Hey Pam, my PCP is an internest as well as my gastroenterologist. I really like my PCP as I have been with her right at two years. One smart lady too, knows her stuff. The only draw back is she decided she needed more time with her 8 yr old which I understand, and went into a large group practice. She has reduced her work days to 3 days a week. This larger group does offer much more than when she was solo. She has 2 drs out of the group that I have their names if I need to be seen she suggests one of the two-said they practice very much like her. Of course my gastro has been a life saver more ways that one. He helped me on alot of things that the old PCP missed.
I do hope you will check with a hospital in your area and see if you can get the names of some internest to call. You need one so that if you got sick you would have someone to call for help. If I were you, once I got some names of some drs, I would sit down & compile a short list of questions to ask about the dr before ever making an appt to go see him/her. Also, get online and pull up internests in your area, there are many ways of tracking them down. lol Narrow your list down and and make an appt & do a meet & greet.
I still feel like doo doo and wishing my antibioitc would hurry up & kick in. I went down to pick up my new script the nurse said she was calling in yesterday and there was no script there for me to pick up. I have no clue what happened, because when I told her what I needed she took the info down and said when he is finished with his patient I will take your chart to him and let you know. So, a bit later she called and said he ok'd it and she needed the phone number to my pharmacy. So, either something happened in the office that diverted her attention or else she forgot to call it in. So, after my pump refill Monday morning I will be calling her to find out where she called my medicine in at.lol. Sure was not at my pharmacy.
So now the husband is having himself a fit because he has what I got. He rarely gets sick and its a good thing because its the end of the world nearly. People that rarely get sick just don't know how to handle it, lol. at least he doesn't. He gets one cold a year for about 5 days and then he is done.
Well you made a very good point about not looking sick or in pain when you see a dr. Oh, have you ever hit it square on the head. If we go in with some makeup on, hair fixed, not sporting the Don King look, and clean pressed clothes on, we don't look like we belong there. But, if you have a good dr that really knows you, they know this is your diversion tactic so to speak. My psychologist and I spoke about this very subject. She encourages her lady patients to do this if at all possible to get up and do what we call making ourselves presentable every day. She says that just doing those little things can really help us feel better about ourselves. I do know if I am done up for the day and this does not happen for me very much, but if I am done up as I call it I have the tendancy to get out of the house. Even if its only to go walk around Target or Wallyworld. But, I am more likely to get out of here maybe for an an our or so. On the other hand the drs may interpret this as nothing being wrong with the person either. My drs all know that I do this alot just to help with the depression part and trying to get myself out of the house. I also know some women will not leave their home w/o hair & makeup done.
If I think of some more ways to find you a dr I will post it here. Oh, yes, when calling the hospital referral line, ask if they have on staff a patient advocate person. Not all hospitals have them. These people are a wealth of info when it comes to good drs/bad drs. Have to keep thinking here,lol...Susie