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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 17, 2019 9:28:11 GMT -5
She had her first visit with the new neurologist yesterday and isn't sure the first impression was entirely positive.
If you had a debilitating chronic illness/incurable disease which doctor would prefer:
Dr Protocol- No nonsense, thorough, not much on conversation, void of anything resembling bedside manner.
Dr Why- Already has all the answers but the questions haven't been asked, caveat being many of the answers are accurate. Equal parts caring, understanding, and protocol. All in a span of about 11 minutes.
Dr. Friend- Majority of exam time talking and getting to know you, about you, your family etc. Not much hands-on medicine/exam unless there have been new issues. No timer. No stethescope.
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Post by bobathon on May 17, 2019 9:34:53 GMT -5
Dr Rollthemallintoone
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 17, 2019 10:17:36 GMT -5
These are representative of the three neurologists she's seen. Not in order listed. So real world experience, pick one.
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Post by bobathon on May 17, 2019 11:00:58 GMT -5
I get it. I want a competent doc that looks at all the data. They don't need to be my friend, but they also shouldn't be a dick.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 17, 2019 11:23:28 GMT -5
You still didn't pick one! I'm doing seriously important rearsearch here dood!
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Post by bobathon on May 17, 2019 11:33:47 GMT -5
Probably Protocol.
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Post by No. 1 son on May 17, 2019 16:59:44 GMT -5
I concur.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 17, 2019 19:08:28 GMT -5
I'd sure like to hear a couple more more opinions before making my case for the one she prefers, but I will say that Protocol wasn't in the top 2.
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Post by No. 1 son on May 17, 2019 19:13:48 GMT -5
This is like the 2 party system, only more so.
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Post by bobathon on May 17, 2019 20:16:33 GMT -5
Dr Coalition
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Post by k9krap on May 17, 2019 20:30:13 GMT -5
I thought I posted. I choose Dr. Why. I’m not chatty and don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on this shit. Just give me what I need for a decent quality of life.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 17, 2019 22:02:08 GMT -5
Do you think there's a difference between treating the illness and treating the person with it?
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Post by k9krap on May 18, 2019 0:11:25 GMT -5
Of course. Every individual handles symptoms differently and every condition iaffects each individual differently. People have different pain thresholds. They differ on how aggressively they want to fight. Etc.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 18, 2019 9:25:09 GMT -5
Yahtzee! And unless you have open discussions with them, they are more than likely to rely on protocol, even if that's really not the best thing for your individual needs.
Dr Protocol is the one I want in the trauma center when I have an aneurysm, not when I'm doing office visits for ALS.
Dr. Why is the one I want as my PCP, so when I go in with a sprain, strain, or pain, she addresses it immediately, effectively, and we can save the pleasantries for my next digital rectal exam.
Remember, I framed the question with a chronic debilitating illness for which there is no cure. In my/our experience, Dr Friend has been a godsend, and we no longer have KP, which he was with.
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Post by k9krap on May 18, 2019 16:46:53 GMT -5
I, too, have a chronic, debilitating illness for which there is no cure. So I speak from experience. My rheumatologist sees me quarterly, takes a quart of blood, talks to me for 5 minutes or less while checking for mouth sores, listening to my heart and lungs, and looking at my disfigured fingers. I drive to Richmond for a 15 minute visit, unless there’s a line at the lab. I’m happy with this arrangement. My kidneys are shutting down again and he told me to see a nephrologist, but I’ve decided against it. So far, he hasn’t bugged me about it.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 18, 2019 16:49:07 GMT -5
I'm glad that you are comfortable with that arrangement. That's really all that matters.
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Post by k9krap on May 18, 2019 16:51:43 GMT -5
Absolutely. I’m somewhat antisocial, so it works for me.
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Post by minx on May 20, 2019 11:50:32 GMT -5
I have to agree with you John - for an initial diagnosis, I want Protocol, but as long as Protocol is open to questions and dialog - I don't want "This is the problem, and you can't question mah authority!"
But once my condition is stable, I want Dr. Friend - someone to just touch base with and verify that things are on track.
If I only had one choice, I'd go with Protocol. But again, Protocol would have to have the ability to check their ego at the door and be able to answer intelligent questions and explain how they came to their diagnostic conclusions. I've learned the hard way that you can't just accept everything at face value.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 20, 2019 15:02:52 GMT -5
We've been, well she's been, fortunate enough to have two Dr Friends as her main doctors following two life changing illnesses. The things that I've seen that sets them apart are 1) treating the patient not just the disease 2) actually taking the person's whole situation into account 3) very open to making decisions together with the patient, instead of calling all the shots according to the Merck Manual 4) Never rushed through an appt ever.
And I will say that both of those doctors outperformed Protocol and Why when it came to follow-on tests, treatment, therapies, and other needs she's had, and it's not even close.
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Post by minx on May 21, 2019 9:09:37 GMT -5
I am very glad to hear that!
My Psych is Dr. Friend - worked to get things stabilized and explained each change, why he recommended it and what to expect. And if I didn't want to do it, he didn't insist or push it. I feel we truly work as a team.
My kid's pediatrician was more Dr. Protocol at first, but it was a good thing. He wasn't mean, but he also didn't take shit. He explained the diagnosis and his recommended treatment, and was very open to questions and discussing any alternatives. But if you were being an asshole, he totally called you on it. When my youngest was 2.5, she said less than 5 words. I was joking about it, but he was very serious - sat me down and said that developmental delays were nothing to laugh at. And thanks to that, we did a shitload of testing and got her enrolled in speech therapy immediately through RACSB - in turn RACSB walked us through the entire IEP process so she continued to get services in school. Incidentally, her first clear sentences didn't come out until after age 4, and even then, they were 'clear' to us because we had grown accustomed to her speech.
In an ideal world, we'd have Dr Friend-Protocol.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 21, 2019 9:27:34 GMT -5
Like I said it's an interesting contrast and I just picked 3 styles based on her 3 neurologists, but several of her other doctors (and mine too) fit those profiles pretty well.
We have also both had our experiences with Dr. These Hands Have Been Touched By God! And Dr. Google.
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Post by Dave's Not Here Man on May 21, 2019 9:32:31 GMT -5
It's funny that you mentioned the story with your daughter. Almost exact same thing with our son at the exact same age but it was my uncle that caught it, not the pediatrician. Turned out he was partially deaf because of some deal with his eustation tubes. A couple of months on steroid drops and boom. He had to do speech therapy but it was at one of the schools.
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Post by minx on May 21, 2019 13:29:24 GMT -5
She had tons of ear infections as a baby too, but no tubes.
I am eternally grateful for that doctor not blowing it off, especially since everyone else said we were overreacting and second children always talked late.
I've only had one experience with Dr. God, but if I had a buck for every doctor who asked me if I was sure I wasn't depressed, I'd be a rich woman.....
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