Relationship with your doctor

[Ragtime Gal]

I have to say, I'm jealous of all you guys that talk about how shocked your doctor was, etc.

I don't see the doctor very often, but when I did see him, he doesn't know me well enough to even have realized that I lost weight. Even after they weighed me, I don't think he even looked back to see what I used to weigh!

Sharon

[spirittalker]

me too sharon, I am currently looking for a new doctor but I really have no idea how to find a good one.

[Effie]

Same here. I don't think I've ever seen the same doctor twice. Between switching insurance companies, and having a random nurse practitioner see me every other visit, I've never gotten to know a doctor. I currently don't have health insurance, so I'm jealous of anyone who has a doctor!!

[wannabethintoo]

I have a planters wart on the bottom on my foot so I've been seeing my doctor once a month for the last year and a half for treatment. I'll probably lose all my weight before I get rid of this wart. :sadblinky

[jroche5998]

The best way to find a good doctor is ask a nurse. My wife is a nurse and if I need to see a specialist I ask her who's good. Also ask any doctors you might know. They know who the good ones are, But nurses will know who has better bedside manners and such.

We're very lucky to have great doctors. My wife saw her podiatrist in the hospital last week and he asked her how the cyst in her left foot was feeling. She couldn't believe he even remembered which foot (it had been over a year since he saw her). I know this is an extreme example, but there are very good doctors out there. There is no need to be with a crappy one.

[not2late]

I work in a doctor's office, so I know the "scoop" on most of the doctors in my area.

It is sad that so many doctors offices are like Burger King---come in, get your stuff, and get out. I've worked in "mills" before and I can't stand it. I also think you don't get really good care in a place where 1 doctor has to see 20-30 patients per hour. Lots of reasons for this, but the biggest reason is lousy reimbursement rates HMOs, PPOs, and some insurance companies (*cough* Medicaid/ Medicare *cough*) have. Some physicians offices barely break even financially, year to year. The salary figures for physicians aren't well explained---the majority of that money goes back into their practices ( rent, taxes, office overhead, office supplies, malpractice insurance, etc.) and salaries for employees. In reality, many physicians offices are small businesses, like single owner bike shops or bookstores. So they face similar small business related problems. I know that after the medical malpractice insurance premiums increased in my state last year, many older doctors retired, leaving alot of office staff (secretaries, nurses, etc.) jobless. Other practices "downsized" to save money to pay for those premiums, so there were many office staffers who were jobless last year.

The place I work at is relatively laid back. The docs like to spend time with their patients. Occasionally, we do get people who want their entire visit to be 4 minutes. But the majority of our patients here like that the docs don't rush through their visits and actually spend time with them.

[tickletussler]

I've got a really really cute doctor, and around my age I'd expect. Problem is, everytime I go there, he asks me why I'm doing Atkins, that I shouldn't do it long term blah blah blah ... he even refused to let me do another bloodwork 3 months after the first one I did when I started Atkins! So I had to go to another doctor to get the slip to do the bloodtest, just to show the cute doctor that my cholesterol has improved!!!

[Mary-chan]

I've sure been having a hard time finding a doctor that doesn't look at me like I'm some sort of freak of nature! Last doctor I went to was SO rude to me and asked how I got to be "SO large?" (with incredulity in his voice). I had come to ask about the possibility of weight loss surgery, and he wouldn't even listen me, and just told me I had to eat less and exercise more. (Because yes, it's that simple *rollseyes*.)... At that point in my life, I really only ate one meal a day and wasn't gaining, just wasn't losing either.., it's not like I was cowing down... I told him this, and he said "... that's what they all say"... (!!)

I didn't realize how mad I was about it till I got home, and so then I called the office to talk to him, and told him I hope he treats his next overweight patients with a little bit more respect and that he wasn't the least bit helpful. In his credit, he did apologize and seemed sincere, but of course, it still pisses me off.

I might as well not even have health insurance, because ever since that visit, I've decided not to go to the doctors until I lose significant weight, unless it's an absolute emergency.

[ttdriver]

I got me a winner!

Not only does he believe in Atkins and practice it himself, he also counsels patients for weight loss with low-carbing!!

HE ROCKS!

Betty

[carbcounter999]

I go to a clinic at my University and have had the worst experience there. One of the dr's, who I always seem to get, was amazingly rude last time I had a physical (before I started Atkins a second time). She started the whole process by asking me "so, when are you going to lose weight? Before you have a heart attack, which could happen any day?" She also told me that she "knew" my bloodwork would come back saying that I had super high cholesterol and was most likely diabetic so I should come back in to review the results and get the meds I would have to be on for the rest of my life. I happened to get another dr when I went to review my bloodwork, and all my stats were normal! In fact, they were even better than they had been 5 years ago. The first dr was the same one who told me I had to eat more than hamburgers and french fries when I had some stomach problems (I've had problems wih my stomach for a long time - they go away on Atkins). She didn't ask me anything about my eating habits so didn't know I wasn't eating red meat at the time. The expletives I'm not writing down could fill this page!

[matawguro]

My doctor's attitude towards Atkins is "I think there's something to it." In other words, while he's not entirely convinced, he's open minded about it. Also, the fact that I lost weight and my blood work improved (except for the uric acid), he's been supportive of my being on this WoE.

[DebbieY]

In the beginning I didn't like my doctor. I remember several years ago, before my daughter was born, I gained about weight rather quickly and was a bit nervous about it since nothing changed in my routine and eating habits. (At least nothing that I noticed.) I went to the doctor and asked if he could check things out since I hit 180 pounds and it made me nervous. Also, growing up I had the best stomach and it was worrying me that all of the weight seemed to be focusing on my stomach. He told me that I'm getting older (23 at the time, if I'm not mistaken) and that I'm eating more. I told him that I wasn't eating more and he made the comment, "Oh then gremlins are throwing food in your mouth while you're sleeping." When he was making his analysis on his tape recorder, you can here me in the background correcting him. (Oh yeah, and he's like 400 pounds!)

Oh a couple years ago, when I had to go to the doctor's since I had pink eye, he made another comment (which although it was true, it was quite without tact.) He said "Congratulations. You are now morbidly obese."

BUT, I do have to say that when you lose weight you feel like a champ walking out of the doctor's office. He just continues to praise you.

My husband asked the doctor what he thought about Atkins and he told my husband that since we are both still relatively young with no underlying health risks that he can determine, he sees no reason why we shouldn't continue with Atkins.

I'm wondering how my next appointment will be. Since as of today, I have lost 47 pounds and I'm so hoping that I'll reach or pass my goal by the end of the year.

[Moochiecat]

Maybe the doctors hope to shock a person into taking weight loss seriously when they say such rude things. You have to figure that they see many overweight people in a day, and they know that a lot of the ailments would be very much relieved if a person lost weight, so it's got to be really frustrating for them to beat that dead horse over and over.

I have run into my share of doctors that have lost their bedside manners, mind you, and it's an awful feeling to leave the doctors office feeling small.

When my doctor (whom I love to bits!!) indifferently shrugged his shoulders when I said "No, I don't want to spend the $$ on a diet book." it made me SO mad at him!! That anger turned into "Uh...well...gee...I guess it is my responsibility after all, and perhaps I should shell out $$ for a book and read the darn thing."

That was my lightbulb moment, and I credit my success on Atkins to my doctor shrugging his shoulders...lol

[carbcounter999]

Maybe the doctors hope to shock a person into taking weight loss seriously when they say such rude things. You have to figure that they see many overweight people in a day, and they know that a lot of the ailments would be very much relieved if a person lost weight, so it's got to be really frustrating for them to beat that dead horse over and over.

I think that's true, but shame don't cause change. It is one of the least motivating factors out there.

[Bugaboo]

I think Moochie was talking about the shock value not shame. (Forgive me if I'm wrong Moochie)

My doctor hasn't said anything negative about me being on Atkins. He checks my blood all the time but he was doing that before anyway. He's never really endorsed or said he thought it was o.k, he's just been happy that I lost the weight and kept it off. Whatever his personal feelings I think he just wants me to keep going because it works and I'm not having any problems because of it.