# A Thing That Bothers Me About Doctors



## debodun (May 18, 2021)

Is that they will only discuss one health concern per appointment. For instance, if a patient goes to an appointment about acid reflux, then starts to talk about headaches, the doctor will intterrupt and tell the patient to make another apointment if they want to get treated for headaches. I feel that all symptoms should be examined. If not, the doctor can miss an important diagnosis. Sometime conditions have several symptoms.


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## AnnieA (May 18, 2021)

debodun said:


> Is that they will only discuss one health concern per appointment. For instance, if a patient goes to an appointment about acid reflux, then starts to talk about headaches, the doctor will intterrupt and tell the patient to make another apointment if they want to get treated for headaches. I feel that all symptoms should be examined. If not, the doctor can miss an important diagnosis. Sometime conditions have several symptoms.



I've never experienced that with a family practice physician or internist unless they think a problem is significant enough to refer to a specialist.  

If your general practitioner is doing this, it's time to find someone else.


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## win231 (May 18, 2021)

Second billing to Medicare or whoever your provider is.  And time limit for each patient.  More patients per day = more billing.


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## Don M. (May 18, 2021)

debodun said:


> Sometime conditions have several symptoms.



Very true....and if your doctor isn't trying to investigate All conditions you might be experiencing, it's time to start looking for another doctor.


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## Pinky (May 18, 2021)

My doctor never rushes her patients, and she always asks "is there anything else?" .. then again, that's why she's always behind


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## CinnamonSugar (May 18, 2021)

As win231 pointed out, a lot of MDs are restricted by the insurance a person has to only discuss one topic at a time


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## Pappy (May 18, 2021)

Getting to see a urologist here in Florida, is like searching for a lost needle in a hay stack. First available appointment is July 2nd. Meanwhile, my prostrate may be the size of Texas…


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## debodun (May 18, 2021)

Pappy said:


> Getting to see a urologist here in Florida, is like searching for a lost needle in a hay stack. First available appointment is July 2nd. Meanwhile, my prostrate may be the size of Texas…


Yes, and how can a doctor properly diagnose that with a virtual visit? Like a woman that needs a pelvic exam - how ya do that online?

I know about how backed-up physician's office appointments are. I called my PCP and told they aren't accepting any more appointments until mid-August. They are backed up because people put off doctor visits during the height of the pandemic. Now everyone wants to see the doctor and they are playing "catch-up".


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## katlupe (May 18, 2021)

The office I go to doesn't do that at all. In fact, the doctor always ask if I have any other concerns and spends a lot of time with me. But I did see that happen when my husband had a Worker's Compensation case and the doctor would not discuss anything else at that appointment.


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## 911 (May 18, 2021)

Pappy said:


> Getting to see a urologist here in Florida, is like searching for a lost needle in a hay stack. First available appointment is July 2nd. Meanwhile, my prostrate may be the size of Texas…


Pappy, I think you are exaggerating. Maybe Rhode Island, but not Texas.


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## Geezerette (May 18, 2021)

I’ve found what debodun said to be pretty much true for the last few years. In fact I changed health plans at the  beginning of 2020 ( bad time but who knew what was coming) because in my former health plan of many years all the good primary’s quit and moved away one after another, and the 2 I tried were into the 1 symptom mode. Haven’t had a chance to judge the new ones yet; one seems ok, yet I I try to get organized ahead of the visit to prioritize .
In past, a dear Ortho doc I had when the Arth was first acting up used to tease me and say he was only going to allow me one joint per visit. He retired and moved away too.
and I’m doing the playing catch up too. I think video visits are useless, except do maybe a reassuring chat if that’s all is needed.


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## Nathan (May 18, 2021)

debodun said:


> *Is that they will only discuss one health concern per appointment.* For instance, if a patient goes to an appointment about acid reflux, then starts to talk about headaches, the doctor will intterrupt and tell the patient to make another apointment if they want to get treated for headaches. I feel that all symptoms should be examined. If not, the doctor can miss an important diagnosis. Sometime conditions have several symptoms.


I've become aware that most doctors have incredibly SHORT attention spans.  In addition, they tend to not listen very carefully, they hear what they think you are saying.  In general.   My experience.


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## horseless carriage (May 18, 2021)

AnnieA said:


> I've never experienced that with a family practice physician or internist unless they think a problem is significant enough to refer to a specialist.
> 
> If your general practitioner is doing this, it's time to find someone else.


I know just the doctor.


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## Jules (May 18, 2021)

One ailment per visit is pretty much standard practice nowadays.  

You need to be pretty articulate with your problem because they seem to have made up their mind with the first sentence or two.  I’m not articulate.


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## hollydolly (May 18, 2021)

debodun said:


> Is that they will only discuss one health concern per appointment. For instance, if a patient goes to an appointment about acid reflux, then starts to talk about headaches, the doctor will intterrupt and tell the patient to make another apointment if they want to get treated for headaches. I feel that all symptoms should be examined. If not, the doctor can miss an important diagnosis. Sometime conditions have several symptoms.


That's precisely what happens here. Very often several symptoms will lead to the right conclusion, but we're only permitted to mention one at the 8 minute appointment given to every patient at our GP( General practitioners)...surgery...

I'm always shouting from the rooftops about this... if they won't let us mention more than one symptom, then we're all very possibly being treated for the wrong thing...


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## Aunt Bea (May 18, 2021)

It has been just the opposite with my PCP.

I'm reluctant to mention too many things because it immediately triggers changes to my maintenance medications, a barrage of tests, and referrals to various specialists.

_Get under the hood and sell, sell, sell! _


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## Murrmurr (May 18, 2021)

Debodun, I used to have the same problem, but about 5 years ago I started seeing a doctor who isn't that way at all.
She's a keeper.

Have you ever written your concerns on a list and handed it to the doctor when s/he comes in? That might work.


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## horseless carriage (May 18, 2021)

The curious thing about that Holly is, I have to have an annual medical check up for life insurance purposes. It is not an NHS check up and costs £115. The doctor always asks, "is there anything else that I should know?" Which is an invitation to relate any previously unknown symptoms, no matter what, or how many.


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## win231 (May 18, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Debodun, I used to have the same problem, but about 5 years ago I started seeing a doctor who isn't that way at all.
> She's a keeper.
> 
> Have you ever written your concerns on a list and handed it to the doctor when s/he comes in? That might work.


The doctor will subtract the time spent reading the list from the visit.


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## Murrmurr (May 18, 2021)

win231 said:


> The doctor will subtract the time spent reading the list from the visit.


A caring doctor won't. It's a litmus test.


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## hollydolly (May 18, 2021)

horseless carriage said:


> The curious thing about that Holly is, I have to have an annual medical check up for life insurance purposes. It is not an NHS check up and costs £115. The doctor always asks, "is there anything else that I should know?" Which is an invitation to relate any previously unknown symptoms, no matter what, or how many.


yes that would happen and does happen whenever I have any kind of test Privately , paying out of pocket... but for the NHS it's actually the law that doctors have to spend only 8 minutes with each patient, and no more than one symptom.of course there are a very few who ignore that, but most live by the rule of 8 minutes one symptom...then we have to go through the rigmarole of making another appointment ...


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## PamfromTx (May 18, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Debodun, I used to have the same problem, but about 5 years ago I started seeing a doctor who isn't that way at all.
> She's a keeper.
> 
> Have you ever written your concerns on a list and handed it to the doctor when s/he comes in? That might work.


I did exactly that (wrote my concerns on a piece of paper) during my first visit with the family doctor.  And I make sure I have stated all of my concerns before she leaves the examining room.  And if I am to forget to mention something, I'll catch her at the station where she is already dictating about my visit.


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## ohioboy (May 18, 2021)

horseless carriage said:


> I know just the doctor.
> View attachment 165665


I called the Witch doctor, he told me what to do:


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## timoc (May 18, 2021)

A Thing That Bothers Me About Doctors​They've all got cold hands.


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## hollydolly (May 18, 2021)

timoc said:


> A Thing That Bothers Me About Doctors​They've all got cold hands.


have you noticed now that they no longer put a cold stethoscope on your bare skin.?. they just listen through your clothes...


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## timoc (May 18, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> have you noticed now that they no longer put a cold stethoscope on your bare skin.?. they just listen through your clothes...


You must be going private, Holly, an ice-cube is warmer than our, NHS, Dr Sadistic's stethoscope.


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## hollydolly (May 18, 2021)

timoc said:


> You must be going private, Holly, an ice-cube is warmer than our, NHS, Dr Sadistic's stethoscope.


No it's our NHS GP....


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## Pam (May 19, 2021)

I'm happy with my local GP surgery. I've never felt rushed and have myself discussed a couple of ailments in the one visit. Appointments with either nurse or doctor guaranteed within 3 days. Children will always be given same day appointments. There is also the NHS Health on Call service which is 24/7 for urgent but non life threatening conditions.


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## Ruthanne (May 19, 2021)

When I tell all my symptoms to him he makes a lot of referrals plus orders many tests.


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## Robert59 (May 19, 2021)

All I can say it all about money. My walk-in doctor treats more then one problem over other family doctors in my area. They take people with insurance or don't have insurance. This walk-in clinic is owned by a Christian Organization. 
​


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## timoc (May 19, 2021)

*Can I talk about dentists here?  Well I'm going to anyway.* 

I think I need a tooth filling, but my mind flies back to an episode several years back and trepidation starts welling up. 

On that occasion, when I walked into the the 'tooth mechanic's' surgery, I eyed him up and down (the way you do) and thought, "Blimey, he's just a boy, he may be wearing long trousers, but he doesn't look more than eleven."

He smiled and invited me to sit in that big, swivelly, up and downy." chair, then he said, "Open wide please, *wider,* *a bit wider please*."  I still don't know the reason why he stuck his head inside my mouth.

"You need a small filling, we'll have it done in two ticks", he said.

When he put a leather belt around my head and tightened it to the back of the chair I became a bit concerned, but was there a valid reason for putting his knee against my chest I wondered, now beginning to sweat.

It was when his pretty, young, girl assistantant handed him a Black and Decker drill with a 1/2" drillbit in it that I confess to feeling a sense of terror.

I still remember that dream, vividly.


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## terry123 (May 19, 2021)

I see a family practice doctor and I take a list that I want to talk about.  We talk about everything.  No limit as to what I am concerned about.  He knows I only will see a specialist if really needed and he feels the same way.  The only specialist I see is a kidney doctor once a year and a neurologist once a year.  He forwards my labs to the kidney doctor and sometimes I don't see them.


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## Judycat (May 19, 2021)

Doctors are bored with hearing patient's symptoms all day. Try a little drama. My doc loves it when I come in. She sits like a little kid waiting for the magician to pull a rabbit out. Then she types something on her computer and says...anything else you'd like to talk about.


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## Ruthanne (May 19, 2021)

Judycat said:


> Doctors are bored with hearing patient's symptoms all day. Try a little drama. My doc loves it when I come in. She sits like a little kid waiting for the magician to pull a rabbit out. Then she types something on her computer and says...anything else you'd like to talk about.


I think I'm going to try that!  I agree they must get bored.


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## StarSong (May 19, 2021)

AnnieA said:


> I've never experienced that with a family practice physician or internist unless they think a problem is significant enough to refer to a specialist.
> 
> If your general practitioner is doing this, it's time to find someone else.


Agree completely.  

My GP always asks if there's anything else I want to discuss.


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## debodun (May 19, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Have you ever written your concerns on a list and handed it to the doctor when s/he comes in?


Yes, but she pushes it away. *One symptom per visit.*


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## Jules (May 19, 2021)

Can you book two continuous visits at the same time?  Tell the receptionist that it’s for two things.


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## hollydolly (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> Yes, but she pushes it away. *One symptom per visit.*
> 
> View attachment 165762


the problem here with our GP surgery is that there's only 4 doctors, and one of those is a locum...but they have 7,000 patients on their register, they just don't have the time to spend listening to long lists of symptoms,nor will they get the money from the NHS for each patient if they limit themselves to just a few patients a day , so of course it's the patient who suffers ultimately!

if I need to see a doctor fast and one who will listen to everything I have to say  I use my Private Insurance...


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## Jules (May 19, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> if I need to see a doctor fast and one who will listen to everything I have to say I use my Private Insurance...


Do you have to pay extra, on top of the price to buy the insurance, when you see the Private doctor?


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## hollydolly (May 19, 2021)

Jules said:


> Do you have to pay extra, on top of the price to buy the insurance, when you see the Private doctor?


No...we just Pay for the Medical Insurance.. and that's that, no extras..  

I believe there are levels of Insurance you can buy so you would probably have to pay a little extra  for some medical procedures for the lower cost Insurances..but not the one we have which covers most things ..


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## hollydolly (May 19, 2021)

Just to add, the Private Insurance doesn't cost very much..I think it's 2.5k for the both of us per year ( not each) ...but I'll find out for sure when hubs gets home..!!


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## Chet (May 19, 2021)

The longer doctors can keep you alive, the longer they can send you a bill. It's a rule.


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## Jules (May 19, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> No...we just Pay for the Medical Insurance.. and that's that, no extras..
> 
> I believe there are levels of Insurance you can buy so you would probably have to pay a little extra  for some medical procedures for the lower cost Insurances..but not the one we have which covers most things ..


That’s the doctors I’d be going to then, since you paid for it.  

Every so often some Canadian doctors push for private medical for some things.  They say that there’ll be fewer people using the medical system then.  Duh, there’ll also be fewer doctors in the general system.


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## AnnieA (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> Yes, but she pushes it away. *One symptom per visit.*



With your current symptoms matching up with POTS,  go in to your next visit (hopefully with another doctor) and state you fit a lot of POTS criteria and would like the diagnosis confirmed or ruled out.  If ruled out, then you need to pursue an accurate diagnosis.

You are set in your ways in a lot of things, Deb, but it's dangerous to act so now since you're experiencing a recent, significant change in health.


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## hollydolly (May 19, 2021)

Chet said:


> The longer doctors can keep you alive, the longer they can send you a bill. It's a rule.


Not here, tho'...and not in most other countries..

https://worldpopulationreview.com/en/country-rankings/countries-with-universal-healthcare


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## hollydolly (May 19, 2021)

Jules said:


> That’s the doctors I’d be going to then, since you paid for it.
> 
> Every so often some Canadian doctors push for private medical for some things.  They say that there’ll be fewer people using the medical system then.  Duh, there’ll also be fewer doctors in the general system.


yes that's the one drawback... we can't use the Private Insurance to see a General practitioner..

What we can do is pay the GP a private fee (seperate to the Insurance).. currently around here it's £130..for 30 mins , and then £20 for every item on the prescription, which is free if we see an NHS GP...


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## Jules (May 19, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> yes that's the one drawback... we can't use the Private Insurance to see a General practitioner..
> 
> What we can do is pay the GP a private fee (seperate to the Insurance).. currently around here it's £130..for 30 mins , and then £20 for every item on the prescription, which is free if we see an NHS GP...


Wow.  That’s pricey.  

It doesn’t cost us anything for a specialist.  I had 5 retinal surgeries in the hospital, daily & weekly appointments, etc.  No cost.  Just had to pay the deductible for meds.  

Most of our waiting time for specialists is because there aren’t enough to accommodate our large retirement population in the interior.  Also, the hospitals were built to serve smaller populations.  They are now scheduling surgeries & tests late into the night.


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## hollydolly (May 19, 2021)

Jules said:


> Wow.  That’s pricey.
> 
> It doesn’t cost us anything for a specialist.  I had 5 retinal surgeries in the hospital, daily & weekly appointments, etc.  No cost.  Just had to pay the deductible for meds.
> 
> Most of our waiting time for specialists is because there aren’t enough to accommodate our large retirement population in the interior.  Also, the hospitals were built to serve smaller populations.  They are now scheduling surgeries & tests late into the night.


It doesn't cost us anything to see a specialist either... but depending on the problem, we sometimes have long waiting lists , and that's where our private Insurance comes in especially handy, it usually means I get to see a Specialist within a few days rather than anything up to a year on the NHS...

Our hospital also were built to accommodate much smaller populations, and when the UK opened it's doors to the European Union a few years back, we were inundated with Immigrants, but the problem was, the Govt didn't build any more hospital or schools or doctors surgeries.. just more and more homes.. and sadly many of our GP's and Consultants  are so overworked they've left medicine or moved to other countries where they're not so overworked and underpaid..


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## hollydolly (May 19, 2021)

My Daughter is a good example here.. For many years she lived abroad, and paid private medical Insurance. For that she got to see a Specialist in a matter of Days, had MRI's or Ultra scans same day and results same day ( not what happens generally in the UK on the NHS ).. she had a melanoma cut out of her shoulder last year and so she need to have that checked on every 4 months

When she arrived back in the UK a few months and registered with the local GP she explained about the Melanoma.. and they told her she would have to wait up to a year for a dermatologist to see it.. but cut a long story short, within a month, she got an appointment at the hospital to see the dermatologist. (yesterday). they took deep scans, and said everything looked fine, and clear but she must continue having her checks..

This morning in the post she was sent the DVD with the scan on it ...

She's so impressed... she can't believe this all happened on the NHS... for nothing,!! All she had to pay was £2.60 to park ...


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## debodun (May 19, 2021)

My PHP is a hand-patter and not much else. The last few times I've been to her with a complaint, she just says something along the lines of, "You know you're getting older. You have to expect things will no longer be the way they were." The only other doctor in town treats his patients like cattle and his staff is rude.


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## AnnieA (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> My PHP is a hand-patter and not much else. The last few times I've been to her with a complaint, she just says something along the lines of, "You know you're getting older. You have to expect things will no longer be the way they were." The only other doctor in town treats his patients like cattle and his staff is rude.



Does your Medicare/insurance cover doctors in other towns?  I live rural ...no providers at all in 'town' so I travel 15 miles for my PCP, up to 110 miles for various specialists.  Thank goodness my PCP is an internist who owns his own practice and will spend as much time per visit as needed;  I would travel much further than 15 miles for him.


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## Murrmurr (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> My PHP is a hand-patter and not much else. The last few times I've been to her with a complaint, she just says something along the lines of, "You know you're getting older. You have to expect things will no longer be the way they were." The only other doctor in town treats his patients like cattle and his staff is rude.


Man, that's dismal, Deb.

My mom had a doctor who was one of those "You're just getting old" types. He even called her "sweetie". Ticked me off, and I yelled at him for it - "That's _'Mrs Murr'_ to you!" and all that kind of stuff. Mom got all upset about it, but I found her another doctor asap and he was awesome. He took excellent care of my mom and she liked him a lot. Plus he was funny, so I liked him too.

But she was living with me at the time, with 2 major hospitals and a medical university in the area, so a ton of doctors to choose from.


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## debodun (May 19, 2021)

My only other option is to drive out of town to busy congested areas in which I am not comfortable driving.


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## Murrmurr (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> My only other option is to drive out of town to busy congested areas in which I am not comfortable driving.


Does your insurance cover transportation to and from medical appointments, like Medi-Trans or something?

I know it's a hassle to look into it and make arrangements and all that, but it might be worth your time to check it out.


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## debodun (May 19, 2021)

We have a medi-van here, but they will either take you to an apointment or bring you back from one, but not both ways. I guess they don't want to tie up the van waiting for someone. Makes it tough, though. How do you get back or there if it's just one-way service?


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## AnnieA (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> My only other option is to drive out of town to busy congested areas in which I am not comfortable driving.



You're going to have to go outside your comfort zone in some way (such as hiring someone to drive you) or face the fact that months down the road someone might tell you ..."If only we'd caught this a few months sooner"...      

Wishing you the best.


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## Murrmurr (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> We have a medi-van here, but they will either take you to an apointment or bring you back from one, but not both ways. I guess they don't want to tie up the van waiting for someone. Makes it tough, though. How do you get back or there if it's just one-way service?


Medi-van doesn't wait outside for you, they come back and get you. What they're probably trying to say is that you can't prearrange the pick up time, you have to call again after your appointment.


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## debodun (May 19, 2021)

I don't have a cell phone.


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## PamfromTx (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> My only other option is to drive out of town to busy congested areas in which I am not comfortable driving.


Well, sometimes that's the only choice we have by driving out of town to a bigger city.  I see specialists in another city.  I am so use to that drive already.  I always take a back road instead of the expressway.


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## Jules (May 19, 2021)

debodun said:


> I don't have a cell phone.


If you could have a Medi-van, perhaps this is the time to invest in an inexpensive cell phone.  There’s lots of options.


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## Murrmurr (May 20, 2021)

Murrmurr said:


> Medi-van doesn't wait outside for you, they come back and get you. What they're probably trying to say is that you can't prearrange the pick up time, you have to call again after your appointment.


I'm not trying to push, but I'm sure the doctor's office would be happy to call for you, or let you use one of their phones. My doctor's office has the number for Medi-Trans on speed-dial. All their patients are elderly and some of them don't drive anymore.


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## PamfromTx (May 20, 2021)

debodun said:


> My only other option is to drive out of town to busy congested areas in which I am not comfortable driving.


That sounds like the only option you have, @debodun    When necessary, people do what is feasible... like driving to the doctor(s). If my 95 year old lady neighbor can drive 20 miles to her doctor... so can you.


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## Murrmurr (May 20, 2021)

PamfromTx said:


> That sounds like the only option you have, @debodun    When necessary, people do what is feasible... like driving to the doctor(s). If my 95 year old lady neighbor can drive 20 miles to her doctor... so can you.


Or you can just let your doctor remind you how old you are.


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## hollydolly (May 22, 2021)

Checked with o/h...and I was correct.Our private medical Insurance is £200 per month ... £2,400 pa


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## Buckeye (May 22, 2021)

I'm quite happy with my PCP fella.  Covers all my concerns in a single visit, is only a few miles away, and has a great staff.


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## Devi (May 22, 2021)

Buckeye said:


> I'm quite happy with my PCP fella.  Covers all my concerns in a single visit, is only a few miles away, and has a great staff.


Same here in Washington. Great doctor, great staff, available in-house (and online via their website). Most excellent. And ... takes Medicare.


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## Remy (May 24, 2021)

I don't think I've ever been told that. But in any case, it's wrong. Seriously WT.....

I did go to my MD for the carpal tunnel finally last week. I see a specialist in August. Of coarse. No way do I want surgery but I guess they can do injections and I do continue to use the computer and do needlework though I think work is a main culprit.

I did mention how I have been feeling down and overwhelmed by many stressors. The doctor said nothing regarding that. So much for mental health care.....


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## fmdog44 (May 24, 2021)

My doctor will take his time to listen and talk about anything including things not related to me. He is very thorough and is not afraid to tell you you are screwing up when he thinks so.


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## StarSong (May 25, 2021)

Remy said:


> I did mention how I have been feeling down and overwhelmed by many stressors. The doctor said nothing regarding that. So much for mental health care.....


I'm sorry that you're feeling this way, Remy. 

Other than pointing you to a mental health professional or prescribing anti-depressants, I think most GPs are out of their element when it comes to mental health issues. 

If you think a therapist could help, you might want to call your MD's office, explain that you already discussed this with the doctor already and would like a referral to a mental health professional.

Wishing you the best.


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## hollydolly (May 25, 2021)

Tomorrow I have to go and have an Ultrasound scan... I got a text this morning, reminding me of the appointment, and that missing it will cost the NHS £50... then a couple of hours later I had a call from the receptionist at the hospital just checking I'll be attending...


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## OneEyedDiva (May 25, 2021)

Not my doctor Deb. He takes time to discuss anything I need to discuss. He has spent as long as 45 minutes during my visits. I absolutely love my PCP and most of my specialists. It's up to you to be insistent that you have another issue that needs attention. If your doctor can't take the time and interest...it's time to find one who will.


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## Chet (May 25, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> Checked with o/h...and I was correct.Our private medical Insurance is £200 per month ... £2,400 pa


Convert British pounds to U.S. dollars here.         https://www.poundstodollars.co.uk/
Somebody had to do it.


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## Gary O' (May 25, 2021)

A Thing That Bothers Me About Doctors​
The finger wave is always a bit unsettling

The last personal physician I had, had a habit of putting her hand on my thigh
while she chatted with me

I didn't mind it so much, but had a hard time concentrating on what she was telling me


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## hollydolly (May 25, 2021)

Chet said:


> Convert British pounds to U.S. dollars here.         https://www.poundstodollars.co.uk/
> Somebody had to do it.


I think we all know how to do it....


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## Butterfly (Jun 4, 2021)

AnnieA said:


> I've never experienced that with a family practice physician or internist unless they think a problem is significant enough to refer to a specialist.
> 
> If your general practitioner is doing this, it's time to find someone else.



I've never experienced this, either.


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## Butterfly (Jun 4, 2021)

katlupe said:


> The office I go to doesn't do that at all. In fact, the doctor always ask if I have any other concerns and spends a lot of time with me. But I did see that happen when my husband had a Worker's Compensation case and the doctor would not discuss anything else at that appointment.


Workers' Compensation stuff is different.  They are not going to discuss anything outside the injury you're there for.  Other stuff is not their job.  They are not your general doctor.  Workers' Compensation is not obligated to pay for treatment or consultation not relevant to your on the job injury.


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## Butterfly (Jun 4, 2021)

Remy said:


> I don't think I've ever been told that. But in any case, it's wrong. Seriously WT.....
> 
> I did go to my MD for the carpal tunnel finally last week. I see a specialist in August. Of coarse. No way do I want surgery but I guess they can do injections and I do continue to use the computer and do needlework though I think work is a main culprit.
> 
> I did mention how I have been feeling down and overwhelmed by many stressors. The doctor said nothing regarding that. So much for mental health care.....



Perhaps you should ask him directly for a referral regarding the mental health thing.


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## Dancing_Queen (Jun 8, 2021)

debodun said:


> Is that they will only discuss one health concern per appointment. For instance, if a patient goes to an appointment about acid reflux, then starts to talk about headaches, the doctor will intterrupt and tell the patient to make another apointment if they want to get treated for headaches. I feel that all symptoms should be examined. If not, the doctor can miss an important diagnosis. Sometime conditions have several symptoms.


Find another doctor; that's ridiculous!  For the record, I have no trouble firing doctors.  However, once I find one I like, we're bonded at the hip.  I look for someone who's competent, has a good bedside manner, good office policies, and allows me to be part of my treatment plan which, of course, requires explaining everything and answering all questions.


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## win231 (Jun 8, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> A Thing That Bothers Me About Doctors​
> The finger wave is always a bit unsettling
> 
> The last personal physician I had, had a habit of putting her hand on my thigh
> ...


And a female doctor I saw only shook my hand...........


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## Dancing_Queen (Jun 8, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> yes that would happen and does happen whenever I have any kind of test Privately , paying out of pocket... but for the NHS it's actually the law that doctors have to spend only 8 minutes with each patient, and no more than one symptom.of course there are a very few who ignore that, but most live by the rule of 8 minutes one symptom...then we have to go through the rigmarole of making another appointment ...


We have a lousy medical system in the U.S., but my doctors spend as much time as I need.  They can also bill more if they spend more time.  There's one charge for a short visit which lasts (I think) up to 15 minutes and so on.


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## Devi (Jun 8, 2021)

One thing about being a senior in the U.S. is that you get Medicare. There are excellent facilities where we've been that take Medicare through which I've gotten excellent service.

Unfortunately, Medicare doesn't cover dental or eye glasses (in Washington state).


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## Dancing_Queen (Jun 8, 2021)

Devi said:


> One thing about being a senior in the U.S. is that you get Medicare. There are excellent facilities where we've been that take Medicare through which I've gotten excellent service.
> 
> Unfortunately, Medicare doesn't cover dental or eye glasses (in Washington state).


Medicare doesn't cover that anywhere, Devi, unless you have Part C which is an HMO -- and which I, personally, stay away from.


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## Devi (Jun 8, 2021)

Dancing_Queen said:


> Medicare doesn't cover that anywhere, Devi, unless you have Part C which is an HMO -- and which I, personally, stay away from.


As do I.


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## Gary O' (Jun 8, 2021)

win231 said:


> And a female doctor I saw only shook my hand...........


After the finger wave?
Gloved?


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## win231 (Jun 8, 2021)

Gary O' said:


> After the finger wave?
> Gloved?


   No finger, no glove.  She only checked my blood sugar & checked my feet for diabetes-related issues like calluses.


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## Sassycakes (Jun 8, 2021)

I loved my PCP and saw him even after we moved. We went to him for 30yrs. He retired last year so I got a new PCP near where we are living now and honestly, I don't care for her or her attitude so soon I will look for another one.


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