Posted by thinkingitover on July 29, 2008, at 21:33:58
In reply to Re: thinking of firing my PDOC- scared, posted by bleauberry on July 29, 2008, at 21:26:42
Hi, Thanks for the advice.
In terms of screening... what types of questions should I ask them? Is there anything I should look for in particular? I am not sure how to articualte with them my needs. Do you ask to speak to the PDOC directly, or will you end up speaking to a receptionist/nurse?
Case in point, I take a low dose of valium daily (10 mgs, exactly as perscribed). Some pdocs are benzophobes, whereas others appreciate the medication's effects. It's all of these little details that make me nervous, and I'm not sure what qualities to look for. Also, I like doctors who will listen when I tell them how I am feeling, and not say "no big deal"... alot to consider.> > I feel like I am "my own doctor", (and I am >not qualified obviously).
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> Just my opinion, but I disagree with the above statement. No one knows you better than you do. No one knows how you respond to certain meds better than you do. No one knows your side effects better than you. And assuming good research on your part, no one knows the best options to choose from better than you do. In the end, it is an ultimate guessing game. You can pay someone $200 for the guess, or you can make it yourself for free. With good research, you will probably know things better than the pdoc does.
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> Nurse Practioners who have a psychiatric license paid some serious dues to get there. Residency time in hospital psych wards and such, just like pdocs. I had one who was great. Easy to reach, fast appointments, $45 an hour for her versus $200 15 minutes for pdoc, willing to try anything I wanted. She frankly knew a lot more than any of the half dozen pdocs I had.
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> It takes work to search for a new doc. Call every place you can think of, including the yellow pages listings. Have some screening questions to find exactly what you want. Most will not fit the bill. But you will get some referalls and stumble onto some good names, names you would never have found any other way. If you know someone who is being successfully treated, ask them who their doctor is. Just some ideas to find a new doc. My best pdoc was found when I was calling pdocs in the yellow pages with screening questions. A couple times they brought up the name of someone else. I wrote that name down. It wasn't in the phone book. That's because he worked out of a hospital and not an office. Once I discovered that, I got in contact, and he was the best. Then he retired, damn. But, he was referred by other pdocs, and I never would have found such a good one without going through the work.
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> And yeah, you do need a new doc. Either an MD who does psychiatry routinely, or a pdoc, or a specialized nurse practioner. You need someone you can see as often as once a week, or at least once a month, during the times you are starting new meds.
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poster:thinkingitover
thread:842848
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080727/msgs/842951.html