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New neurologist


Dirtyhip

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Good luck!  It really is a crap shoot finding and keeping good doctors.  As a guy, I've been lucky to just need a single doctor and a single dentist.  It gets rapidly more complicated when you start having medical issues that need specialists, although, talking to my mom, she seems to have better "responses" and "attention" from her cancer doctors than her general practitioner.

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10 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Good luck!  It really is a crap shoot finding and keeping good doctors.  As a guy, I've been lucky to just need a single doctor and a single dentist.  It gets rapidly more complicated when you start having medical issues that need specialists, although, talking to my mom, she seems to have better "responses" and "attention" from her cancer doctors than her general practitioner.

Something that really saves me is that I am semi connected well with the local doc community.  My husband's position as well as BFFs that are docs has saved me a lot.  I have been looked at without an appointment, after a significant bike crash and things like that.  I have had scripts called in, orders sent in, and I feel very lucky to be connected to the medical community. 

There are very few neurologists though.  very few.  Even fewer that specialize in MS.

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When you're been around a long time, eventually a doctor or a dentist or an opthamologist retires or dies.  It's always unsettling to find another that you like and can work with.  I've never quite gotten the replacement right on the first try but eventually it's good.  I have no idea what that's going to be like on medicare when I have to give up mine and start travelling to new ones.

 

Good luck DH.  A good doctor you can work with is gold.

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I recently got a call from my old dr’s office. We haven’t seen you in 2 years and with your diabetes we are really concerned for your well being... Really? My wellness checks were so fast and I couldn’t even ask questions on my health, sorry you need to make a follow up appt for those questions... turn & burn but now you are concerned?

My new Dr actually has a wellness plan for me and takes time to check me over, not just read my labs & haul ass to the next patient.

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10 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

I recently got a call from my old dr’s office. We haven’t seen you in 2 years and with your diabetes we are really concerned for your well being... Really? My wellness checks were so fast and I couldn’t even ask questions on my health, sorry you need to make a follow up appt for those questions... turn & burn but now you are concerned?

My new Dr actually has a wellness plan for me and takes time to check me over, not just read my labs & haul ass to the next patient.

Most of my doctors are very good aboot not rushing.  They have all had to scramble as medical offices get bought and sold.  I hate some of the new corporate overlords.  Prices doubled, so I know their motivation for the takeover.

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11 minutes ago, Kirby said:

I hope the new doctor works out, DH. 

Part of the issue was transition, and then Covid happened.  All appointments were cancelled and then I just fell into a black hole. 

I blame crappy staff.  Their staff is bad and the problem is worsened with a very ridiculous phone system. I mean, who doesn't have an answering service to voicemail if someone does not pick up after 15 minutes?  It's crazy.

The thing that really upset me was when they denied my med refill saying "Patient unknown."  I had seen their office for over a decade, and had an appointment on the books.  WTF!?!

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My main doctor is part of a large multi-practice in the area.  It does help when you need to see a specialist in an emergency and they're large enough to have centralized services for things like appointments.  But it can be hard when you just want to talk to your doctor's nurse or PA because you have to go through the main phone desk.

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30 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

The thing that really upset me was when they denied my med refill saying "Patient unknown."  I had seen their office for over a decade, and had an appointment on the books.  WTF!?!

I agree WTF?  Sort of had that happen when the oncologist my wife and I had used for over twenty years retired. She told everyone when her last day was going to be six months in advance. They made my follow up appointment with the yet to be named new oncologist and gave me a written appointment with date and time. The day before my appointment they called and said my doctor retired and I had to schedule an appointment with the new doctor as a new patient. The new appointment was scheduled three months away. They did the same shit with my wife but she didn’t make it the three months to the new appointment. Ambulance shipped her to the nearest ER, they transferred her to a different hospital system in Pittsburgh.

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5 hours ago, Dirtyhip said:

Something that really saves me is that I am semi connected well with the local doc community.  My husband's position as well as BFFs that are docs has saved me a lot.  I have been looked at without an appointment, after a significant bike crash and things like that.  I have had scripts called in, orders sent in, and I feel very lucky to be connected to the medical community. 

There are very few neurologists though.  very few.  Even fewer that specialize in MS.

Luckily one of my uncles is a surgeon so I can call him with any escalation I need - from sorting out a quick prescription or giving a doctor a call to actually get all the info on a situation.  It shouldn't BE that way, but sadly, it IS that way :(  Seemingly intractable health care reform.  I wonder if you would have slightly better options in Portland or Seattle simply due to density where a specialist can draw from a much larger pool of patients. Or maybe near a large university medical school.

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Good luck..you my recall I found out my doc was on a medical leave of absence  when I was trying to be diagnosed with the shingles..saw 2 different docs during that time...took me a few months to start looking for other options...So far I think things are ok with my new doc..but I have yet to have one of my endless bronchitis things..it has all been basic physical stuff. The entire medical thing could use improvement!

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41 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Luckily one of my uncles is a surgeon so I can call him with any escalation I need - from sorting out a quick prescription or giving a doctor a call to actually get all the info on a situation.  It shouldn't BE that way, but sadly, it IS that way :(  Seemingly intractable health care reform.  I wonder if you would have slightly better options in Portland or Seattle simply due to density where a specialist can draw from a much larger pool of patients. Or maybe near a large university medical school.

A large city does offer choices but an enormous inconvenience to travel 6 hours one way for a doc visit. 

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51 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

A large city does offer choices but an enormous inconvenience to travel 6 hours one way for a doc visit. 

I get that.  I'm just thinking long term and also puzzling out the landscape.  For me, its part of the "where do we end up?" sort of question where ready access to healthcare may trump my desire for being far from civilization.  Right now, oddly, while I haven't needed it (luckily), I live 1/4 mile from the hospital. I walk to my rare doctors appointments.  But we're always thinking about getting a piece of land (like you two) out in the country. In all likelihood, we'll buy a different place and use this place as a rental income stream, and could move back here many years from now.  But it does muddy the planning. 

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17 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I get that.  I'm just thinking long term and also puzzling out the landscape.  For me, its part of the "where do we end up?" sort of question where ready access to healthcare may trump my desire for being far from civilization.  Right now, oddly, while I haven't needed it (luckily), I live 1/4 mile from the hospital. I walk to my rare doctors appointments.  But we're always thinking about getting a piece of land (like you two) out in the country. In all likelihood, we'll buy a different place and use this place as a rental income stream, and could move back here many years from now.  But it does muddy the planning. 

We have an excellent non-profit hospital here.  There are just limited specialists.  I heard that neuro has a significant need, cause there are so few of them to go around.

I can be at an excellent hospital with a 10 minute car ride.  I am in the country, but barely.  I can literally ride my bike into downtown in about 10 minutes or less.  I am barely in the outskirts.  A neighbor just down the hill from my lot is in city limits. 

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1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

I get that.  I'm just thinking long term and also puzzling out the landscape.  For me, its part of the "where do we end up?" sort of question where ready access to healthcare may trump my desire for being far from civilization.  Right now, oddly, while I haven't needed it (luckily), I live 1/4 mile from the hospital. I walk to my rare doctors appointments.  But we're always thinking about getting a piece of land (like you two) out in the country. In all likelihood, we'll buy a different place and use this place as a rental income stream, and could move back here many years from now.  But it does muddy the planning. 

Most likely a vacation place in rural area is safe bet.

Because different family members, including dearie have had to use various doctor specialists and also make visits plus several family members as doctors, pharmacists, we tend to prefer very much the large cities where there are more physician specialists  and who are hooked into research /teaching hospitals.  Of course, one is competing for appointments with a bigger population.

because CAnada is just huge with many rural areas...cost of travel to specialists can be expensive. 

Do we regret not having a car, not driving and pine for rural area?   No. Dearie who gave up his driver's license last year ...did his farming work for decade on weekends outside of Toronto. He grew up in a village outside of Toronto. So he's had his share of rural living for a number of years in life.  He enjoyed the farming part but his allergies worsened.

Dearie has had to see a opthamologist and cardiac doctor several times in the past few years.  I doubt this will lessen in future. He has 2 excellent doctor specialists. Now he's going to get a sleep test at the university hospital....  not sure if he will bike there..  He could tell sleep disorder research must have advanced in past 15 years, because the questions he had to answer recently were different, more detailed and more questions.

Just to give a big difference sort of health care: my mother did get Chinese translation for her eye cataract surgery in Toronto. My sister drove her a half hr. to major downtown hospital in Toronto.  Sure, there's more car traffic that's why it takes abit longer.  Shrug.  It's not even worth bitchin' for the level of doctor care that she requires for a peace of mind.

 

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