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Neurologist and treatment style
Do you prefer that a neurologist or MDS treats you as a partner with a give and take attitude or a paternal type who is more authoritative?
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13 Replies
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I definitely want a partner when it comes to my health care. I don’t like it at all when a doctor thinks I don’t know anything or haven’t done any research. I’ve found that many times I’m more informed and knowledgeable on certain approaches than my doctor!
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i agree with you. I dont like doctors who have a “God complex”. When I had a lump on my thyroid years ago, I went to 3 doctors and they all wanted to cut it out. i finally found a doctor who agreed not to take it out and gave me an alternate plan that i could work with. that was 14 years ago and i still have my thryoid 🙂 I truly believe we know our bodies best and that we need to educate ourselves about our health issues.
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I couldn’t agree with you more, Jean. (And thank goodness you were able to save your thyroid!)
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Definitely a partner. I dealt with plenty of doctors with my bad hip who treated me like I didn’t know anything. When my wife and I started asking questions because we did educate ourselves then the doctor treated us like troublemakers because we didn’t worship the ground they walked on. Of course the worst doctors are the ones who work for worker’s compensation. I won’t say anymore. As far as my neurologist goes I like the PA better than the neurologist because she treats you like a partner in your health, the neurologist not so much. I live in a small town however and don’t have much choice.
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Hi Chris
I think it is great when a doctor is happy that patients educate themselves.
i like the pa’s I have come across. It seems like they are not as burned out as the doctors..
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Hi Chris
I think it is great when a doctor is happy that patients educate themselves.
i like the pa’s I have come across. It seems like they are not as burned out as the doctors..
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I far prefer my PA, too, Chris. I’d be happy to have her as my primary PD professional rather than my neurologist, as the PA treats me more like a partner and the doctor comes across more of an “authority figure.”
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I’m fortunate in that both my GP and neurologist encourage me to find out as much as I can about the disease and welcome any questions I may have. One example is that I was having trouble with Restless Legs Syndrome and, from what I had read online, it seemed that pramipexol (Mirapexin) might be helpful. I emailed this request to my neurologist and he went ahead and added it to my prescription without my even having to go in for an appointment. And, as it happens, it turned out to be effective; my RLS has improved greatly.
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Mine are open as well, Lou. I inquired about speech therapy at my last appointment and the PA thought that was a great idea and prescribed it. Sometimes, though, I feel as if we have to do a ton of research on our own to come up with suggestions. I suppose that’s good in a way, as it puts us more in charge of our treatment and options. On the other hand, it takes a lot of time and effort to do that, and not all people with PD may be able to do research on their own behalf.
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Lou, that is great that u didn’t have to go in for an appt. I think some doctors in USA are starved for revenue sometimes and require us to sked an appt.
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Lou, that is great that u didn’t have to go in for an appt. I think some doctors in USA are starved for revenue sometimes and require us to sked an appt.
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Personally, I don’t care much about my Dr’s personality as long as he stays on top of current research etc.
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michael, yes, being on top of current research is very important.
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