My transplant doctor tells me I need to see a podiatrist. Every diabetic needs to see a podiatrist regularly, an ophthalmologist, an endocrinologist, a you name it, give it a specialty and we need to be there. I'm tired of seeing specialists. What I want is to be a blissfully ignorant completely healthy never needs to see anyone but her comfy little family practice doctor once a year kind of gal. Fat chance.
Not even Fat Chance, No way Jose (which btw is my transplant doctor's name and I so badly wanted to say that when he said "you need to see a podiatrist").
So really the question floating around in my brain today is why even bother with a PCP? I have a doctor for pretty much every system of my body, every appendage, every sub system, every sneeze. I have my endocrinologist, my vitreo-retinal specialist, my cardiologist, my neuro-opthamalmologist, my orthopedic surgeon, my transplant surgeon, my ENT, my oral medicine doctor (what do i call him? i see him for post transplant immunosupression induced mouth ulcers, he's a denitst and an MD all in one but I don't know the name of his specialty, go figure. I affectionately call him Doctor mouth ulcers). So you get my point. by the time I see every other doctor on my vast list my PCP seems well, irrelevant.
Except for one reason. He makes good referrals. He's good at telling me how compicated my medical history is and sending me on my way to someone else, He bows out well. So I keep seeing him about once a year when I need a referal to some other doctor like a podiatrist or when I happen to be between specialty appoinments and need someething like antibiotics for a sinus infection. I wish I could just email him and get what I need but I can't so I go see him, my primary care physician.
When people ask me "who's your pimary care physician?" I always think "Why Dr. transplant of course!" or before transplant "Dr. Endo" but that's not what they want to hear so I say "Dr PCP" and feel like a big fat liar. Because he's not the person that primarily takes care of my health issues. He wouldn't know me as one of his patients if he saw me on the street. The last time I saw him he didn't even recognize me in his office because it had been so long since I'd been there.
I don't want a Dr. Baker ala LIttle House on the Prarie, knows everyones name, an "i delivered your grandmother, I know everyone's family history" kind of doctor. I don't want a friend with a medical degree. I just want someone that isn't afraid of my medical history. Someone that knows where I've been and isn't afraid to suggest an option other then, go see someone else. I think I want super doctor to know all do all, and I know its never going to happen but I can wish right?
I guess there's really no point to me writing this other then to vent the ramblings around in my brain so I can move on and think about calling Dr PCP tomorrow about a podiatrist, after all, he makes good referals...
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