Posted by akc on November 4, 2001, at 10:32:13
In reply to Egotistical Psychiatrists Who Are Control Freaks!, posted by jay on November 4, 2001, at 2:37:38
You said you wanted good or bad, so here is my good.
When I first moved to KC, I was going to try to work with my family doctor (who in some other post, I could relate a horror story about her treatment of me as a mentally ill person -- but that is my own rant!). About a month and half into this, I started sliding into a serious depression.
My new therapist had gone on a 3 week trip to Africa (planned long before I moved to KC and started seeing her). I was seeing a substitute, also new to me, while she was gone. This substitute could see how bad I was getting in such a short time. She insisted that I see a pdoc and not wait for my therapist to get back. She gave me the name of one doc, I called, someone else in the office called back, that doctor couldn't see me, someone else then called back, trying to emphasize the emergency nature, etc., etc. Finally, got an appointment with some guy for the next day -- I did not feel comfortable about it at all. So I called my substitute therapist back. She gave me the name of my current pdoc.
So I called her office. Now a little of this was timing, but my pdoc herself called back 5 minutes later (I know I caught her between appointments -- but the fact is, she would have herself called as soon as she could). She could not see me the next day. However, she worked with me to get into a nurse practioner -- someone she worked with. I didn't feel I was just getting dumped like with the other office, so I went that route.
The most amazing thing happened. The next evening, when I got home, I had a message on my machine -- from this doctor. I was not her patient, I had called her office in an emergency, she had recommended I see someone else. Yet, she still followed up to make sure I had been seen. I knew at that moment I wanted her as my doctor.
I have seen her for two years now -- is she egotistical? A little -- as all doctors (and lawyers, I might add) are. But her ego really has never got in the way. And she is perfect for me. She specializes in addictive medicine, so being a recovering alcoholic, that has been really important for me.
I have been able to come in with a lot of questions, ideas, whatever. And sometimes, I am pretty forceful. Maybe too much -- that happened a bit with the topamax -- I wanted to go higher than she did, and she went with me. We have talked about that, and I told her that she is the doctor, no matter how "educated" I get, I would prefer that she make the ultimate decision -- at least now, after two years -- I have grown to trust her. Not only does she respect what I bring into the office, I have also seen how hard she works at keeping up to date. She goes to many conferances, she is obviously well read. And if I am experiencing a side-effect that she is not certain about, she doesn't write it off -- she talks to her colleagues and finds out what is going on (for instance, the problems I have been having with my menstrual cycle since being on topamax).
And in times of crisis, she keeps in great contact -- even to the point of making sure I know that she will be out-of-town and who will be on call in her place.
I write all this because it is my belief that my pdoc is not the only like this out there. Will all go to her lengths? Obviously not. But some will. And some more will go most of the way.
And -- while I won't get into the details in this post, since it is so long already -- there are horrors stories of letting family docs treat mental disorders (or treat you at all).
I hope this helps some of you have some hope of finding a really good pdoc (for those of you who don't have one already).
akc
poster:akc
thread:13441
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20011025/msgs/13448.html