angels or demons...?

[blue_eyed_devil]

I've been noticed a few negative comments about dr's and was wanting to find out more people's opinions about them... The good the bad and the ulgy.

I have a huge passion for medicine, am currently studying to be a nurse and intent on continuing on to become a dr... this is hugely due to my experience of good and bad medical staff. Any comments?

[DeusXM]

The problem is that people expect doctors to know everything. Unfortunately with diabetes, the only way anyone can know 'everything' is to have all that medical training AND have diabetes - and even then they won't know what it's like for you personally.

As with all things, there are good doctors and bad doctors. I've been fortunate in that I've never had a bad doctor. Every doctor I've seen always seems to have a background in diabetes - my GP in Gloucester just happens to specialise in diabetes, my care team at the hospital are pretty good, and when I was at Exeter, my GP's surgery was a diabetes specialist centre and my hospital clinic was part of the largest diabetes research centre in Europe.

I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that the standard of care you get from your doctor is also partially based on your attitude. My attitude has always been 'I'm going to get this problem sorted, with or without your help - but with your help it'll be a lot easier for both of us' and I don't think it's a coincidence that I've always got good care from my team. If you go to a doctor in denial or not taking your condition seriously enough, or not putting in the necessary legwork, you aren't going to get much help back.

[valc3]

I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that the standard of care you get from your doctor is also partially based on your attitude. My attitude has always been 'I'm going to get this problem sorted, with or without your help - but with your help it'll be a lot easier for both of us' and I don't think it's a coincidence that I've always got good care from my team. If you go to a doctor in denial or not taking your condition seriously enough, or not putting in the necessary legwork, you aren't going to get much help back.


My feelings exactly. The level of care you get depends on how much you put into managing your own care.

[JediSkipdogg]

There is alot of negative comments towards doctors. They are for many different reasons and Deus said some of it, but here's my additional reasons...

1) Some kiss up to the insurance companies way to much. Those are the ones that won't write you a prescription for 200 strips a month or more. Heck, some won't do more than 2 times a day. If a patient wants to test more, let them. We aren't talking about narcant or morphine here, we are talking about a test strip, when did someone ever kill themselves from a BG test (please don't research to find one.)

2) If you go to your doctor with knowledge about a better treatment method, they should be willing to listen to you. There are many doctors out there that won't prescribe insulin pumps. Yes, it's costly and it drives insurance rates up, but if someone shows a true want of one, then write the dang script for them, don't send them 4 hours away just for that.

3) Some are a do this, do that type person. They don't care if going from 400 carbs a day to 0 a day is a huge problem, they will fight tooth and nail with you till you do it. While there are others that know that is a huge milestone and will come up with other methods with you to help you get to that level.

I'll think of more and add them later.

[kidvid]

...the bad and the ulgy.

Any comments?

My family doctor was not bright enough to dx my T1 after 3 visits within 4 months. I had previously visited the clinic once very two years. I presented with skin rash, fatigue, extreme thirst, frequent urination, and a case of thrush that wold make you barf. I finally hit the web, researched stuff, bought a BG meter, rescheduled an appt with him, and went in with a meter that was off the scale.

If you enter the medical profession I would advise you to LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN to your patients.

Good Luck!
Joe

[Penny]

My family doctor is a DO. I think he is great, he always listens to me, and is willing to let me try different things. He also sends me to a specialist if it is something he isn't sure he can handle. I have had some arrogant doctors who just assume they are Gods and decree something and expect you to do exactly as they say, no discussion. I always give their plan a try, afterall they are the doctor, but knowing my own body, if it doesn't work, I try to talk to them about it. If they aren't willing to try something else it is time to move on. I have more trouble with the "professionals" my insurance co. makes me deal with....a little knowledge is a dangerous thing! Those people have a problem with listening!

[archimeech]

My family doctor was not bright enough to dx my T1 after 3 visits within 4 months. I had previously visited the clinic once very two years. I presented with skin rash, fatigue, extreme thirst, frequent urination, and a case of thrush that wold make you barf. I finally hit the web, researched stuff, bought a BG meter, rescheduled an appt with him, and went in with a meter that was off the scale.

If you enter the medical profession I would advise you to LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN to your patients.

Good Luck!
Joe

Huh?, what did you say? :D

[Tsukia]

My view on doctors is that there are good and bad just like with everything else. However bad experiences make the comments come out a lot more.
In 6 years I have had 5 doctors.

My origional doctor diagnosed me with type 1 and sent me home to monitor myself for a week. no insulin, no training just go home and monitor my bg for a week. That night I went to play softball after supper and i went from 8 to 24. by the time we got home our answering machine was full. My mom had called her friends from work (she worked at the hospital) to find out what to feed me and word got arround. The hospital was holding a bed for me because I needed training and to learn what I needed to do.
>On a side note this doctors wife almost killed my sister by missing a syst the size of a melon on her overies that the sergon who removed it said had to have been there for three years and my sister had gone in for all the regular check ups the whole time.

Then I had a peditrician assigned to me because I was still classified as a child. He was pretty good but I would ask him a question and he would turn it back on me which kinda pissed me off.

Then I had a femald doctor she was great, one of my favs actualy. but she quit her practice and reffered me to a diabetes specialist. He wasn't that bad but he wasn't that great either.
Then when I got married I switched to my husbands doctor and he is super great. He listens and is really cool about everything.

any how that is my experience with doctors

[spike]

Like every other profession, there are some excellent doctors, many average ones, some mediocre ones, and even some dangerous ones. From my viewpoint, the excellent doctors outweigh the dangerous ones by a wide margin. There are plenty of average & excellent physicians out there--it's just a matter of finding them.

Don't expect to get rich without putting in years and years of hard work and long hours. Even then, it may not be as lucrative as you'd expect. Expect your family life to suffer, due to the demands of the job...

[dgrilli]

Sorry to say but I must live in the worst area for health care. I have a very good caring GP and does what he can but the Endo he sent me too lacked. I have been out of control for months and he runs a Diabetic Center in Johnstown Pa and he only wants to see me once every 6 months. He wanted to diagnose me by just looking at me and just looking at a couple of pages in my Medical Folder.

He got very indignant with me when I told him the very first time I saw him that I had just gotten an insulin pump and wanted to know who ordered that and when I told him he all but called me a LIAR. He wanted to give me Glucophage Extended and send me off. He knew very well that my BG's were still in the 300's. Why wouldn't he of just wrote me a script for my pump? I told him that I was unsatisfied with his advice and he walked away from me like go and get out of here then, I called him back and told him I would accept his script for the oral med. He then took the time to order me a C-Peptide test and Gad65. I posted the results earlier. I then left and got the tests. I had to call his office to get the results from his Nurses two weeks later. Only then did he concede to give me my script for insulin for my Pump (Novolog). This was July 5th I saw him. About July 20th I got my results faxed to me.

I called his office today to request getting some Symlin and I was informed that their office knows nothing about Symlin and only had experience with Byetta. They did state they had some Symlin in the office but had never prescribed it. I want a new Endo This guy was the most arrogant Doctor I have ever met. I believe I would have been dead a month ago if it had not been for getting the Insulin I needed. I didn't know how much more uncontrol my body could take?

This guy wanted to give me Byetta also which I personally think that the only thing I would have gotten from this is nausea. I have read where this stuff is for Type 2's only.

I tested that I did make a little insulin but nowhere near what my body needs to survive also I have tested positive for antibody's that are destroying my beta cells. From these tests I was able to ascertain that I will need to inject insulin for the rest of my life until they come up with a way to replace what I'm missing.

My best advice is to read John Walsh's "Pumping Insulin" 4th Edition and take charge of your own body and learn all that you can.

Also Test, Test, Test keep your results written down. Know what certain foods do to you by keeping a diary.

Also heard that a substance called Ribose can be really good for feeding your body. Anyone hear about this substance Ribose?
Good Luck

[HollyB]

I am not too happy with our family doc -- she works very part time so is hard to get in to see, always in a rush, more interested in her notes that her patients. The first time I took my son to see her (for poison ivy and an ear follow-up) after his diagnosis she did not say one word about his diabetes, not even when I mentioned that we were a bit worried about the poison ivy spreading on his stomach as he was on a pump and was running out of "clear" places for his sets.

On the other hand, our diabetes team has been great, and so was the care we got in the hospital at diagnosis. I like, trust and respect them all -- the doctor (who is a paediatrician, not an endocrinologist, but one of two peds who semi-specialize in diabetes and handle all the d. kids in town), dietitian and nurse. We live in a small town but have been offered right-up-to-date treatment, great pager and email support, and a really flexible, individualized treatment plan. Example: when we asked about a pump, the reply was: "Aaron is obviously an excellent candidate and you've already demonstrated you have the ability to manage it. Just let me know when you're ready." Our appointments take as long as we need, and their rapport with the kids is really good.

To someone considering going into the field I have this to say: we need you! Having health professionals who have both the smarts and the personal skills to connect with patients makes a world of difference. I am so grateful for the support we have received from ours. If I was relying on someone like our family doc for Aaron's care I'd be in despair.

[Cyborg]

IMO, what makes a good doctor is one that works for me. A doctor is essentially another tool for me to use to take care of my health. I enjoy a doctor that answers questions and explains conditions. It is also very important for me to have a doctor that listens. I don't like to wait in the waiting room for an hour and I don't like jumping though hoops to get what I need. A good doctor is not a push-over nor closed-minded and controlling. :itsme:

[Lisa971]

Here is my opinion of the health-care system:

At least in the U.S., it is a profitable business, mostly, and not a facility to actually care for the health of patients. Most clinics, offices, hospitals, etc., are there just to make money -money for the doctors, staff, and equipment and instruments. Although the main goal for these businesses, for the patients, is to treat and in many cases, cure medical problems, it seems that the goal for the system is not so much to benefit the people.

My experience as a patient in many places, have been a waste of time and money. I've had doctors having me coming back to the office for a dry persistent cough, so bad for 5 months that I would gag, vomit, cry, cause a big disturbance, scare everybody, etc., trying to figure out what was going on. I had to do some research and trials on my own to figure out that it was the ACE inhibitor that was causing it, meanwhile taking the meds for acid reflux, allergies, and others. The doctor should have known the very first visit, because I was on the ACE inhibitor, why I had that cough. After taking the other meds for a few moinths and still experiencing the cough, I decided to stop the ACE-inh. and after a week of just that, my problem went away. Later I foundare well-known to cause the cough. out from a friend in P.A. school, that coughs was a well-known side-effect of those types of BP meds.
Did he indeed know that? And just want me to come in for a 1-month follow-up, after filling his RXs? The pharmaceutical rep's can come in, sell their product, and the doc will prescribe it as long as there are no known allergies or countereffects. I think they get some kind of prize, like a spiff or a comission, for prescribing certain drugs.

Once, a worth-less endo- told me that Humalog is supposed to be better than regular humulin (just because he was told that by someone earning his/her living from the sales of these meds). Even after seeing, (or actually I had to try to tell him, because he wasn't even reviewing my glucose readings after trying it for several months) (where was I?) that I actually had better control with the regular -less fluctuation, lower numbers, he insisted that Humalog was better! So maybe it is indeed better in other ways than for blood sugar, but for me, it did not make my life better! He refused to write me a RX for the regular, and my insurance did not even cover the Humalog at that time.

It doesn't matter how it's proven in clinical trials that something works better, and I think that many doctors don't even consider the patient as an individual human, specialized, different from anybody else in some biological ways. Doctors don't have the time to go over the whole history of the patient, and pinpoint every detail about them (who does, anyway, but me for myself?!). But they don't want to listen to the patient, and in most cases, they don't want to treat more than one ailment in one visit, even if both ailments are related, and needed to be tended to in order to diagnose and treat your problem. They often will only take enough time and thought to just treat (write out a RX) one of the symptoms and never get to the root of the problem until you're having to deal with such horrible symptoms, allowing the problem to grow, almost dying, having to go to the ER, being admitted into the hospital because the actual untreated condition has taken it's toll on your body!.

Some people practically worship their doctor, and that's okay if the doctor is not a money lover, or one who gets off being depended on by sick people. Just because a doctor says whatever he says to do, it does not mean that that is the way to go, because they are not always right, they are rather negligent, and many times they give you something that will only make things get worse, bringing you back to the office again and again, so many times, when finally, after they are finished with dealing with you and robbing you, "maybe we should refer you to a specialist (now that you are pretty bad off)..."

Now I know that is not always the case, and there are some who will listen to what you have to say about your symptoms, but I feel that they should listen to everything that the patient is concerned about and bothering them, because there could be that one important part that could characterize a particular problem that may not be found until you are past the point of no return! I know so many people who have the same problems with doctors, doctors who don't want to listen because they already know it all, they learned it in med school, or from the sales rep, or from the conferences that deal with research and so forth.

When I worked at the pharmacy, so many customers would come in with a RX to be filled without even knowing what the med is for, why the doc put them on it, no explanation, and the customer doesn't even seem curious about it. It is up to the pharmacist to 'tell them, I know, but the doctors should have better communication with the patient. And some of them just let the doc run their lives.

It's hard to find a doctor who demonstrates a genuine interest, desire, and compassion for his/her patients and truly tries to get them well. I'm not suggesting that all docs are quacks who really know everything and are hiding it from the patient, telling them what is not true about their medical problems, but many are just not caring enough to really try to better our health. It's mostly about he money.

Many patients go in to see their doc for a check-up/follow-up, but they don't really tell the doctors anything; they just let the doc do the talking, examining. They let the doc be the one in control when it's the patient himself, the one who pays them (think of it as "hiring" the doc) who should have as much involvment and tell the doctor "this is what we need figure out." And I know a lot of times it's that the patient does not know enough and the doctor does need to be the speaker to the patient.

It should be teamwork. By the way, I have found that a doc is onlt as good as his/her staff is also...but I won't go into all of that!!! I went on a tangent here so I'll stop for now, I know this reply is very repetitive and wordy, and wasting a bunch of space here! Huhu. Thanks for reading, even just a portion of it...

[Cyborg]

Deja Vu with regards to the cough. Difference was that I had a good MD that suspected Ace Cough. I still use that doc today as my primary MD. :)

[seacomp]

About half of all doctors are below average.

[blue_eyed_devil]

WOW.

I'm acually really surprised by the response, but it's great. Thanks to those who support my endevours too... and to those who think it affects your personal life, i'm fully aware... You'd be surprised how much of an impact nursing has... But i'm FULLY up for the challenge and going for it none the less.

I think that maybe there is a massive difference between the health care in countries. I know that's an obvious statement, however over here there is ONE endo in my city with about three/four specialist nurses (there are two peads dr's that do diabetes, but they are not really endo's). That's it. He is provided though the hospital and free for the general public. Granted I live in a small city in comparison to cities in other countries.

I agree that you have to go in with the attitude that you have to help yourself, but I am a very stubborn person and if a dr tells me what to do, i tell them where to go. I work most of my diabetes out on my own with support more from my nurse that endo. I don't discuss my diabetes with the GP, only get Rx from him to keep me going between endo visits.

My biggest issue over here is acually how the nurses treat diabetic pt's in hospital, they interfer with control, even if you're in with a broken leg, and have no consideration for the clients own knowledge. They also have no knowledge about pumps - i was once told it would be taken off me if i was admitted... I replied like f*** it would be...

Often people are discouraged from going on pumps here because of the cost. As I've said heaps of times medical insurance doesn't cover (unless you pay though the nose, and i mean that, it's cheaper to pay on your own). There is no subsudy.

Intereating how different all the experiences are. Thanks all for your input.

[JediSkipdogg]

They also have no knowledge about pumps - i was once told it would be taken off me if i was admitted... I replied like f*** it would be...

Just wanted to add that's how it use to be over here till maybe 5 years ago. When I first got my pump I was told to get a medical ID bracelet that says Diabetic - Insulin Pump so the ambulance and hospitals would know what it was. They said back in the day it was standard procedure to remove it. Now, since they are common everywhere over here, that's changed. But we use to be that way with taking them off (you just hoped they didn't misplace it then.)

[Lisa971]

I'm going to go out on a limb though and say that the standard of care you get from your doctor is also partially based on your attitude. My attitude has always been 'I'm going to get this problem sorted, with or without your help - but with your help it'll be a lot easier for both of us' and I don't think it's a coincidence that I've always got good care from my team. If you go to a doctor in denial or not taking your condition seriously enough, or not putting in the necessary legwork, you aren't going to get much help back.

And I agree; people really need to be assertive enough to be able to get out of a visit what they put in. And sometines it is not dependent upon what the patient advocates; it is true that some docs out there are just stubborn a**holes and refuse to hear you. But it does indeed require work on the patients' part. Again, teamwork.

And yes, there needs to be more open-minded and caring health-"care" providers joining the system, instead of greedy medical-"don't-really-care" money-makers. I DON'T MEAN TO BAD-MOUTH ALL OF THOSE IN HEALTH-CARE, so please don't be offened, to anybody who reads this and are considering the profession, or are already in the profession, and realLY are in it because they care about improving our health more than robbing us! Bless all of those who are really dedicated and true to it!

One of my considerations for continuing education besides public health, nutrition, diabetes research, and physical therapy,..... is nursing specializing in diabetes (boy, I have a lot to narrow down!). If I knew I could go back to school while not having to worry about my must-have finances, such as food, med, shelter, comfort (comfort for me is pretty simple, not costly), living a simple life, no extras, no luxuries, etc., then I'd go in a heartbeat even if I'd end up working at less pay than I do now, even if it's just enough to get by and be healthy. It would make me happy if I had a career where I could help people understand more about their health, provide therapy, anything to do to help them feel better, comfort, etc. -while taking care of my own health and well-being, of course. I just wish that more people had that goal, but I understand that everybody has their own reasons and desires in chosing what they do and how they do it. And some may not have much choice.

[sandyhandz]

Hello - I have been a nurse for over 10 years and have worked in a variety of different hospital settings. I have also been a patient many times, working with many different types of doctors. So, excuse me if I feel a bit justified in telling my point of view about doctors.

Doctors are not all the same. It helps to find out where they did their training. The better doctors I have seen are in the bigger university hospitals. But even then, there are crappy doctors that seem to get through the programs.

Overall, I do have a lot of respect for doctors - especially the ones I currently work with. They have a wealth of knowledge and are constantly keeping up to date with new reports about treatments. They work long hours and most of them are very affeable and work well with eachother, patients and nurses.

However, there are some doctors who do not keep up to date. They were taught something a long time ago, from who knows what hospital, and they still practice it today. The biggest problem I find with poor doctors is that they don't listen to the patient. They hear a bit of the problem and just want to treat symptoms without treating a cause. Some have been successfully sued over an issue and will be ridiculously cautious for the rest of their life about it.

Doctors do make mistakes. The best advice I could give anyone about going to a doctor is to be very well educated about your own problems. Patients are generally the most educated about the diseases/conditions they have. Only the patient knows what works and doesn't work as well in their own body.

As far as nursing... if you are serious about going to medical school, I would discourage you from going through nursing school. It will be a waste of your precious time. Only people who can't make it to medical school start out with nursing. In my career I have only met one person who was a nurse before going to med school. Retake some classes and get a job for a year or so as a paramedic. Nursing is a bigger time commitment for school and trust me when I say, if it is med school you are aiming at, you will waste your time with nursing.

I have worked in acute care for my entire career (in hospitals). I started on a surgical floor, went to ICU, travelled around the country as a travelling nurse and have been working as an ER nurse for the past 3 years. As a travelling nurse, I worked in tiny community hospitals and large university hospitals. There is a HUGE difference in doctors depending on the hospital you go to.

Every August, US News and World Reports puts out a list ranking US hospitals. You will find that, depending on whether you live or die in an emergency can very much depend on what type of hospital you end up in. I will vouch first hand for this.

Most of us have had some "bad" experiences with doctors. Poor interpersonal skills are probably mostly to blame for this. Some doctors are self righteous. They will always treat you as an inferior who doesn't know anything. Some will misdiagnose you or prescribe the wrong treatment. Studies have shown that pharmaceutical sales reps wining and dining doctors HAS made a difference in what doctors prescribe. This is very poor practice for doctors to be following - like they're being bought out. You'd be amazed at what sales reps can do for doctors: lunches, dinners, tickets, vacations...

Some doctors are too busy. They simply don't have enough time to spend with each patient. Ditto for nursing. We all have to "perform" a certain amount and it's literally "life over limb" at times, which a patient with a cut on her finger sometimes just can't understand. I've had patients actually say, "let them die! I need help!"

I think medical facilities do the most good for the most number of people that they can do, but they never strive to be perfect. No one has enough time nor money for this type of treatment.

Congrats on your decision to enter the medical profession. You have to be willing to work hard, constantly keep up your education, and really want to work in this field. It's a tough field. As you can see, there's a lot of criticism despite people doing the very best they can. Oh, and I hope you have a strong liver because most medical personnel are lushes!

[blue_eyed_devil]

if you are serious about going to medical school, I would discourage you from going through nursing school. It will be a waste of your precious time. Only people who can't make it to medical school start out with nursing.

Too late! I'm in my final year, in fact final placement of training. State finals and then I'm and RN! I must say i didn't acually have a choice... I dropped out of high school so could not get into med school and decided to do nursing as apposed to doing a bachelor of science. I love it, and don't get me wrong I intend on nursing before I move onto med school.

Also over here you have to volunteer to become a paramedic, the sysem is a bit stupid... you have to voulnteer for years and if they choose to train you you can move though the ranks - at your own cost. It's not quite as simple as that... But there are only two different ambulance services in this country - otherwise I would have gone into that, I did a placement with the ambo and was loving it! But I coun't afford to work the shifts there and not get paid!!!

[trailrunner]

WOW.

I'm acually really surprised by the response, but it's great. Thanks to those who support my endevours too... and to those who think it affects your personal life, i'm fully aware... You'd be surprised how much of an impact nursing has... But i'm FULLY up for the challenge and going for it none the less.


I think that maybe there is a massive difference between the health care in countries. I know that's an obvious statement, however over here there is ONE endo in my city with about three/four specialist nurses (there are two peads dr's that do diabetes, but they are not really endo's). That's it. He is provided though the hospital and free for the general public. Granted I live in a small city in comparison to cities in other countries.

I agree that you have to go in with the attitude that you have to help yourself, but I am a very stubborn person and if a dr tells me what to do, i tell them where to go. I work most of my diabetes out on my own with support more from my nurse that endo. I don't discuss my diabetes with the GP, only get Rx from him to keep me going between endo visits.

My biggest issue over here is acually how the nurses treat diabetic pt's in hospital, they interfer with control, even if you're in with a broken leg, and have no consideration for the clients own knowledge. They also have no knowledge about pumps - i was once told it would be taken off me if i was admitted... I replied like f*** it would be...

Often people are discouraged from going on pumps here because of the cost. As I've said heaps of times medical insurance doesn't cover (unless you pay though the nose, and i mean that, it's cheaper to pay on your own). There is no subsudy.

Intereating how different all the experiences are. Thanks all for your input.
Thank you! Nursing is wonderful and rewarding Job! If it wasn't for my education I probebly would have gone ALOT longer with my symptoms than I did. I diagnosed my self, did my own initial diagnostic tests then went to the endo ( who I love!)for confirmation. I have educated a lot of the newly diagnosed diabetics in my ed. Even though I still have a lot to learn my self

[Simon]

My first GP gave me a referal to a specialist which was great but for the fact I then had to wait 8 weeks to see him with no meds or anything. The clinic is great now I'm there. A very helpful bunch indeed. My new GP is not so good in that he refuses to prescribe more than 2 months worth of meds because he's woried I might sell them! I don't know who to as anyone who needs them here gets them for free anyway. He also insists on doing all the annual checks himself. He claims it's because he's worried about his liability, the clinic think it's because he gets paid more that way. Anyway, having two sets of checks is a right pain. The clinic does a much better job. In addition the clinic will fill in forms for me (for driving licence applications etc) for free but my GP charges an arm and a leg for it. I live in a rural area so don't realy get any choice of GP or I would switch tomorrow.

[gunner]

I had to chuckle when you mentioned a cough from BP meds. My doctors first attempt at controlling my bp was with this type of med. I coughed so bad that it created not one but two double hernias. I had to find out myself that it was the meds causing the coughing (and the coughing caused the hernias). The doctor was willing to change my prescription once I offered the solution. This was before I was d'xed as a diabetic.
Once I was dx'ed I was referred to another dr in the same practice (he was a diabetic specialist, and a type 1). At this point things started looking up. Unfortunately, a year later I had to change doctors as they no longer accepted my insurance. I asked the dr for a referral (with the emphasis that I wanted someone VERY good with diabetics). Again I got a very good dr. When I was dx'ed my A1c was about a 13.5, my last blood test (about 3 months ago) it was a 5.4. I was diagnosed in early 2004 and have been fairly aggressive in keeping up on it.
I have been a little lax lately though on my upkeep, but my dr is always willing to give an informed response to most treatment/therapy questions that I ask about. It's not always elways easy to keep him on point (I think he is as bad as any other dr about rushing from one patient to another), but while I am in his office, I keep him there until my questions are answered. I try not to kills him with questions or inquiries but I deserve my 20 minutes or so.
I really appreciate this forum (owners, admins and forum) and the ressources that have been provided for us. I haven't been on in a while, but thanks to lgvincent I'm back to keep up my continuing education. Keep up the good work!