Every once
in a while I have to gripe about something.
And while this is not a current gripe, it is still something I think
about from time to time and it relates directly to aging.
One of the
things I really dislike about aging is as we get older it is not unusual to
have to find new doctors. In my case its
because I’ve seen the same docs for so many years that they are either retiring
or dying, or a boatload of other factors.
The first
time this ever happened to me had nothing to do with aging, in fact I guess you
could chalk it up to being quite young.
Shortly after I moved from Florida to Ohio I found myself in need of
birth control. This was in the late 60’s
early 70’s when birth control for unmarried women was definitely frowned on by
a large portion of the population. The
first time I sought this service; the doc knew I wasn’t married and flat out
refused. He was quite rude and really
embarrassed me. I shared this experience
with a dear friend and she referred me to her doc, who was an incredible guy
and had no problem issuing the prescription.
He was older, so very much outside the main stream of medical care. He retired within a few years and I was
forced to find a new Gyn doc.
Next was my
dentist. Dr. Black was an incredible guy
and I dearly loved him. I didn’t get
much dental care in my youth and by the time I found Dr. Black I required a
bunch of work, so much so that I needed to take out a loan to pay him. Again, late 60’s early 70’s getting a bank
loan on my own as an unmarried, young woman with not much work history, could
be really tough. But somehow, I managed,
got the care I needed and stayed with Dr. Black for years. Even when I lived in Alaska and Guam, I made
trips back to Cincinnati during which I always booked dental appointments. Later on, in that practice Dr. Black
hired a young, new dentist who took over the practice when he retired, so that
was an easy transition. However, now
having been at the same practice for over 60 years, Dr. Jackson is reaching
retirement age and he may well retire before I no longer need his services….sure
hope he handles the transition as Dr. Black did!!
Then there was
my primary care doc, I had been with her over 20 years when one day I got a
letter in the mail letting me know she was switching her practice to a ‘boutique’
practice, you know, that trend where docs require you to pay an annual fee to
be a ‘member’ of that practice. As much
as I loved her, I said ‘Hell No!’ I wasn’t
going to pay an additional $1600/year where she already announced that annual
fee would rise each year for the next 3 years.
That in addition to paying for my J&J retiree medical benefit and
Medicare, nope, wasn’t going to do that.
Time for a new doc. I found one,
but not sure yet that I’m happy.
There is
also my cardio doc. There was a time
when we weren’t sure about the health of my heart. After several tests my cardio doc decided
there wasn’t actually anything physically wrong with my heart, but I was super
sensitive to caffine….he recommended that I cut back on diet Cokes. Yeah, I know, but I am definitely
addicted. I’ve been seeing him one time
per year for a few years now. Recently
got a letter letting me know he has left the practice. Not sure of the reason, but he is gone. So now my primary care will look after my
heart unless something substantial turns up, then I’ll find a new cardio.
From
1989-1992 I was practice manager for a medical group of female docs one of
which was my boss and also my Gyn doc. I
was with her for several years after I left that practice and not to long ago
she retired. During my last visit we
made the decision I no longer needed annual visits with a GYN doc, so, I haven’t
replaced her.
Finally,
there is/was my hematology doc. I have a
rare blood disorder where my platelets need to be monitored. I originally started off with a fantastic
hematologist who I dearly loved. She was
so cool. Very ‘earth mother’ type,
listened extremely well. Then, like
before, I got a letter saying she had left the practice. In her case I learned that she had moved to
North Carolina for family reasons.
The
practice is a very large practice with many docs. The first one assigned to me to replace her,
was a woman, who the minute she walked in the door, I went, hell no. After the first visit I requested a new
doc. Next visit, met with the new doc and he was
something special (not). He didn’t
understand why he was seeing me, said I wasn’t sick, blah, blah, blah. Yes, my condition is mild compared to how it
could be, (there are people who die from it) but I learned early on that I do
have a genetic marker for it, so I definitely have the problem.
What was weird was, I hung in there, and the
next time I saw him, he was a completely different dude, had me laughing, took
time with me, answered my questions, etc.
Next time I saw him, he was back to the first time I saw him. Fourth
time I saw him we got to talking about diet Coke and he cracked that he loves
diet Coke and wants to be embalmed with it.
The last time I saw him, just a few weeks ago, he left me in the exam
room for over an hour, did not check in with me, and at the 1 hour, 20-minute
mark, I got up, went out to the front desk, asked for the practice manager’s
business card and raised a great big fuss.
At this time I don’t plan to go back.
That was the second time he pulled that stunt for what should be a 20-minute
visit. My primary care can do the lab
work and if my platelets get out of control, I’ll find a new hematologist.
I’m guessing
everyone has this problem, especially as we get older. But having been raised by a nurse, and having
very conventional views toward science and medical care, I just wish docs lived
longer and would always be around when I need them.
That makes
sense…..right???!!!
