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46zilzal
03-13-2008, 01:36 AM
Having distanced myself from many practitioners I met initially in my school days, I am disgusted the way medical care is going. Big pharma is running the show and no one steps up to change it because they LIKE the big bucks too much. I run into many of these swelled heads from time to time and it is funny how many of these clowns begin to become just like many a prima donna athlete degenerates into, reading their own press clippings: they think they walk on water and their crap doesn't stink. They forget the real reason their occupation exists: to heal.

Sadly, as more and more focus of their lives become centered around investments, "big business" ventures, supporting ex-wives and keeping the new trophy wife happy while she fights with the kids from the last marriage, less and less time is spent keeping up with the ever changing science, practicing the basics (like LISTENING TO THEIR PATIENTS), and doing what they started out to do in the first place.

People always ask me all the time about who they should go to as a doctor and I usually tell them the same thing. If you have something odd and you are getting the runaround, find a medical school hospital. You have sharp young minds there who are STILL interested in looking for scientifically substantiated changes in your health profile and they are overseen by the best around with usually cutting edge technology. They are not concerned about how many hysterectomies they will need to sell to prospective patients in order to pay for that new boat, they are not running to the internet twice a day to see the Dow Jones averages, and not having to deal with lawyers representing the angry former wife. They are there to find out and help to cure whatever it is that is ailing you. That is still a challenge to them.

Find someone who keeps YOU in the equation and offers you OPTIONS to your health care, teaches you something about your condition(s), and understands that it is the REACTION TO DISEASE that causes the most anxiety and not the disease itself.

Find someone who understands what medicines COST and is always concerned with finding cheaper, though equivalent alternatives. Someone who will understand and explain how newer drugs on the market MAY have hidden side effects that don't show up for many years and is more than willing to prescribe (if necessary) medications that have been on the market for 15-20 years so that all the side effects are known. Locate a doctor who reviews your prescriptions on a regular basis (both HIS/HERS and the meds prescribed by other practitioners) to make sure there are no surprise interactions. We were NEVER instructed in what a CBC costs, an x-ray etc.,and not wanting to look bad when presenting a case, we used to write ETKTM (Every Test Known to Man) in the margin of a chart to discover everything possible about cases that were odd, never knowing what costs that would entail.

Hook up with a practitioner who admits that there is NO one answer to any health problem and who is open to rational alternative therapies. Find an individual who WELCOMES, even promotes second opinions particularly on something as radical as a surgical procedure.

Find someone who listens with BOTH ears and an open mind....IF YOU CAN.

bobbyb
03-13-2008, 08:03 AM
Excellent post 46

I was my Dr.'s 1st patient when he arrived at our small clinic about an hour and half North of Toronto. He was young and aggressive, and very caring at the outset, and remains the same to this day. His demeanor never changed, even though over the years his practice swelled to the point where he had to stop taking new patients.

He makes the long drive North from Toronto (where he lives) 5 sometimes 6 days a week - every week. Mondays, he's in the clinic till past 8pm - his late day. This regimen has been going on now for over 24 years - less a few months - when he was in a terrible head on collision returning to his home. (He spent several weeks in and out of hospital - steel pins in his nearly shattered leg and one arm did not deter him - he was back seeing patients 2 months later; in great discomfort I'm sure). (His lawyers insisted the insuring company pay for a cab - daily - and they complied. This went on for over 3 months.)

I've waited on average less than 2 weeks to see a specialist - he makes the call - not the receptionist and he pushes. He limits his scrips and will not repeat a script ever. You/your illness are in effect monitored by his hand. If your very ill, its not uncommon for him to stop in and see you, at home, on his way home -not just me - all his patients are treated the same.

In case your thinking his practice is just as a GP in/out.........no not at all. There are 2 Reg. Nurses and 1 other Dr. + a Nurse Practitioner at this clinic. They serve the needs of patients covering 50 square miles.
My Dr. has a Surgical room and has performed emergency life saving surgery in that room, along with many procedures that border on hospitalization.

I asked him once, why he worked so hard -my question also included - why are you not in Toronto making mega $$ - he laughed and said: When I first graduated, I came here by choice, and would never consider moving my practice. I'm just playing the hand I was dealt with. (The Gov. forced grad's into area's of need, and away form major cities.)
I was amazed at the answer, since for years, graduating Dr.'s push, and push hard to practice in major cities. What a gem of a man and Dr.

So 46, I guess you could say this man meets your criteria of what a Dr. "should be".
My thoughts are that most Dr.'s incl mine, take there oath very seriously.........I may be a bit naive, but I suspect there are many dozens of Dr.'s that practice medicine, such as mine, all with the same/similar convictions.

I love him (as all his patients do) and respect him deeply.

bobbyb

magwell
03-13-2008, 08:54 AM
thank you :ThmbUp: :ThmbUp:

RaceBookJoe
03-13-2008, 02:59 PM
Hey 46 , have you followed the story here in vegas about the big hep b,c/hiv scare , what a mess. I am one of the 40,000 who had to go get tested, still waiting for results.

46zilzal
03-13-2008, 03:04 PM
I heard about that. More incompetence and a death sentence. FORTUNATELY we are discovering it takes a large innoculum (big dose) of the HIV virus to infect most healthy people.

RaceBookJoe
03-13-2008, 03:09 PM
I am not too worried , i keep myself pretty healthy with my ph usually hovering between 7.0 - 7.5 and honestly havent been sick in years. Just horrible medical incompetance.