When to Find a New Doctor

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The following is for informational purposes only. For medical advice, please see a medical professional.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Welcome to Staying Alive with Margaret and Susie. Yes, welcome. This is, I would say, in some ways, a continuation of our first episode on advocacy. Because what Susie and I were thinking about is how do we decide when it's time to find a new doctor or not? You know, what if we've tried everything that we suggested in the first episode to have a clear line of communication with our doctor and we're really letting them know what our needs are and openly discussing, and we're not getting a response for whatever reason. Um either the doctor uh isn't listening or we can't reach them or they don't get back to you. They don't get back to you, or um they you know, something goes awry, and then we think, okay, do we need do I need to switch doctors? And how to decide that.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Yeah. I think you know, in my mother's generation, it was sort of like you just listened to the doctor, did what the doctor said, and you and if the doctor was supposed to call you back, you waited. I think our generation is a little different. I know in my with my medical system, I have what's called a portal, and I can communicate with my doctors over the portal, and it works pretty well most of the time. Um, but for some people, that's just not an option. Maybe they don't have a portal or they don't want to do it that way. Um and you know, you just have to decide if your doctor is responding in a way that's that's favorable to you and that you can trust.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

And and to be fair, it's not always on the doctor. It's sometimes the way the system is set up where the doctor works, where um there's not easy technology going on where the doctors are communicating with one another. Because the way our healthcare system is set up right now is that we have one doctor for our eyes, one doctor for our kidneys, one doctor for general, one doctor for our heart, et cetera.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

Or a neurologist or whatever, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Our skin, dermin, yeah. And so uh, and so that, but then everything is supposed to be sort of channeled through our primary care doctor. And gosh, that that that's a lot to keep track of because there could be so many doctors involved at our age, uh, a a different doctor for every system in our body, and and then the uh the primary is kind of the gatekeeper, so to speak, and sometimes the right hand doesn't know what the left hand's doing. And so right, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

I actually switched doctors one time because I didn't feel like that doctor as a gatekeeper was even knowing what was going on with me, you know, and I had something kind of serious and they didn't even address it with me. And I thought, well, you weren't really paying attention, so I found somebody else.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

And also I I sort of believe that at a certain age you need a doctor that's either specializes in gerontology or is an internal medicine doctor because there's a lot of stuff going on with older people.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

Yeah, yeah. Um, with my doctor who's my primary, um, I know she's brilliant, I know she will listen to me, but I can see that she is really overly worked and that it's really hard for her. And so um what I choose to do is schedule appointments with her every four months. I mean, most people wouldn't be willing to do this, but I realize that I need to get in and have a sit-down with her and say, Hey, did you see this in my chart? Did you see that? Because like she doesn't, I know she doesn't have the time to check out everything. Like, hey, did you did you see this other doctor chose to take a look at my my liver? And I've got a really healthy liver, doctor, you know, and so I'm reporting back to her about my body because it's my body, and and she's like, great, you know, and uh I got this test done and that, you know, because different doctors are ordering them and and sometimes it doesn't even go back to the primary unless it's alert, alert, alert.

SPEAKER_02 4:48

This person is or if you don't if you don't have an appointment, they don't have a reason to look at the chart. Yeah, let's face it. I mean, they see people all day long and they've got to look at all the charts for all the people that they see. Yes, you know, so they can't be, you know, they're I don't their patient loads are so that I I don't think they can just look at your stuff every time you do something, you know what I mean? Right, right, right. Yeah, yeah. So I mean, I'm I'm assuming that's it. Personally, that's it. Yeah, I oh you go ahead. No, I I personally wouldn't want to be a doctor in this day and age. I mean, there's so many people and so much paperwork and so much to track and so much technology and so many insurance rules and insurance limitations, and you know, uh and AI, and I mean, I just wouldn't want to go there. I mean, I I bet doctors who are retiring are really glad. Yes, you know, to be getting away from this. It's it's it's hard. It's it's you know, but given that there are times when you might need to find another doctor.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Yes, yeah, and I just want to tell one more story on on that line that you just said that I you know you guys know because I've talked about it, I have this uh rosacea, inflammatory stuff with my skin. And so I I've had dermatologists for years, but dermatology seems to be a department where they funnel through the younger and younger dermatologists, and my original dermatologist now teaches the dermatologist that I go to. And so I have a new young dermatologist, and he's great, but um I don't remember everything they've done in the past. And so I said to him before my last appointment, which was last week, I said, uh, do we need to take get that antibody test on me to make sure I don't have lupus just to rule it out? And and then he wrote me back and he said, I'm so glad you asked me that because it gave me reason to to review all your records on dermatology for the last 20, 20 years to see if we ever did that antibody test to rule out lupus. And sure enough, you had that test three years ago. Well, hey, three years, like I'm not gonna remember that. So, so that was great because I posed the question. It it caused him, this new young dermatologist, to look through 20 years of my records. Wow. So now he knows everything about my skin because I posed the question, you know. So but but but Susie was saying, and we're gonna move on to now. We've tried all this, we've done everything we can. We're thinking maybe it's time to move on. Maybe it's time to move on.

SPEAKER_02 7:37

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's it can be difficult because in some communities people don't have as many options, and some people have insurance limitations.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

Um, it depends on your system. I think there's gonna be some big changes after the first year or in December with some Medicare people. Medicare Advantage, especially Medicare Advantage, Medicare Advantage, but insurance period. I mean, I think it's I think it's gonna be challenging for people.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

So um remember there's open enrollment once a year, which is coming up because maybe if you're a senior, you can change the coming in the in the fall.

SPEAKER_02 8:13

Uh but make sure that the doctor that you want to go to takes the insurance. I know in my community, there's been times when certain practices stop taking XYZ, you know, and they're like, so that means if you're a patient of that, you got to find a different insurance or find a different doctor.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

And that can be really daunting for some people. And so just make sure that if you're gonna switch your provider, your Medicare Part B or your Medicare Advantage plan or whatever, that you can go to the doctor that you want to go to.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

There's that, and then also sometimes you have to consider driving a bit further.

SPEAKER_02 8:53

Right.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Right. I live in in a place where people actually drive for hundreds of miles to come here and see a doctor, and they like plan their summer vacation around it, and and they come here and like and get a rent rental or something for a couple of weeks and do all their stuff in two weeks, and then drive back to the Oregon border when they're when they're done, you know.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

So I think that's true in Seattle too. A lot of people go to Seattle for their medical care from all over the Northwest, but from other places as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Some people our age now are now retiring to other countries and they fly back to the US to get their medical needs met. Oh, that's interesting. Um yeah, so sometimes we need to switch doctors because of a variety of reasons. And we want to support you in doing that if that's what you think is best for you, because when it comes down to it, it's your body, your body, your body. Right. And if you're not our bodies ourselves, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

And if you're not comfortable when you talk to your doctor, if you're feeling like your issues are being dismissed or treated like they're not important. I had to have surgery a couple of years ago, had my gallbladder removed. And I went to a first surgeon I went to said, you can live with an enlarged gallbladder. And I remember thinking, okay. All I remember about him is he was really handsome and he had really fancy shoes. And um, so about three months went on, and I was still really uncomfortable. So I called my gastro doctor back and they recommended somebody else. And this other person spent like 45 minutes to an hour explaining to me why I needed to have my goblet, you know, and it was a really good choice. So I'm I'm I was very happy about it. But you know, the other guy dismissed it like, oh, it's not a big deal.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Yeah. And it was a big deal.

SPEAKER_01 10:54

So and it was. So um hopefully that doesn't happen too often to people. It's it's probably more common that it's just, no, I don't want to take that drug. We have to come up with something else. What are the other options?

SPEAKER_02 11:11

And you always says that?

SPEAKER_01 11:13

The patient says that. And you always want a doctor who, when as the patient, when you say, what are the other there must be some other options. Let's look at it on all sides that they are fully on board with that and willing and and not just making this one dismissive way of looking at it.

SPEAKER_02 11:34

So right, yeah. Nobody wants to be dismissed. You know, you don't want to be treated like what you think about or care about is not important, especially when it comes to your health. Yeah, because that's you know, all it takes is one bad health problem, and that becomes your whole life.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

Right.

SPEAKER_02 11:52

And and you know, you want to stay on top of it.

SPEAKER_01 11:54

Everybody's gonna have something come up in their older years, yeah, you know, and and we are of a generation where we want to be part of the team, you know. Yes, doctor, you are an expert in my body, but this is my body, so I'm an expert too. We are equal experts in certain ways, but I'm coming to you because you have access to the the diagnostic tools that I need to look right at. You have the uh access to getting my blood work done, you have access to collecting all the information, and you're gonna tell me what you think is best, and then we'll decide together. And if there's a doctor who who won't help let us be part of the team for our own body, uh that's yeah, that's not gonna work for Susie and I, that's for sure. Like yeah, it might have been okay for our parents. So anyway, I think we're start I'm starting to repeat myself.

SPEAKER_02 12:49

I don't know, but yeah, I think this is good. I think you know, just just stand up for yourself. That's nice, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:57

And then if that doesn't work out, you know you need a new doctor. Yeah, okay, so okay, my dear. Uh well, we're gonna leave it there.

SPEAKER_02 13:05

So be sure and like and subscribe. Yes, yes, um till next time. Okay, and we are staying alive.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

You've been listening to Staying Alive with Margaret and Susie. This show is hosted by Margaret Cooley and Susie Hymas. To subscribe to our show, leave a comment or ask a question, please visit staying alive with margaretandsus.com. Our podcast is available on all major podcast platforms. If you've enjoyed our program, please feel free to leave us a five star review. Thanks for listening.