Posted by Penny on October 20, 2003, at 14:37:45
In reply to Re: well, saw my pdoc... » Penny, posted by Dinah on October 20, 2003, at 13:26:20
I was on a med cocktail in the spring that appeared to be working well, but my doc and I fiddled a bit with the meds (dropped Provigil, started Adderall XR) to see if I could get past the 'feeling tired all the time' problem - and, instead, I headed downhill again into a major depression, which culminated with my being in the hospital for a week. Of course, there's also the chance that it wasn't the meds that caused the crash, but the change in seasons. Who knows? But I've not been doing well ever since, and I was taking so much that I didn't know what was of benefit and what wasn't. So, with his agreement, I began weaning off of them, so I could see what was doing what. And what I discovered was that I didn't really feel a great deal better, but I certainly didn't feel any worse. But week before last I felt pretty good, and he's attributing that to the low dose of Lamictal, but I disagree. I'm hesitant to start it up again. I just don't know.
>I think I like your pdoc. Mine is a blank slate who really doesn't spend much time with me. I like him because he doesn't scare me like my last pdoc, but I don't tell him very much. If I suggest a med he'll go along with it usually. And he doesn't get mad when I hate them and stop them. So I guess he's good enough.
But yours sounds really great (as a pdoc, not necessarily a dad).
By the way, my therapist makes a great therapist/mom. But I think I wouldn't like him as a real mom.
I LOVE my pdoc (not in THAT way!). He's just been a God-send, seriously. My first two pdocs were terrible. The first just sat there with his legs crossed taking notes and saying "mmm hmmm" and the second would lean back in his chair and FALL ASLEEP - I later found out he had narcolepsy, but he never let me know. And he never asked me, not once, if I was feeling suicidal. And then he decided I needed ECT, even tho' I had only been on about 4 different meds at that point, and no combos.So, I decided I needed a new doc. And I found mine while looking for a woman pdoc (there were only a couple in my area and they couldn't see me). I was on 80 mgs of Paxil with no refills, my former pdoc wouldn't return my calls, and I was suicidal - so I called my current doc's clinic and said, "Can you see me any sooner than next week?" and the receptionist said, "Can you be here at 8 in the morning?" and, of course I said yes.
I showed up there at 8 a.m., and they gave me different psych tests on paper, and then they took me in an examining room - like at a *real* doc's office :-) - and he came in - no suit, just khakis and a button-front shirt with his sleeves rolled up, and a stethoscope around his neck. And he did a mini-physical and neurological exam, and then he took me in his office to talk to me and went through my tests and explained to me why the Paxil wasn't working, and so on. It was just so unlike what I had experienced - I was amazed that he knew so much about the meds and about the brain...
And at some point (don't remember if it was my first visit or not) he ran bloodwork on me. They had a lab in their office.
And before he started me on Geodon, he had his nurse run an EKG - they actually had the machine in their office too.
Anyway - he's *technically* a neuropsychiatrist, and did research in molecular genetics after college. Still keeps up on the research in that area. And he's taken it upon himself to fix all of my health problems - headaches, thyroid, anemia, sleep problems, depression & anxiety, etc. He's talked to my gp, he recommended my therapist when I moved, etc.
He sets his appointments for 45 minute increments. Though I rarely spend less than an hour with him. And he's been seeing me as his last patient on Friday nights - sometimes he's there with me until 9 p.m. And we talk about general stuff - he really knows what's going on with me. I've told him about my family stuff, and about my issues with men, and so on. And I know about him too - about his parents and his children and his dogs, cats and horses. I think he works too much, but I'm glad he's available to me. He really goes above and beyond the call of duty to help me - all of his patients have his pager number, and he will get back with you immediately if it's an emergency. And he knows I can't afford to see him weekly at what I'm supposed to pay him, so I pay him $5 and he writes the rest of my copay off. And he knew I couldn't afford all the meds I was on, so he'd been supplying me with samples for most things for nearly as long as I've been seeing him.
Sorry for going on and on - I'm sure that's more than you wanted to know. I just think he is fantastic. Can't help it.
P
poster:Penny
thread:269640
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20031011/msgs/271156.html