No, this post is NOT about constructing the perfect body - or house.
Its about juggling your doctors.
Right now, I'm in the process of juggling a whole SLEW of medical practitioners. I have a GP (Who is about to be fired and replaced - more on that in a moment). I have an endocrinologist, a nephrologist, an acupuncturist, a dentist, two eye doctors, and . . .I think that might be all.
No one with any kind of chronic complaint can expect these people to talk to each other. These are BUSY people. In order to break even, most medical professionals in our current system have to see a patient EVERY 15 MINUTES during their practicing hours. That's a lot of people and a lot of rushing. Honestly, I'm amazed that there aren't more mistakes! Not to mention burnout. The point here is that these peopel are BUSY, and they have their hands full treating YOU. Most doctors simply lack the time necessary to discuss their patients in depth with other medical professionals.
So, what does this mean for someone juggling 3 or more of these unfortunates? Well, it means its time to get organized and coordinate your own health care, chickies!
Here's what I do:
I have a file. Its an expandable file folder, and I have a manila folder for each maedical professional in it. After each visit, I ask for a copy of lab work, and any other relevant information that another doctor might be interested in. That goes into the file. At the next doctor's appointment, out it comes, and I show it to THAT doctor/practitioner, along with a current (and for me ever evolving) list of current medications, supplements, ect. that I'm currently taking.
That's it. Its not hard, but it does require some forethought and planning. Its like being your own general contractor of your health care, which if you think about it makes sense. Its YOUR body, and YOUR health.
The best thing about this is it becomes VERY easy to spot the good doctors. The good doctors are THRILLED when you present this information, because it saves them time and energy. The not so good ones get annoyed. I'm all about finding good doctors. Seriously, this is vitally important. I'm about to fire my general practitioner because his office doesn't answer the phone or return message. I've not had to go through 2 UTIs and 1 minor wound infection through a local urgent care office because of this. Dude - YOUR OUT! This is the other half - if you find a doctor who won't listen to you, or won't pay attention to what the other medical professionals in your life are doing - get rid of them. You owe that person NOTHING. You are paying for a service, and there are a LOT of other doctors out there happy for the business. I've taken this in the past to refusing to see a particular doctor at a practice because he creaped me out. There is nothing wrong with this. ITS YOUR BODY THEY ARE WORKING ON - you have the right to say who gets to go there, dude! I don't like all of my doctors - in point of fact, I don't like my endocrinologist as a person, but she is a good doctor and ultimately has my best in mind. I trust all of them (GP excepted).
If you have to fire a doctor, do it. Then ask around. Talk to friends and family. Call your other doctors and talk to their nurses (very busy people, but EXTREMELY knowledgeable), they usually have a list of good recommendations. If the first one doesn't work, keep plugging. The most important thing to any healing is trust, and being able to trust your doctors is mandatory.
Happy Healing Everyone!
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