Finding an affordable doctor with a good understanding of FM/CFS. Lost cause?

I've been on a mission to find a doctor with at least somewhat of a decent understanding of FM/CFS and its been a challenge. I'm even willing to sacrifice some to see one of good quality, experience, or competency: Visit another state of the country. Pay out of pocket outside of insurance, and yet I'm still finding it impossible.

I always do lots of research on docs (maybe that's part of my problem) and I always find some reason to be "scared off" from visiting a doc. Could be that it appears they are unaffordible, could be that I'm skeptical of their claims, could be bad reviews, could be they no little to nothing about FM/CFS.

For instance, I heard a very competent doctor speak in a recent chemical sensitivity meeting I went to. He had a lot of knowledge and understanding on how some chemical sensitivities come about. (For instance, why some people can't tolerate caffeine which included himself.) What he was saying was making a lot of sense to me at the time. He's done research on FM/CFS and has even written about the recent studies and findings that many people with FM have small fiber Neuropathy. I liked that he's done lots of research on FM/CFS so I made an appointment to see him. The wait to see him as a new patient is an entire year. That might sound bad to some, but to me its a great sign that people want to go to him; he could be doing something right! He doesn't accept insurance, although he has a medical degree.

But then I did some research and came to find that his medical licence had been revoked years in the past due to prescribing meds in inappropriate ways (For instance giving people with extensive pain more than should be allowed according to a medical review board). I read the report.

This lead me to believe that the reason he started seeing FM/CFS patients in the first place was because after his medical license was revoked, he had to start seeing patients that were willing to pay out of pocket outside of insurance, and so to keep his business going, he began to research fields of study that could still be financially supportive to him and while bypassing insurance. And that means FM/CFS patients and also people that didn't want to use common pharmaceuticals and go more natural or alternative.

I'm happy someone is researching FM/CFS, but now I realize its because he couldn't practice regular medicine. I'm slightly hesitant about seeing a doc who has had his medical licence revoked to begin with. But at the same time, common doctors with medical licences don't know much about FM or CFS, so I suppose there's always some sort of drawback one way or the other.

I wish that I could just search an engine that gave me some sort of list of docs who ACCEPT insurance and also know a little something about FM/CFS.

I'm frustrated. Are the only people who treat and research this illness people outside of the common medical community? It seems that way. The only docs I see who specialize in CFS/FM all seem to be in the alternative field, and they don't take insurance. :(

Sorry for the vent!

Thoughts?

My doctors are affiliated with a medical school nearby. My Internist and Rheumatologist are also board certified and also diplomats. My doctors up north weren't affiliated with a medical school but still were good because they were board certified and diplomats.

If you have a teaching hospital nearby, check there for doctors, too. Look in your Yellow Pages for doctors' ads. They usually list if they are board certified, etc. Then, when you think you have found a god doctor, check their reviews on line. Lastly, ask, before you make an appointment, if they treat fibromyalgia patients.

Sherrine

DXYMOM- I lived in Virginia, near Richmond. My rheumie was at VCU Medical Center, and they were great. The walk-in clinic.