We hear a lot about doctors on this board. What is your experience with them? +1 for each YES answer -1 for each NO answer 0 if you don't know 1) My doctor was easily available for my first appointment 2) My doctor was easily available for follow-up appointments or phone calls 3) My doctor took the time to listen to everything i had to say and seemed to care 4) My doctor was open-minded and willing to try new things to help me 5) My doctor always seemed to think about what was best for me 6) My doctor was on time for my appointments and didn't make me wait very long 7) My doctor was honest and never pretended to know something she or he didn't know 8) My doctor is well informed about Meniere's Disease 9) My doctor has helpful staff 10) My doctor is always on time with prescriptions, etc.
I'll go first. My first ENT was a -9. Then a neurologist who was -10. Then a neurotologist who was -6. My current primary who scripts my antivirals is +6.
-4 for my ENT -5 for my previous neurotologist I see my new neurotologist on Wednesday, I hope he is in the positive numbers!
I'd give mine a 10. I've been seeing him every 3-4 months since we moved here 3.5 years ago and he's been knowledgeable yet open to trying possible solutions I research (antivirals etc -- though those didn't help me, unfortunately). He spends as much time talking as I feel I need him to, and is very helpful in general. I don't know how much of that is how he is with everyone, or due to the fact I'm married to an ENT (though a different sub-specialty). But he's a good guy.
Yeah, sometimes we got to go through the pile to get the good ones! My current one isn't perfect, but she scripts me Valtrex so i'm not complaining!
Ask a silly question and you will get a silly answer. How long is a piece of string? Meniere’s is idiopathic so no one knows what causes it or what the cure is. It is a non-diagnosis misunderstood by those of us who have it, let alone the medical community who generally view us as “heart sink patients”. Give your doctor a break, and just try to work with him/her to identify your own triggers and palliatives.
My Doctor is the Best!!!! He said when you are sick and tired of it and say UNCLE i will take care of your problem. The best doctors are the ones who are honest and say i do not know what causes this dreaded disease nor do i have any answers but here are your options!!! Enough of the Doctor bashing...........If you do not like your doctor then by all means change or get a 2nd opinion but once you realize there is no known cause or cure for what we have then it becomes easier to accept and move onto other options. It is a choice if you want to live with vertigo ect.....WE DO HAVE OPTIONS. I recommend going to a big teaching hospital as they usually have the best surgeons and up to date on the latest trials ect...
Unfortunately, not everyone has a doctor who is willing to work with them on finding the triggers, etc., as we've seen on this forum many times. Some doctors just blow us off, or snap-diagnose us and then prescribe the usual. And not everyone has the option of changing doctors. There are a lot of insurance plans that won't allow patients to shop around for multiple doctors. Not every doctor or insurance plan will allow surgery. The healthcare system is really not our friend in these situations. It's not just as easy as "1, 2, 3".
I agree and even with the best plan, it is not simple to find just the exact right dr and get them on the right day etc. I have found it was important for me to learn from every doctor i came into contact with. From my eye dr, i learned that if i was going to take acyclovir, it was i perative to spread it out theough the day. He said he used valtrex not because he thought it was better in itself, but because it did not require as much 'patient complaince' as acyclovir in terms of taking it all day long. From my family dr, i got my first chance to try antivirals. She said 'if you want to try it, i will prescribe it', both of us accepting there were no guarantees from the management. Honestly, i started having better interactions with my drs when i was less desperate and had less expectations. Not that i wasnt desperate, i had kind of given up yet was still searching. My first visitto House Ear Clinic, was frustrating as there had been some mixups regarding my expectations and i had flown all the way across the country to get there. But over time, the staff and i quit glaring at one another and things worked out. Getting that perfect dr is part luck and part working for it. But you take the best you can find where you can find it.
Wow I am encouraged by all of the "10" ratings. In general, although the cause of dizziness and vertigo is difficult to identify, I find doctors are almost indifferent to whether you get better. If you get better, that is good, if you don't, that is okay too. I am sure the ones who gave their doctors a "10" are feeling better, the ones that didn't aren't. When you doctor isn't a 10, you either have to go to another or be your own advocate and doctor for them. Interesting list and question though. Good health to all.
Thanks June. I have an appt. with Dr. Loren Bartles on Feb 23. My primary has already ordered an MRI. It's wonderful to have a forum to compare notes with all of you, thanks.
I have been to 5 ents over the years. They arent worth a nickel each. They only care about themselves. Lucky for me I have my family and you folks that have helped me more. Dont let an ent determine your care. Figure it out yourself, you can.