Doctor appointments

How often I see my doctor is directly related with how well I am doing. When flaring, I would see my doctor every 6-to-8 weeks. When I am doing better but not perfect, 2 times a year. When in a remission, like now, once a year. I'm USA here. My followup after a colonoscopy is often within a week or two of that procedure.

Because I haven't been “squeezed in”.
Thanks for the responses, sounds reasonable.

Than you Sara. Are you also American?

Also, I don't know what it's like in Canada, but oftentimes I have to be a really "squeeky" wheel to get squeezed in here. I'm talking multiple phone calls/emails until someone listens. Lol.

I see my GI once a year but I am supposed to contact her if I have any symptoms in the meantime. Having a GI sharing an office with your GP sounds very convenient to me. The biggest PITA I have is getting the referral renewed by my GP.

Yes Rosie, just Mezavant. Oh and I'm actually in Coquitlam, but my GI is in Vancouver. (I put Vancouver in my signature because no one else would have any idea where or what Coquitlam is!)

Yes ccinpa. I am very upset about not being able to have a discussion face to face.

Today,however, I just left a message telling the office that I have had diarrhea for three days now and could I increase or change something about my meds.
(I was thinking perhaps she would add a pentasa enema or something)

The office secretary just got back to me and I went and picked up a requisition for stool samples, blood work, chest x-ray and TB test.

So I’m glad she’s thorough. I can only guess (from learning stuff at healing well here ) that she is thinking biologics.

The thing is, she doesn’t know that I’m calling diarrhea #6 on the Bristol chart, 2 to 3 times every morning. I think that’s a fairly minor symptom, although I am very fatigued and do need to drink lots of water.

My iron is usually on the low side, and I take iron pills. My last blood test was only two months ago and it was not too bad. So I think my fatigue is from diarrhea, or being off prednisone, or just stressing about all of this too much.

I'm just outside of Toronto and I feel like my GI has no time for me. She schedules my follow ups every 6 months (as I haven't achieved true remission since seeing her 2.5 years ago). I always have to call and leave multiple messages before I hear back from her about issues with meds not working, symptoms changing etc. And often dont hear back from her for over a week. Part of the issue is she only works in her office a couple days/week. Otherwise she's in the hospital performing colonoscopies and whatever else. Her assistant has made comments about her receiving 50 messages within a couple days, so I think she just has too many patients. But I also think that's standard for specialists (at least in Ontario). She squeezed me in once recently and I was so surprised because I didn't know that was even an option.

I haven't been given specific appointments to follow up on colonoscopy results - Just whenever my next scheduled appt is (which could be 4 months away). I've learned to ask my GI lots of questions immediately post colonoscopy when I'm recovering as she gives me the results because I don't know when I'm going to get the chance to do so again.

I'm bad. I'm in remission now for a few years. Have not seen my doctor in a couple of years. I guess next year I'll go and schedule a colonoscopy.

Rosiedays said...
So good that you’re in remission doesn’t sound bad at all!

It's fantastic!

US -- almost all of my doctoring is over the phone/via e-mail. The IBD specialists at Kaiser have a dedicated PharmD they work with. The PharmD is in charge of managing my medication-related labs and e-mails me when I need to get my usual labs done (Imuran, baby) before my next infusion. She will also e-mail me about my results. If there is a concern, she chats with my GI, and she will let me know if I need to follow-up with an extra lab, or my GI will schedule a phone appointment with me to discuss. My GI will e-mail me every 4 months and ask a series of questions to gauge symptoms, unless I e-mail her beforehand with some issues, at which point we typically e-mail or discuss over phone. There is a Physicians Assistant who does an annual check-in with all of us as part of a study. My GI doesn't need to see me unless I need a scope. Actually, I met with my current GI ONCE in person and that was when I moved and had to be assigned a new one, as she wants to meet personally with all new patients. She is out currently on leave, and I'm having some weird issues, so her partner and I met in person to discuss because I had never met him and he will be taking care of me for the next four months. Before that, I met with my prior GI once to discuss some stuff at the outset and for my colonoscopy. *shrug* I think if more doctors did the phone/e-mail thing, they would have a lot more time to deal with patients and could be more responsive.

Rosie, my Dr. Is Dr. Kim in Aldergrove. I have heard of Dr. Chen. Did she start out working with Dr. Pluta?
My former GI Dr. Pluta retired a couple years ago, so there are no GI Dr.s In Abby or Mission, where I live. My GI tried to get me into see a Dr. In Maple Ridge, but he wouldn't take me....said he had too many patients already. 😟