the new doctor

Yesterday I bit the bullet and went to a real doctor, not the doc-in-a-box. Hopefully this will work out well. We seemed to be on the same page yesterday, but it was an initial visit so things can change.

I've been doing research for awhile on doctors. I didn't want a pill-pusher. The pharmaceutical industry is rich enough without my money, thank you.

I discovered this doctor during a conversation at a bar. Who knew? I did some research on the net and found this on her LV hospital page: "Medicine is not an exact science, I am open to learning from my patients. I want to know everything about my patients, and I let them know where I'm coming from. All of our decisions are a negotiation. I want my patients to feel like they are also in charge." Amen.

I have to tell you my first impression wasn't good. Sunday I got a robot-call to confirm my appointment. Maybe that's how all doctors are now, but it took me by surprise. I arrived 15 minutes early to fill out all the paper work. Fun. I was surprised not only at some of the questions, but by what questions weren't there.

My BP was sky-high when the nurse took it. 156/88. But I was two pounds lighter, after lunch.

The doctor is very nice. She appears to listen. I was probably in there 45 minutes.

One question on the form was a history of mental illness, and I wrote none. One of her questions was about my living arrangements and I told her briefly about Pat. She flipped back over and said "you wrote there was no mental illness." I said I guess I should have wrote, "none diagnosed". She laughed. She said to dump the roomie and get a pet. I told her the roomie was my pet and she came with the house. I'm stuck with her.

Under heart disease I wrote "uncles, brother, father, maternal and paternal grandfathers". I totally forgot about Elin. On the page she was writing on she circled heart disease and put stars on it. Bad tickers are a Hendricks hallmark.

I told her my goal was to be off the BP meds. Like some of my siblings, she told me that might not be possible. Genetics. (See previous paragraph.) She told me about a patient who lost 125 pounds and exercises, and she is still on some because of genetics. It was disheartening.

We talked a lot about food and diet and exercise.  She seemed impressed about the amount of research I've done. My problem is putting it all together that it works. She encouraged me to see the nutritionist. She asked me if I ate "diet" food. I said no. If I can't have the real thing, I don't eat it. I try to eat low on the food chain. She seemed please by that.

She also understands the money thing. She knows and will write for the $4 Rx when possible. She wants me to have a baseline EKG so that she has a reference point when I'm "young" and healthy. That whole "heart disease" thing. She even wrote the Rx. But it isn't mandatory. She kept my prescriptions the same, but switched when I take them. She's going to get my blood work from Health Network, so that doesn't need to be redone. Bonnie, I had lipids done, right? Didn't I ask you what they were?

She is not happy that I haven't had a gyn checkup, pap, or mammagram in at least 10 years. Nor have I had that colon test you're supposed to have at 50.

She encouraged me to take the following supplements to bring down my cholesterol from the high end of normal—fish oil or flax seed, red rice yeast, and 25 mg of fiber. Hmmm. Instead of supporting the pharmaceutical industry I'll be supporting the supplement industry. And that's not controlled by anybody.

All that talk about money brought up the subject of the health care bill. She asked me my feeling about it. I told her I don't know. Everything I've seen is hard to read or slanted to one side or another.  I do know the current system doesn't work.

So that's it. I guess it went well. I didn't go running out screaming. I have another appointment in six months.