease will follow. You’ve heard it everywhere, and it’s usually followed by a supplement, a protocol or a cleanse to buy. The tricky part is that the gut-immune connection is real, which is why it’s so easy to oversell. So what’s science, and what’s marketing?

Let’s settle it with a rheumatologist. 👇

Join Dr. Vishnuteja Devalla, whose research area is the gut and immune disease, for a free live hour inside The Remission Circle. Dr. Diana Girnita and Dr. Mirela Titianu will be there too.

📅 Friday, October 23
⏰ 3:00 PM PT / 6:00 PM ET
💻 Live online, free, and recorded

We’ll cover:

The microbiome and inflammation: what’s actually established
Leaky gut: myth vs. science
Fiber, fermented foods and gut diversity
Probiotics: food or supplements?

Send your questions when you register and we’ll build the hour around them. Questions close Wednesday, October 21.

The Remission Circle is an online education community for people with autoimmune disease, and for those still looking for a diagnosis. It was built by three rheumatology-trained physicians. Each month brings one topic taught in depth, a live session, and written Q&A answered by a doctor. Your first month is free.

No protocol to buy at the end. Just honest answers.

🔗 Save your seat: community.rheumatologistoncall.com/october (link in bio)

10/16/2026

Meet Debbie. 💜

One week after a vaccine, Debbie's life changed overnight.
She woke up and couldn't get out of bed. Couldn't get dressed.
Couldn't lift her arms. A competitive pickleball athlete — strong, fast, unstoppable — was suddenly completely disabled. And no one could tell her why.

Doctor after doctor. No answers. Just fear.

Then she met Dr. Girnita.
In one consultation — a single visit — Dr. Girnita made the diagnosis: PMR, polymyalgia rheumatica. Treatment started immediately. And within a few weeks? Debbie was back on her feet. Back on the court. 🏆

Today she's not just playing again — she's winning international competitions.

That is the power of the right diagnosis, at the right time, from a rheumatologist who actually listens. PMR is highly treatable — but only when someone recognizes it. Too many people suffer for months in the dark. 💪

If you're battling PMR, you don't have to figure it out alone. We've helped thousands of patients get their lives back — and we can help you.

📞 (650) 525-4404 | 🌐 rheumatologistoncall.com | Telehealth in 20 U.S. states + in person in Costa Mesa, CA. 📲 Call us — let's get you your answers.

10/15/2026

It's bedtime. Your child is crying that their legs hurt.
By morning, they're running around like nothing happened.

Sound familiar?
What are growing pains?

Growing pains are aching or throbbing pains in the legs, usually in the thighs, calves, or behind the knees. They're in the muscles, not the joints. Despite the name, they aren't caused by growing.

When do growing pains start, and when do they stop?

They usually begin between ages 3 and 12, and most children outgrow them by their teen years.

What do growing pains typically look like?

They come in the late afternoon, evening, or at night
They affect both legs
There's no swelling, redness, or limp
They're gone by morning
Massage, warmth, or a gentle stretch helps

When is it something more? Pain in one specific joint, swelling, a morning limp or stiffness, fever, or pain that keeps your child from playing is not typical of growing pains. It deserves a closer look.

Dr. Saumya Joshi, our pediatric rheumatology partner, explains in this clip from our podcast. Watch the full episode on my YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/t_7iTraSu2I

Dr. Joshi sees children and teens by telemedicine, now seeing families in Arizona, Nevada, New Jersey, Arkansas, Florida, and Texas.

Parents, does your child get leg pains at night? Share your experience in the comments.

10/15/2026

You read "may cause eye damage" on the label. Now you're scared to take it.
Let's talk about it honestly.
Does Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) damage your eyes?
Plaquenil can, rarely, affect the retina. It's called hydroxychloroquine retinopathy. But here's what the label doesn't tell you: the risk depends on two things you can control.
Your dose. At the right dose for your body weight, the risk is under 2% in the first 10 years.
Your screening. Changes in the retina can be found early with the right eye tests, before you notice anything and before damage builds up.
The risk rises with higher doses and with many years of use. That's why monitoring matters so much.
Plaquenil is one of the most valuable and safest long-term medications we have for RA and lupus. Being afraid of it shouldn't keep you from benefiting from it.

Ask your doctor two questions:

Is my dose right for my weight?
Am I on the right eye-screening schedule?

In The Remission Circle, rheumatology-trained physicians walk you through your medications, the real risks, and the questions worth asking, so fear doesn't make your decisions for you. Education and community, not medical care.
Join here: https://community.rheumatologistoncall.com/

10/14/2026

Your pain is better. So you're winning, right?

Not necessarily.

Can rheumatoid arthritis go into remission? Yes, and it should be your goal.

Less pain can feel like success. But pain and inflammation are not the same thing. Inflammation can keep working quietly, and RA inflammation doesn't stay in your joints. It can affect your heart, your lungs, your eyes, and your blood vessels.

That's why the real goal is remission: no or minimal signs of active disease, and a life that isn't ruled by RA.

How do we get there? With a strategy called treat-to-target.

We set the goal, start treatment, measure how you're doing, and adjust until we reach it. Not set it and forget it.

And the earlier treatment starts, the better your chances of getting there, protecting your joints, your heart, and your lungs along the way.

Today, remission is realistic for many people with RA.

Is remission your goal? Has anyone ever talked to you about it?

There's a reason our community is called The Remission Circle. Rheumatology-trained physicians teach you what remission means, how it's measured, and how to talk with your doctor about getting there. Education and community, not medical care.
Join here: https://community.rheumatologistoncall.com/

10/13/2026

"Your labs are normal. You're fine."

But you're not fine. Your hands are swollen. Your mornings are stiff for hours. And now you're starting to wonder if it's all in your head.

It's not.

Can you have rheumatoid arthritis with negative blood tests? Yes.

It's called seronegative RA, and it's real. Up to 1 in 4 people with RA test negative for rheumatoid factor and anti-CCP. Some even have a normal ESR and CRP.

So what makes the diagnosis?

You do. Your story. Your symptoms. Your exam.

Joint pain and swelling on both sides of the body, plus morning stiffness lasting more than an hour, are signs of inflammatory arthritis. They deserve a proper evaluation now, not ten years from now.

Labs are tools. They are not the whole truth about your body.

Have you ever been told your labs were normal while you were still hurting?

In The Remission Circle, rheumatology-trained physicians teach you how diagnosis really works, so you can walk into your next appointment with the right questions. Education and community, not medical care.
Join here: https://community.rheumatologistoncall.com/

10/12/2026

Most parents think arthritis is something grandparents get.

But it can start in a toddler.

At what age can children get juvenile arthritis?

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) can begin at any age before 16, but some ages carry more risk:

Toddlers, around ages 1 to 3, especially girls, are the peak age for the most common type, which affects just a few joints.
Older children and teens, especially boys, are more likely to develop a type that affects the spine, hips, and the spots where tendons attach to bone.
Some types can show up at any age.

Here's what makes the youngest children hard to diagnose: a two-year-old can't tell you their knee hurts. Instead, they might limp in the morning, refuse to walk, want to be carried, or stop doing things they could do last month.

If something seems off, trust your instincts.

Dr. Saumya Joshi, our pediatric rheumatology partner, explains in this clip from our podcast. Dr. Joshi sees children and teens by telemedicine.
Now seeing families in Arizona, Nevada, New Jersey, Arkansas, Florida, and Texas.

Parents, how old was your child when you first noticed something wasn't right? Share in the comments.

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3151 Airway Avenue, Unit A1
Costa Mesa, CA
92626

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