Re: What makes a good doctor?

[Guest guest]

You mean to tell me you have never had a bad doctor?????..If you haven't then

you have been very lucky!!

Geri

[Guest guest]

Well if I had to choose between a nice doctor who is

polite and gives me an hour of his/her time but is

selling a line of nonesense or a false sense of

security or a doctor who tells me the way it is not so

nicely but knows what he/she is talking about then I

chose the doctor who knows what he/se is talking

about. Of course it's not that simple and we all would

like to have both the doctor who knows a lot and is

kind but we often don't get that so what makes a good

doctor you ask?

A good doctor sees people more then

just a text book but as a human being, in that comes

basic decency. I prefer the direct approach but also

a thorough approach because the human body is complex

and I want someone who doesn't view CMT as an it. I

want to explore options and the risks. If all the

doctors are right I could have easily just as well

called them and they could have told me over the phone

CMT was a slow death sentence. Then I could listen to

a self help tape telling me I am a nice person.

Good doctors must be educated, up to date and thorough but

also respectful. You wouldn't tell someone who has

cancer that they have cancer and there isn't any hope

for you and get out of here, you would at least talk

them as a person. I hope that answers the question

what makes a good doctor at least to me.

Andy

[Guest guest]

Hello Gretchen,

You pose a great question. I am a former medical secretary.

A good doctor for me would be one who is already knowledgeable regarding CMT. I

am literally exhausted educating everyone.

I am tired of playing both defense and offense in the game of caring for my CMT

family. It is am awesome frightening place to be.

My wish list is for more than 1 good physician. It would be for a team of

specialist (physical therapists,orthopedist,podiatrist, neurologist etc.)who are

informed an available for just CMT patients.

Not every physician is a gift to their profession It gets tedious sorting

through them.

Tammy

[Guest guest]

Personally, I want a doctor that is one to help people not for the salary. I

want a Doc that I feel genuinely cares about my care, who knows who I am and

takes the time to review my chart first and then asks for an update regarding

past issues.

I think it is important to have a doc that listens to me and doesn't rush me. I

want a doc that explains things to me so that I can understand. I want a doctor

who gives me tips on things I can do to help my situation vs just give me some

drugs to take and send me on my way, one who is a people person and friendly and

considers how I am emotionally, not just how I feel physically. I especially

appreciate a Doc that is honest with me and if he/she doesn't know what to do or

how to help me that they speak up and help me find someone who can.

If I don't like how I am treated - even if it only the office staff - I leave.

It can be frustrating to find the right fit with a doc but when you do what a

difference it can make!!

It took some time to find the right docs but I am now fortunate that all our

Docs are terrific from our primary to our vet!!

[Guest guest]

To me what makes a good doctor is one that is willing to treat me like a

person who had feelings and fears. I don't like it either when they say you

have CMT and maybe in 10 years you'll be in a wheelchair. Not very

comforting. I understand that with this illness that it is difficult to

predict progression since it is different in everyone. But it is a scary

disease. Talk to me about it. If I had not researched it on the Internet

and had a great sister to share information I would of been lost.

I also want a doctor to take me seriously. In the past I had doctors make

me feel like they were saying, " oh no, here she comes again'! Every

complaint I had turned out to be positive in the results. I also want a

doctor to realize that yes they may be the educated one, BUT only " I " know

my body and what feels normal to me and when something is off. I understand

that probably 95% of us have gone through this and it can be frustrating.

Don't tell me that I am depressed, find out what is wrong and together we

can try to fix it!

A doctor does not have to be my friend, but he/she should respect me as a

person and not another chart that is throw into his/her busy day.

Teri

[Guest guest]

I wrote that it took a while to find the Drs. we now have and with going through

that process I was able to state what I consider makes a good doctor.

[Guest guest]

I've had my share of them. In my experience, docs in 'clinics'

seemed to know less in general and more eager to do test after test

without regard for me as a living, breathing, thinking human.

Docs in private practice have been good for me, they were also good

for my wife during her illness.

In a good doctor, this is what I receive:

Bi-yearly appointments, more if I want.

The standard tests for general good health and age.

Yes, I can get an appointment on Thursday if I call on Monday with

some sort of flu, or infection.

Yes, my doc (and he's good) has hospital priviledges at 3 local

hospitals.

Yes, I can call his number after hours. If I get the service, I can

get through to him fairly fast after, or get his partner, who ever

is on call.

A good human, kind, compassionate, answers my questions, dialogues

with me (we have done alot of this in regards to vitamins)

He reads the CMT info I pass along, and keeps himself updated with

CEUs and Journals. A few times he has sent me articles which he

thinks I may have an interest in.

His waiting room is never crowded (this is good, I'd rather this

than a packed room and a backlogged schedule)

Yes, he has respect for me, my family, CMT, etc. I respect him.

However, I do not believe he is god and therefore I do question him

from time to time on his suggestions. And we communicate/talk.

If I am traveling, he makes sure I have the most up to date

immunizations and such.

He does not stuff me with medications; he is a champion of exercise

and encourages ALL his patients in this regard.

Yes, he has given me referrals for others when needed, as well as

for the greatest orthotist.

This is my Internist. I do not regularly see a neurologist anymore,

have no need. The Internist and I manage my health together.

~

[Guest guest]

I think we all have come to a consensus, doctors need

more sensitivity training. To be fair as hard as it

is, medical professionals seem to fall into the whole

" compasion fatigue syndrome " I know this from working

in mental health 9 years. When you hear a lot of the

same things you tend to depersonalize them. A doctor

in the emergency room came in on good intentions and

cried perhaps after the first few tragedies however in

time they become desensitized to basic human emotions.

I picture doctors reviewing there text book notes in

their heads and come out with their generic answers

that fit the model. Well the human body is full of

complexity as is human emotions. If doctors speak to

you with respect you are more in tuned to what he/she

is saying. The reality is CMT has not a lot to offer

in the way of treatment. You may hear things like

supplements, yoga, and other non-text book remedies

that help and if it helps why stop it. There is a lot

to say about emotions too. You can lie yourself into

most things. If you are told you are dying you very

well may feel physically like you are wasting away.

Every doctor I have seen for CMT has made me feel like

a disabled person. Just the other say the doctor said

" Hey maybe you can get another year or two walking

better then none at all! " It's arrogant comments like

that which break down your spirits, your motivation

and your general emotional well being.

I would rather hear from people like us who has done

something that worked then a doctor writing a script

for PT or another referral because there are 10

specialists who only deal with one small aspect of the

disease and none of which communicate with each other.

So we share our experiences good and bad both needed

to deal with the every day burden of the disease.

Andy

[Guest guest]

Hi,

To me a great Doc is one that treats me with respect and as a person that knows

what I am talking about, since it is my body.

I also want a Doc that does not get put out when I show up with articles or

print outs from the computer and that they listen and give me their opinion of

what I ask, truthfully.

I thank God that all of the Drs. that I currently have are so very nice and

understanding of my needs and help me with everything. Like others here, it

took awhile and I have sometimes had to change Drs.

My family and neurologist Drs. are especially exceptional. Both have been known

to call my house and check on me or send me articles from medical magazines on

CMT.

I hope everyone sooner or later will be able to find exceptional Drs.

Connie,

P'burg, OH

[Guest guest]

I think a combination of all these factors is important and should be

taken into account. However they are not of equal weight, depending on person

some of them may be more important for some people. For me

a deep knowledge of CMT is in top priority, specialy I am looking for

someone who is doing research in this area. However, as currently

there is no special cure for CMT, I also like my physician to be a

friend. Someone who eagerly listen to me and really wants (and likes)

to solve my problem or minimize its effects.

For example, in past year, I had two physicians: the first one with a fair

knowledge of CMT but very friendly and commited and the other one with good

understanding of CMT but not very good humoured. The later one did not receive

me well and actually pissed me off when I showed him some technical papers and

tried to be more technical (it seemed to be he is a little bit proud and can not

see his patient to talk about his disorder in detail).

I could benefit from the first one much better, we finnaly became friends,

calling each other, discussing with each other ... e.t.c. He read about CMT,

negiotiate with other professors about my situation to come up with better ideas

.... he even suggested

me to do some research here! ... (I regularly met with both of them

and still continue).

I also had another physician, so friendly but with a superficial

knowledge of CMT. Though friendly, I could not benefit from him because he did

not know much about CMT.