Posted by bleauberry on April 5, 2009, at 6:40:09
In reply to finding a pdoc - any experiences appreciated, posted by desolationrower on April 5, 2009, at 4:43:37
I did a thorough search at one time. I used the Yellow Pages to start. Wrote a letter to every pdoc listed, and included a stamped self addressed envelope to prompt their reply. In the letter I asked specific screening questions that were important to me. Stuff like accessibility, experience with MAOIs, who they would refer their treatment resistant spouse to, whatever was important to me personally.
Every one of us probably has our own set of unique screening questions that are important to us.
About 60% of them did not reply. That's ok, that automatically screened them out. They were too busy to be of any good to me, too uncaring, too unorganized, or something. Whatever, I didn't want them.
Most of the others didn't answer my screening questions the way I hoped. That ruled them out.
Somewhere in the process a name of a doctor they all seemed to look up to came up several times. I was puzzled because this special person wasn't in the Yellow Pages. I did some phone calls to find out more. He was semi-retired but still taking a few patients. I contacted him and he took me. That best I ever had.
For complicated stuff, as a general rule, but by means competely accurate, keep an eye on the older clinicians. They have seen more in their lifetimes. Maybe they were around when MAOIs and TCAs were more common.
In any case, you kind of have to get out in the trenches and make phone calls, ask questions, write letters. You don't know where the road is going or where the story ends, only that the journey is going in your direction because you are behind the steering wheel.
I found letters better than phone calls, because it was too easy for a Receptionist to shrug me off..."the doctor is too busy", "the doctor doesn't do phone calls if you aren't a patient", "you have to schedule an appointment for an evaluation first", etc etc. The self addressed stamped reply envelope did a good job at eliminating a good percentage of that stuff.
Some of us get lucky and find someone great without much effort. Some of us have to do some digging. Some of us get stuck with no-so-great care and lose strength to get unstuck and then basically receive a life sentence to continued non-progress, poor recovery, and suffering with no end in sight.
It is especially hard for those of us who are so ill, but creativity and work goes a long way to finding the right care provider. It can be broken down into small tasks and small chunks, done piece by piece, day by day, rather than approaching it as a huge project, if it seems too overwhelming on the whole.
poster:bleauberry
thread:888772
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090330/msgs/888782.html