So my primary care doctor is retiring this month to go do missionary work in Nepal. Thus I'm having to find a new doctor and it's not necessarily easy.
My old doctor was recommended by my wife (though she was my fiance at the time). I'd been in Seattle 3 years and aside from seeing a specialist when my back acted up once, I didn't see a doctor. I probably hadn't had a real physical in 6 or 7 years. So my wife made me see her doctor. Lucky for me he turned out to be the kind of doctor that I like.
He was personable, caring, and he gave off the vibe of liking medicine in the same way that I like computers. That meant that his continuing education was not based on licensing requirements but because he thought medicine was neat and he was genuinely curious about new drugs, new techniques, and new research. Basically, I got the feeling that he read up on the new developments in medicine for fun like I read up on new developments in internet technologies for fun.
So that's the vibe I'm looking for with a new doctor... That and not being a wuss about pain management. I'm nearly 40. I've got more aches and pains than I did when I was 20. When I twist something, I don't bounce back like I did when I was 20. And when I'm in pain, I know my pain meds a lot better than I did when I was 20. I want to make sure "big bottle of percocet" is in my doctor's vocabulary.
I don't take prescription pain meds often. But when I need them, I don't want to be negotiating with my doctor for them. I don't want them doled out. I want the doctor to say "you're in pain, here's enough to get you through, plus a little extra just in case." I've proved my ability to stop taking prescription pain meds when the pain subsides. One time, when my back was acting up and my doc was about to go on vacation, he prescribed me a big bottle of meds with a refill so I wouldn't have to fight his covering doc for the refill if I ran out while he was gone.
Now some of that is based on trust. Before he gave me that big bottle with a refill, he'd seen me handle going on and off pain meds well. I'd shown him I could be trusted with a larger supply. And maybe I'll have to do that with this new doc. But there's a difference between a doc who trusts you with prescription pain meds and a doc who has a fear of giving them to anyone ever, and tries to use them sparingly no matter what.
So it will be interesting. I need to pic a doc by the end of the month. So we'll see.
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UPDATE:
A doctor who reads my blog e-mailed my privately to suggest the "big bottle of pills" approach was not something I wanted to take. It made me think of a better way of expressing it.
Normally, when I've needed pain meds (maybe once or twice a year), I need at max a week's worth to get me through whatever is causing me enough pain to require meds, normally more like 3-5 days. What I'm looking for is the difference between a doctor who gives you 5 mg vicodin with a 3 a day limit and a doctor who gives you 10 mg percocet with an 8 a day limit... for 3-5 days with no refills. Basically, if it's only 3-5 days and not chronic, the doctor's philosophy is to give you enough to relieve your discomfort and let you moderate the dosage within certain boundaries, not one who gives you the bare minimum to keep the pain from making you cry all day.