Tuesday, September 28, 2010

It's who you know, after all.

I'm one of the lucky ones (take that statement as you wish), that is fortunate enough to be in tune with my health, and has gone well out of the general powers that be, to create an unusually complex and thorough medical team of specialists, doctors, dentists and hospitals for myself. Not to push an elbow into his side or anything, but you can compare this with my husband, Matt, who hasn't even seen a regular MD or DDS for a check up or cleaning for, well, since I've known him actually. But I don't want to get started on that.

My point here is that this group of people are all interconnected by me, as their patient. They all correspond, all compare notes, and all work as a team to provide me with the utmost medical care possible, which I believe is saving my life. I'm not trying to kiss any ass here, but it's kind of a cry to people out there, whoever one day may stumble upon this maybe long lived, maybe short, blog, to take a full fledged interest in your health and go seek specialists in different fields if you have even the slightest inkling that something may be even a little bit not right. If you have found yourself a good doctor, they will want to work with your existing doctors to provide you the best care possible. Regardless if they share hospital affiliation, degrees or friends.

My doctors know me on a first name basis, as do their entire staff. Dr. Weingarten, my pain management doctor, and his associate Lou Malesardi know me by just Miranda, and could probably recite my chart verbatim if the need was there. And they see hundreds of patients. I know my specific medical biller in their office, as well as the lovely Marissa who books special procedures and god knows what else, Carolina, the most lovely office worker ever, the office manager, Robin, whom I have her private number on my speed dial, and that is just the beginning. This one office alone has done so much for me in the past, helping me to get through so much suffering that was caused by my spinal problems that I really do know that I couldn't have made it this far without them working with me. Not long ago, Dr. Lou, for the second time, got on the phone with my psychologist, Dr.DeSarbo, who was rxing me Chantix, to stop smoking, and my amazing pharmacist, Harvey Staub of Diamond Drugs, and figured out that the new medication was interacting with the opiate pain killers i was taking and metabolizing them too quickly, sending me into severe withdrawals. Dr.Lou, and Harvey didnt have to do this, it really wasnt their problem, but as always, they went out of their way to help. And that is just one example of my over ten specialists, working together to better my health and make my misery a little less.

I know there will be so many more stories of the kindness of my doctors in the near future. I know I'll here another collaboration story tomorrow when I see Dr. Cohen, my rheumatoligist, who I know was on the phone with my new oncologist yesterday for a while, who will soon be in contact with my PCP Dr Kanterman, who initially sent me to Dr. Cohen when he found the abnormal blood work, that was provoked by my gyno, Dr. Cucco, because I had lost my menses months and months ago.

It's so important to be an advocate for yourself with your healthcare, no matter how healthy you seem to be, or even feel. Again, I felt just lovely a few months ago and now my spleen is on the brink of rupture. You never know. Get started, seek out specialists, and get your doctors in touch with one another. Having doctors advocate for you is even more important than speaking up for yourself, they have some major pull, and it really is all about who you know, after all.

No comments:

Post a Comment