SHOULD I QUESTION IF MY DOC NEEDS TO CHANGE?
that is a very good question and one that only YOU can decide. After much research on this topic here are some tips I found. (I have to credit about.com for a lot of the information)
1. are you seeing a specialist for MS? General Nuero's are great, but MS is a complex disease and there are so many variables. general nueros focus on over 600 diseases and they may not know the ins and outs to EVERY disease...where as a MS specialist focuses on MS and learns everything about that particular diseas and it often is the only disease they treat I cannot tell you how many times I have had friends tell me their doctor didnt know what the MS Hug is and doesnt care to learn about it
RED FLAG!!!!!!
2. GOD COMPLEX? does your doctor believe in what you say is going on with you? This is a partnership for a VERY long time...if your doctor does not believe you, it may be time to find one that does
- the MS Hug is very real and I will let Sharon Blog on that as I have not experienced this (and hope i never do) so do not feel its my place to comment on it
3. Are you staying with your doc simply because he/she is Nice or has a great bedside manner?
4. Does your doc quickly shuffle you out of the office? make sure ALL of your questions are answered. DO NOT LEAVE OFFICE until they are...dont let doc rush you. This is YOUR appointment and you are paying the doc for this vist...get what you deserve
5. do you get a thorough exam EVERYTIME you visit? If not, it may be time to change. YOU NEED a thorough visit everytime. For example..I may be feeling great and dont notice things or brush them off..but with the exam... i find out i am developing tremors...I never noticed them before or brushed them off as twitches.
6. does your doctor dictate the meds you need to take or do you discuss each possibility and the ultimate decision is yours? YOU are in control of your health.
7. Does your doctor scowl when you bring up research YOU have found and inquire on it? Is the research QUICKLY dismissed? does your doc, if unfamiliar with the research take time to research for themselves so they are educated on the next visit?
8. does your doc partner with your healthcare team? if they will not work with your other docs, does this doc have YOUR best interests at heart?
9. Does your doc participate in research or clinical trials? doctors who participate are often doctors who themselves are looking for and wanting a cure. some doctors sit back and wait and that may not be bad...that is what you may want,,,but this is something to think about. Do you want an aggressive doctor or do you want someone that sits back and waits.
10. It is equally important that you tell your doctor everything that is going on. They are not House and miraculously going to figure out what is going on in an hour.
These are just a few things to ask yourself about your healthcare.
YOU DESERVE ONLY THE VERY BEST, nothing less.
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Great list. I would add also to ask if the doctor is compensated by any pharmaceutic companies for speaking or anything else. I think it's really telling when they are paid by a company - typically those are the drugs they're prescribing. I want someone unbiased by money.
ReplyDeleteGREAT POINT
ReplyDeletea big way you can sometimes tell is if your doc tells you which DMD you are going to go on. What i love about my doc....is he gave me the option of ALL of the medicines...he told me about each of them...then told me to talk to others about them and on next appointment tell him which i chose...he didnt sway me to pick a particular brand. What i love is he is trying to help me by finding the right med to settle down my MS