Love at first sight
Friday, April 3 2009
(This post picks up where The Adventure Continues left off: when last you heard from your hero, he had narrowed down his choice to three gastroenterologists. One of the three has since been abandoned – not coincidentally, a partner in my current gastro practice.)
I have at last seen one of the gastroenterologists I’m auditioning. This one is affiliated with a community hospital near my house; the other, whom I have not seen yet, works at a nearby academic medical center.
The day of the appointment, I was strangely anxious – distracted, on edge, tense. I’m not sure why. Granted, I haven’t looked for a new doctor in several years – but still, you’d think somebody with my kind of experience would be more comfortable with the process. This wasn’t even an appointment to do anything – just an introduction.
I arrived at the office on time, but discovered I had forgotten my insurance card – a rookie mistake. At my previous gastro practice, the staff would have pitched a fit and charged me the whole bill for the visit, which is part of the reason I’m not going back. This new place: they agreed to send me the bill for my co-pay once they tracked down my insurance information. It turns out they can access some of the area hospitals’ billing records from their office, and had no problem finding my information. Later, I found the card on my desk at home, where I had left it after a phone call to a different doctor’s office.
After a short wait, I got to see the doctor. I have to say: I am glad I put the effort into finding him. I wish I could sharing his name, so maybe I will ask him at a future appointment if that would be okay. Anyway, he seems like an excellent doctor – competent, attentive, caring – which meshes with everything I learned about him online. He was assertive but not pushy; he let me explain my story, let me ask some fairly pointed questions about his ability to help manage my disease, and didn’t second-guess my plans for surgery. Best of all, he was cool with me testing out other docs, too. I left the appointment very happy with my choice; whatever my anxieties beforehand, they were relieved by the visit itself.
I have another appointment in two weeks, with a doctor at the expensive university medical practice. I am almost inclined to skip it: there’s not a lot this second doc can do that would make me want to travel farther and pay more for my care. I will go, but only out of principle – this idea that I should be shopping around for the best value, even it doesn’t save me any money.
I’m still not sure about my anxiety, though. I wish I knew why I felt so nervous about this appointment, and I wonder if it will happen next time. Your wild guesses are welcome in the comments.
I could not pass this one… after all I am the master of anxiety! I think it’s normal to be a bit anxious considering what you are going through. Your doctor is a very important person in your life. And I always am more jittery on exams where I know my stuff and bad luck might mess up things. If I’m not so well prepared I am able to concentrate better and do my best.
As to your first experience with your doctor, I would check the other doctor anyway. My latest experience was that the first meeting with my current GI went exceptionally well, on time, she paid a lot of attention to me and the staff were incredibly friendly and the next times it turned into the normal medical office: hour long waits, drug company representatives coming and being in and out before me, office staff couldn’t care less and the doctor is always in a hurry. I think this is what the system forces them to do. She’s a good doctor and does listen and is close to home, so I’m not going to bother to find someone else, but having a back-up in the sleeve is always a good thing, not to mention the need for second opinions for important decisions.