On Tuesday, I received a call from my new doctor to tell me that one of the doctors in her group had a cancellation and I could have my surgery on Thursday.... as in today! I was rather taken back and said I felt it was too soon as long as she felt it wasn't necessary RIGHT NOW! She thankfully agreed and said she too would feel more comfortable if I had the opportunity to have a few exams and meetings with whomever my surgeon would be.
And then I posed a question to her which she kinda of weaseled out of before when I was in her office. "If your sister needed to have this surgery, and you were unavailable, who would you want to operate on her?"
Like the good HMO provider she is, she said that this is a very common procedure and that all of the physicians in the department are very capable and have plenty of experience with this surgery.
This is the exact response I expected but was still a little frustrated. I understand that being a part of this particular HMO that they play as one big team. This is exactly why my parents left this HMO when they were pregnant with me (and my twin who didn't make it), as my mother was 41 at the time. They paid for me out of their own pocket so that they would get the individual attention they felt this high-risk pregnancy deserved.
So then what do I do now? How does one "pick" their doctor/surgeon?
I actually really liked the doctor who saw me in the ER, but he works out of a hospital which is a little further away. Not THAT much further away, but just a little. He and his wife have been through multiple births and miscarriages with fibroids, so he had that personal touch and was able to talk to Eric in a way that he really heard what he had to say.
And then the doctor who I am currently with is nice, is the most requested doctor in her facility and seemed to have a great balance between honesty and bedside manor. I loved that she called me personally to talk to me about the surgery opening, and although she is forced to keep within bureaucratic rules, I still feel a trust with her.
OY!
6 comments:
ACK! Goose indeed! That would have scared the crap out of me. I need a little time to prepare.
I have no idea of how to pick a doctor, but your question was a good one. Too bad the doctor hedged it.
You can call the floor nurses in the OBGYN ward and asked them for their opinion. They know a lot of stuff, and will tell you.
Wow you are a twin, so was my Aunt. I am not a fan of HMOs just like your parents.
Great idea from laluna. My mom was a hospital nurse and she was always able to hand pick her doctors for any procedures. Good luck with the decision.
If you got a good feeling from that doctor who is at the other hospital, you might want to get a sense of "What to do" from the nurses who work with him. Just a thought...
I have no idea if you've had the surgery at this point or not. But whatever has happened please know that you're in my thoughts. Take care of yourself. You'll be fine.
Oh, I don't think I could have jumped in like that, either. Talk about panic!
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