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Paging Dr. Right!

© Michelle Struik

Recently while browsing the numerous newsgroups I read on a daily basis, I noticed a post from a young lady concerned that her doctor was not taking her medical needs seriously. As she recounted her numerous questions in relation to symptoms she had been experiencing her doctor tended to trivialize her concerns. He should have realized that her concerns were not trivial to her!

Many of us with chronic medical conditions usually at some point get into a similar situation. Our doctor's become frustrated with their lack of abilities to help us and sometimes they just stop listening to us. Sometimes they exhibit this behavior without even realizing that they are participating in it! If you find that your doctor is developing what I call "tunnel vision" then it's time to discuss it calmly and assertively with him or her. Be polite but open up a dialogue with them that you are feeling a sense of frustration with them. Sometimes just bringing the situation into the open can rectify the problem.

However, sometimes that doesn't work even with the best intentions of both parties. Then you are left sitting there without an important support system in place! So how do you find a new doctor you can work with?

Ask friends and family members for recommendations, even if their doctor is not familiar with your medical condition, some doctors are willing to learn.

Post messages in related newsgroups asking for recommendations. There are several alt.med. (name your illness) or alt.support.(name your illness) newsgroups available on the net. Even if you don't see someone who actively participates in the newsgroup from your area still post a message, there are many people who just read (lurk) and they may respond. The same applies to websites that have message bases.

Contact local and national patient advocacy groups. Sometimes they have databases available that you can tap into for recommendations. Many of these groups have developed information on doctors and other allied health professionals that have been recommended to them by fellow patients.

Attend local support groups! An extremely valuable local resource. Although the information is subjective due to patient/doctor personalities, it can usually provide you with a starting point

Once you have made a list of possible doctors, phone their offices and ask questions. Some doctor's will even allow you to have a preliminary appointment to "interview" them, ask their receptionist if the doctor provides this type of service. Don't be afraid to ask questions of the doctor in your first appointment, remember you are paying him/her for a service! If you are looking for a specific patient/doctor relationship e.g. you are a pro-active patient and wish to be the captain of your treatment team then specifically tell the doctor that! Some doctor's are NOT comfortable with that patient/doctor interaction and if you discuss it at the beginning most will tell you if they can work within those rules.

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