POZ Community Forums
Main Forums => Living With HIV => Topic started by: ubotts on August 01, 2007, 02:07:28 pm
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:( Hi All.
I have a big problem since i moved to NJ..
I go to a clinic and they keep on giving me different doctors..
They have 4 infectious disease doctors, plus interns.........I try and ask to get the doctor i like, but either
there only taking personal patients..(ones who have insurance not Medicaid) or there working in the
hospital.
I just want one doctor..I am assigned to a Dr. Kathleen Casey, but shes only works on wendsdays..
and you have a long wait..
Sometimes i get scheduled by the receptionist after my blood work..So whatever day they give me, i hope
the doctor i want to see is there..but no..again this happened to me..
All i want is one doctor only....
Does anyone else go to a clinic and feel like there just shuffling you around like a herd of cattle???
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ubotts, I go to a clinic here as well and they do not do that. Is this the only place available for you to go? I would not find that a comfortable or ideal situation though it would depend on what phase of infection I was in.
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I go to a clinic that has five HIV specialists. I've been going there for over ten years, and I always see the same doctor. So I don't think a clinic environment necessarily means that you have to settle on seeing a different doctor every time you visit.
It's important to develop a relationship with one doctor who knows you as a person, not just as your most recent lab results.
If the clinic cannot arrange for you to see just one doctor, I hope you'll be able to find a practice that can.
Allan
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That happens to me all the time. My Dr. only comes into the office to check what the resident Dr. is doing during my appointment, says what to do and leaves...
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At Matty the Damned's clinic they have two doctors -- Frau Eva and Tong the Terrible. He almost always gets to see the Frau, but occasionally has to deal with Tong or a locum or even a terrified student.
When last year I was seeing the immunologist at a major Sydney hospital I would usually end up seeing a nameless registrar for 10 minutes after having waited several hours. It was not good. I appreciate your frustration.
MtD
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You poor thing. I hate those type of places but that is also how I found my current primary doctor. I was one of the lucky ones. He now has his own office but also works out at my ID doc's office on Tuesdays. And communication between them is great. But I know not everyone is lucky as I am. I would suggest talking with your case manager, if you have one or does this clinic work with who you are dealing with now? Someone should be listening to your concerns, not ignoring you or squeezing you in whenever
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Maybe say "Dr. Casey, I feel most secure being under your care and for the sake of my health I strongly believe it would be best to have you treat me instead of any random doctor, which is what's happening now. I want to make you aware of this and I'd like to know if you have any advice for me as to who I should speak to." or something like that
Hugs to you
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I have asked dr. casey if i can see her only..she said, iam taking private patients
on mondays,, and Friday's she works in the hospital..so the only day i have is wensdays. and there are times i cant get a wensday appt. because she is so booked..
Anyway.. i got another women who is an infectious disease dr. Nancy Gornish.
When she treated me, i said i like you..and she smiled..She listened to what
i had to say and seemed very interested about my health issues...So iam going
to keep her..
I go back in the clinic and that day Nancy wasnt there, so i had to settle for
Dr Loo who is a meanface , never smiling asshole....No wait..hes the whole ass.
I was so pissed that day..and this is the one who changed my meds from combivir to truvada.....I just hope i did the right thing by trusting someone
whom i dont like nor feel comfortable with..
I go back aug 24..which seems like ages, to see how the truvada is working
on me.
I did research about infectious disease Dr's in N.J and asked online which is the
best place for me to go ...They came up with Jersey shore clinic, that's the
one iam attending right now..so i guess iam fucked..If this is the best in Jersey
id hate to see the rest...
Ill keep u posted about my appt on aug. 24th...thanks for all your support.
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Both clinics I've been to in the UK have a number of HIV consultants. At the clinic I'm with now I see whoever is there on that day.
When I was first diagnosed it used to bug the hell out of me cos I kept getting asked the same questions by different doctors, despite them having my notes right in front of them. I even said on more than one occasion: Don't you people ever read patients' notes or talk to one another?
Nowadays it doesn't bother me. Maybe that's cos I'm used to the different faces now and they're all used to me. Or maybe it's cos I'm more laid back. Or maybe it's cos I'm doing ok health-wise so far and only really go in every 3 months for bloods/monitoring.
I think if things got to a wobbly stage I might demand to see the main consultant only. And not just cos he has a sexy Irish accent! ;) I dunno. I'll let y'all know if/when things get wobbly...
Ubotts, good luck with your appointment later this month!
Melia
Edited to PS: I also have my main consultant's direct line and email addy, so if I need to reach him I can. I used to call him from Greece. I even emailed him once while he was away on holiday...and he replied! Well, I can be one persistent young madam sometimes! ;D
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I have one ID doctor and her boss that oversees my treatment. Him I just talk to over the phone. When I have other tests done, I'm sent to other specialists,the Cardiologist, Endocrinologist, ENT, and the Oncologist. All my test results are placed on the computer and my ID doctor pulls them up in front of me and lets me read them. A push of the button and she can print them off for me and I pick them up going out the door. All my test results and new medication RX's are fowarded electronically to my GP. I still use my GP for yearly checkups and small illnesses.
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I would not like or be comfortable in your situation. I am not sure how your appt's are made or how often you are going. I go every 3 mts and my next appt is always made at the end of my current appt. Is there anyway you could do this? Maybe that would insure that you get Dr. Casey. I hope you can work something out that would enable you to see the dr you feel is best for you.
Woods
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It took me a long time to get comfortable with the situation you describe but I have found that the PAs or assisting DRs are very good at my clinic. I have a choice,I can get an app with my main DR. but he has very limited hours because of a hectic schedule and big business. I found if I tell the PA or assisting DR what I want and what my problems are and treat them with respect I get exceptional service and treatment.
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:-\ Thank you for all your help..I go back to the drs. on aug 24th for my results and since they placed me on a new medicine Truvada, they want to see how
much it will effect my liver..I also have hep c...which sucks big time..
All your meds go though your liver..and mine is shot already..Now with
truvada they say watch out for kidney disease..
Isn't this so much fun..oy ve..
Iam going to my social worker or the adminstation and ask if i can see one
doctor and one doctor only...Seeing different doctors is a bitch..
All they do is look into the computer and see whats going on, ask if i need
refills, and then tell me to go to the front desk to make another appt. with
who every is available.....But iam putting my foot down..I need one doctor
who gives a shit about me..Dr Nancy Gornish was the best and id like to
see her at all times..So I put this request in and see what happens.
Thank you all for your time and patience...
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Seeing different doctors is a bitch..
All they do is look into the computer and see whats going on, ask if i need
refills, and then tell me to go to the front desk to make another appt. with
who every is available.....
Oh, shades of the VA. I did the rotating doctor thing for years, and now see just one care provider. It costs me out of my pocket (the VA is free) but it's totally worth it. I don't care how computerized records are, I think no one will read and remember your medical history well enough to catch certain things or address chronic problems.
I see a PA now instead of a big hoity-toity Emory Doctor, she would never match up on paper with those guys. But she's darn good (just as good, IMHO), and the continuity of care has made a huge difference. So keep at them until you can see someone you like on a regular basis. If not, you may want to consider a different clinic. Even if the place is highly recommended, just like a doctor, if it ain't working out for you, what's the point?
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Ulong
I am trying to get into another clinic in NJ..even though they say online that
this one is the best..Bullshit..
Theres one in long branch nj and i asked my lover, if things dont get better,
ill give it a shot..My lover said she will take me..cuz no work of Fridays..so that's
when ill check out the other clinic..Hopefully, ill have one doctor instead of a team of assholes and interns..
By the way,, one doctor saw my leg..( i was hit by a car in nyc and had a fixator place inside my leg) its a thing with metal rods..My bone had come out of my leg
Its call a compound fracture..anyways.
This ass of a dr.. said,, ummmmmmmm. i see up shot up in your legs because
i see the scars from the abscess.....OMG i went ape shit..
I said if you would of gone over my folder or just asked me, you would of found out i was hit my a car crossing a busy NYC street..
He said oh..Fuck OH..I was a raging lunatic by the time i got outta there.
This clinic sickens me..Like i need more stress.........anyway, ill be checking
out other clinics in NJ...
When i said once to a doctor, "They didn't do this in NYC" she responded, well
go back to NYC...I get treated like shit..One. because theres prejudice when you move from NYC to NJ..go figure.....I just don't understand why people have
to be so cruel..Iam new in this god forsaking state, give me a fucking brake.
ok ill get off my soapbox now............ :-[
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I got the the 1917 UAB in Bham, AL... I have had many doctors... and out of my personal experience... the best doctors that I have personaly dealth with are WOMEN... awesome... I've had a few male doctors who were ok... but, the women doctors are more thorough, attentive, knowledgable... and in general take more time listening to the patients concern... this is now just from my experience.
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I got the the 1917 UAB in Bham, AL... I have had many doctors... and out of my personal experience... the best doctors that I have personaly dealth with are WOMEN... awesome... I've had a few male doctors who were ok... but, the women doctors are more thorough, attentive, knowledgable... and in general take more time listening to the patients concern... this is now just from my experience.
I like all my doctors which is 3, primary, ID, and Gyn. Both my Gyn and ID doctors are gay and I just love them. My Gyn reminds me of a gay blonde beach bunny and the ID is like a mother hen to me. My primary doctor is good too. It took me a while to find them and I have been with them ever since.
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I have one HIV doc & a GP. I did have another GP assigned to me by TennCare, but I fired him & went back to the GP I had when I was working full time.
I hope you can be assigned to and see the Dr. you like. Why don't try to schedule your appointments when the doc you like will be there?
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Hey U,
I lucked out... There were no Isolation beds available at Harbor General so they kept me at St. Mary's. I have had one doc there and several changes in the 1 doc/PA assignments in a much smaller county and finally, my first choice in Sonoma County because I asked for him.
There was a question re: the future of care in Sonoma County after losing the RWCA Title I funding. I did ask the HIV Section Manager to repeat what she said, "No person in Sonoma County, will do without HIV care in Sonoma County because of inability to pay." The Medical Directors of both the Center for HIV Prevention and Care and Russian River Health Clinics also went on record saying that. Everyone in Sonoma County is assigned to their doc.
I used to wonder why most medical supplies commercials always say, "Tell your doctor if you have (any number of diseases or conditions)". I always thought doctor should be the one to tell the patient about such diseases or conditions. Then I remembered a friend in the old days. He was seeing several doctors and having problems with Dimentia. His in home nurse was going through his medications and found two different things, prescribed by different doctors. With little communication between the two clinics, they may not have caught it. He is doing just fine now. Have the best day
Michael
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Hi Have asked for doctor Casey, but shes only there one day a week if your on
Medicaid..Otherwise she see all her private patients during the other days.
She is supposed to be the best out of the 4 team ID doctors there, that's why
its so hard to get her..
If i cant get her, Iam going to shoot for Nancy Gournish..who is a real sweetie.
No more interns..Hell iam older than they are and learn everything from a text
book..Hell Ive had hiv or aids even, before they were even conceived...
When i go back on the 24 of august..Ill fill all of you in on how i made out..
Thanks again for all your opinions...luv ya's all...Liz
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I consider myself so lucky. I go to the Owen clinic here in SD and was able to get assigned one doctor. His name is Dr. Joe Caperna.. but it was only because I knew someone who got me in. He at the time was no longer taking new patients. He is awesome. I also have a friend in LA Dr. Tony Mills that is an AIDS doctor and I go up to see him once to three times a month. He's the reason I'm still alive. Talk to as many people in your area and see who they recommend. If you can travel and are close to NY, ask about Md's in NYC that might be accessable and are taking new patients with Medicare.
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Hi Joe.
I lived in NYC for 49 yrs..Just moved to jersey 3 yrs ago..
NYC has the best drs , but here..well..no way,
I did call another place in Longbranch and they will accept me I just have to
get a release form from the drs i currently have now..Then ill go to Longbranch
I talked to the women on the phone, and it sounds much better than the
place i go to now..
Thanks for the NYC tip..been there done that and miss it tons..
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Quote myself:
There are three of them for the whole Serbia and they are really something :
The chief of stuff had a stroke and he is a type of doc who thinks that he knows all the best ( he is really good but he tends to hold everything in his hands)…….conversation with him was always listening more than open one.
And even a slightest mention of something new makes him nervous……..after my appointment a med sister told to me ( silently) : “ You should be listening to a doc …………..”
Another waiting patient told to me than that he had a numerous quarrels with him ………
Another doc is a female who is very straightforward with patients:
“ You know that you going to die ……….don’t you ………..” ( she told that to the same patient above , and he said to her that he did not traveled 300 miles to hear just that , and that he knows well that he is going to die anyway…….)
She told to me that I was reporting my illness too late to them…….
And the only one doc who seems normal is trying to start a private practice…….which is not good because our drugs are from the state supplies.
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Being the type person I am I never except the first answer given me. I want to know why or why not and if not how do I go about making it happen. Just remember always do re shearch and ask questions. I keep a list of questions that I ask my doctors every time I see them. Helps to get answers and for me not to forget.
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OK..today i went to see my doctor, and did get Dr Casey, but only after an intern
saw me first..
I wasnt happy with Dr Casey's answers to my questions..She just brushed them off
like it was nothing.
Maybe nothing to her, but shes not in my shoes....
My tcell went up in one month after changing from combivir to Truvada..
from 241 to 294..Thats good :)
Check out my platelets..that's good.
My Viral load is undetectable and my cholesterol is 70.
My liver numbers were normal ...so that's all good and fine.
But when i asked why am i bruising so easily...I was told it was from Prednisone, that i had
taken in November of 2006...
Well Hello :-[
That was over 9months ago...So why am i still bruising and why is my skin so thin lately.
No Answer...
I am going to definitely switch to a new clinic..
Online i found one to be much better, and as soon as i check this new clinic out,
I will sign my medical release papers and forward them to my new Doctor.
This Clinic isn't a learning clinic, like the one iam attending now..
This is an all women clinic, with only 2 doctors..Its smaller and more personal..
So iam saying goodbye to jersey shore, and switching over to Momouth County..
:P Yahoooooooooooooo...I cant wait..Wish me luck...