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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by fallsfall on December 2, 2004, at 14:12:02
I found out recently that my GP has resigned from his practice. He started the practice about 4 years ago, and has a nurse practitioner working with him. I guess that the hospital bought the practice from him - they took over the billing etc. His resignation was very sudden, and when I asked where he had gone I was told that they didn't know. That a couple of other doctors would be filling in until they added someone on fulltime.
I've been seeing him for 13 years. He was the one who originally diagnosed my depression. He sent me to my first therapist. I've seen him in 5 different offices (3 different practices) over the years. I follow him around because I really, really like him.
I'm guessing that he and the hospital had a "disagreement" about how something was to be done, and he quit (or was asked to leave). He doesn't always play well with others (doctors) because he believes strongly in what he should do, and isn't very flexible about following office "rules".
I've searched for him on the internet, but the only info there is about where he used to be. I had an appointment with my pdoc yesterday. My GP told me (long ago) that he was a patient of my pdoc at one point for *his* depression. The first thing my pdoc asked in my appointment was whether I knew what was going on with my GP. I was planning on bringing it up anyway. Pdoc had heard that GP had left from other patients. I told Pdoc that I wanted to follow GP wherever he went. We discussed whether Pdoc could call GP to see how he was, but Pdoc wasn't comfortable with that. Pdoc occasionally sees him out at his church, but hadn't since the resignation, and said that he couldn't tell GP that I wanted to see him. But Pdoc suggested that I mail a letter to the hospital and ask them to forward it to GP. We both knew what town he lives in, and Pdoc actually told me what section of the town he thinks GP lives in, based on things that GP has told him in the past. Something about "You know where Route X is? It goes past that reservoir. He said something about going down a hill and his house was near the reservoir." Pdoc is volunteering this information to the patient who did internet searches and freaked out Old Therapist (whose office is across the hall from his...). I said that I might also send a letter to him with no street address in the town (it is a fairly small town and he has an unusual name), and see if that could get to him, too. So now I have a mission.
I went to the receptionist to make a new appointment and the phone rang. She answered it and is was friendly on the phone "How was your vacation? Yes, everything is fine here..." Turns out it was Old Therapist on the phone. So the phone got passed around to the people in the office. I wanted to say "Tell her I'm here, and I'm doing better, and I don't have to come back for 2 months!!!", but I didn't.
When I left the office, I decided to drive down Route X to see if I could find GP's house so I could put an address on the envelope. I crossed the town line from the town he lives in, and realized that Old Therapist's road was right there. I knew her address because I searched until I found it, but I never drove by (it is a very small deadend street). So here I am stalking my GP (with my Pdoc's blessing??), and driving past her road, and *I know that she is home (because she just called the office)*. How wierd. I did NOT drive past her house, but boy did I feel guilty about thinking about that, and about stalking GP (though I really know that I'm not doing anything wrong).
I didn't find his house, nor an area that really fit the description. But it may be on a street that is off of Route X. So I checked the maps for possibilities. My letter to him starts of with: "First, please know that I have no desire to invade your privacy. If you would prefer that I never contact you again, I will certainly honor that request."
I think I'll mail the letters today.
Just had to get this off my chest...
Posted by Skittles on December 2, 2004, at 16:06:19
In reply to Driving by (novel length), posted by fallsfall on December 2, 2004, at 14:12:02
Have you checked with your state's licensing board for medical doctors? In my state, there is a searchable directory online and each listing provides the location where the doctor is currently in practice. Also, some counties here have same kind of online directory for property record information. It might be a way for you to find his address if all other options fail. I don't know how comfortable you'd feel with that though, or if you'd even see it as a possible option.
Posted by Poet on December 2, 2004, at 16:57:00
In reply to Driving by (novel length), posted by fallsfall on December 2, 2004, at 14:12:02
Hi Fallsfall,
I like the two letter approach it doubles your chances of one of them reaching him.
If you haven't already sent the one to the hospital, write personal on it. Then hopefully someone won't open his mail, but will actually forward it.
Good luck tracking your GP down and I hope he's opening up a new practice soon.
Poet
Posted by Shortelise on December 2, 2004, at 18:07:27
In reply to Driving by (novel length), posted by fallsfall on December 2, 2004, at 14:12:02
It sounds to me like you're being respectful of your doc.
My family doc retired two years ago, and when I heard (his daughter is a friend of mine and happened to mention it) I burst into tears. (Man was that embarrassing!!) He'd been my doc for 16 years, and I trusted him.
Luckily, I am able to be friends with him - he, my husband and I have dinner, etc.
We do the transference thing with all our docs, I think - this according to my family doc. They know this. But that trust thing is so important to me.
I hope you'll track your doc down, find out if he has a new office, and let him know you care about him.
And by the way, good for you for not driving by your old T's house. I'm not a believer in the sin of thought, so I'd hope you'd let go of any guilt for hvaing the idea.
Hugs,
ShortE
Posted by Daisym on December 2, 2004, at 19:02:18
In reply to Driving by (novel length), posted by fallsfall on December 2, 2004, at 14:12:02
Sounds like a series of things that set you up to have a sudden urge drive by. Especially having her call the office right when you were standing there. After all, she was your therapist for a long, long time. And that leaves indelible marks. You resisted the urge, it was only a thought, don't feel guilty. But I bet it brought up a ton of bitter-sweet feelings, which can be so depressing. Are you OK today?
As far as looking for your GP, I think it is human to be curious and take on a challenge. I know you have a long term relationship and would miss him if he completely disappeared. I hope the letters find him well and on a beach somewhere, planning the decore for his new office, which of course would be open right after the Holidays.
(((Falls)))
Hang in there.
Daisy
Posted by Aphrodite on December 2, 2004, at 19:46:03
In reply to Driving by (novel length), posted by fallsfall on December 2, 2004, at 14:12:02
I had a GP from the time I was 16, and I followed him all over the city. He was cool; he was unorthodox; he left the profession. Sigh. It was a heartbreaking loss ten years later when he quit. I tried to locate him once -- he had become an organic farmer. (So like him!) I sent him a letter telling him how much he had meant to me. I'm so glad I did -- he sent a wonderful reply that gave me the closure I needed.
It's only natural that you want to know what is going on. These caretakers in our life mean so much to us.
Posted by alexandra_k on December 3, 2004, at 0:39:47
In reply to Re: Driving by (novel length) » fallsfall, posted by Aphrodite on December 2, 2004, at 19:46:03
Yeah, I hope that you manage to get a letter (or two!) to him.
I think that he will be extremely flattered to think that he means so much to you.
But good GP's, P-docs, and T's are hard to find.
I found out the current email address of my old p-doc. I sent him an email and said that it was okay for him to foward my email to my current p-doc (and provided his email address). I also said that he was welcome to send a response to me via my new p-doc but that if I didn't get a response then I wouldn't email him again. He hasn't replied yet, and I don't think that he will to tell you the truth. But I think that they may be flattered that we care, and appreciate the respectful manner in which we go about it.
Posted by fallsfall on December 16, 2004, at 18:29:02
In reply to Driving by (novel length), posted by fallsfall on December 2, 2004, at 14:12:02
I sent my GP two letters - one to the hospital he used to work at (with "Please Forward - private and confidential" on the envelope), and one to just the town. The town one came back - insufficient address. The hospital one has not come back. Yesterday I went to see his ex-partner (since my appointment with him was cancelled due to his resignation). She is nice and competent and I do like her - but she isn't *him*. We had a good appointment - talked about cholesterol and blood pressure.
When we were done I asked where he was. She said that he was still in the area. That he was "OK". That "life happened". That she thought that he would be reestablishing a practice - I asked "2 months or 2 years?". She guesses February or March or so. I asked if I could send him a letter, and she thought that would be fine. So I gave her a copy of the letter in a stamped envelope and she will put the address on it and mail it for me.
So I feel a little better about it now. I'll feel even better if he writes back to me!
Posted by Aphrodite on December 16, 2004, at 19:22:40
In reply to Finding my lost GP, posted by fallsfall on December 16, 2004, at 18:29:02
Oh, that is good news! Maybe he will be back soon! If he is going to reestablish his practice, perhaps he will write back in order to reconnect with past patients.
Are you feeling hopeful?
Posted by gardenergirl on December 16, 2004, at 19:34:30
In reply to Re: Finding my lost GP » fallsfall, posted by Aphrodite on December 16, 2004, at 19:22:40
How cool! Persistence pays off!
gg
Posted by fallsfall on December 16, 2004, at 19:57:07
In reply to Re: Finding my lost GP » fallsfall, posted by Aphrodite on December 16, 2004, at 19:22:40
Yes! She sounded like she expected him to end up somewhere local, and that they would be contacting his patients (but I want to get on the special "Contact these patients first!" list).
This is the end of the thread.
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