tricia386
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 29623
posted
Had my first appt. with Dr. H well not him but his LLPA...wow...I was there for 2 hours I feel very informed and overwhelmed. So happy I went there though!
-------------------- Lyme activated in April 2010 by gardasil vaccine. DX: Lyme,Babs,Myco,Bart 11/10 Treatment Started: 3/28/11 Posts: 1752 | From Albany, NY | Registered: Dec 2010
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Hambone
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posted
How did it go? What'd they say?
I'm so glad you feel good about it. That's great news Posts: 1142 | From South | Registered: Dec 2010
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Rumigirl
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posted
You're in good hands.
Posts: 3771 | From around | Registered: Mar 2008
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METALLlC BLUE
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Member # 6628
posted
I love L *His PA*, and "J" the NP is nice enough but that's about it. Personality issues are important and I got along with both of them *but L much better).
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
MB, do you find L to be a better practicioner than J?
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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Just different personalities. I wouldn't say one was "better" than the other. I've had experience with L, J and Dr. H.
I have a preference, but it's just that it matches my personality better.
Posts: 699 | From confusion | Registered: Jan 2011
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tricia386
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 29623
posted
I am seeings L...love love love!
-------------------- Lyme activated in April 2010 by gardasil vaccine. DX: Lyme,Babs,Myco,Bart 11/10 Treatment Started: 3/28/11 Posts: 1752 | From Albany, NY | Registered: Dec 2010
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nefferdun
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Member # 20157
posted
Sooo, What did you LEARN!?
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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METALLlC BLUE
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Member # 6628
posted
That's a difficult question to answer. I think the personality factor does play a big role. For example, my case.
Dr. H from the first day was hard on me, abrupt and abhorred the fact that I was "insanely organized" -- he made fun of it even, with patronizing remarks. I saw L first, then the last 15 mins Dr. H lectured me about my Crohn's Disease and pushed supplements of all kinds on me for "cancer prevention." He would try to intimidate me into doing things his way, and became frustrated with me when I voiced my own opinions. I didn't back down and was very vocal and told him I didn't think we should proceed under the circumstances. He thru up his hands and said "Fine, whatever, do what you want. The reason patients stay sick -- like you -- is usually from emotional blocks and until you deal with the problems you had before Lyme, you won't get well" The big problem with that statement is I didn't have any other problems. I was happy in my family relationship, friends, and my with my girlfriend. I had issues with my brother, but he didn't live with me or see me 99.9% of my daily life. It was obvious that H made that comment out of frustration that I wasn't getting better on 99% of the therapies that his office gave me, so he basically blamed me. That wasn't true though, I responded well to Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Vancomycin, and Bactrim, but I developed problems with the last two drugs and relapsed. The first two drugs gave me a boost but lost effectiveness as time passed. After all this: I made it a priority to change my appointments from home every time they told me I "had" to see Dr. H every so often. I figured, they'll never notice, and they didn't, so I kept seeing L and canceling the "H" stuff. There are positive things to say, so let me go there" He'd be awesome for someone who needs a "take charge" kind of doctor who will prescribe aggressive therapies, and ask all the questions that a very sick patient may not think to ask. He won't confuse a brain fogged patient usually, and his objective is very clear. Appointments are usually on time and quick, which is good for people who want to just go and then get on with their other plans in the day.
J: Working with him is the complete opposite of H. In-fact it's so opposite that it's almost difficult to actually formulate any kind of plan. Every appointment seemed uncertain in objective. Instead of taking the lead, everything was left in my hands to consider. His approach is holistic, gentle and relatively organized in terms of reviewing your records. He too felt I was overly prepared for appointments and seemed slightly turned off by it and was a little condescending each time I'd show my notes. This is the "only" thing that he had in common with H. However, didn't seem to mind if I asked a lot of questions. When he'd bring up a therapy I felt was too wishy washy and unlikely to help, he just said "Ok." He'll prescribe just about anything you want if you can explain why you think it's worth attempting. However, he'll answer the phone and deal with nurses thru at least 1/2 of your appointment. He is excessively busy but I take that to mean he'll give each patient direct attention, but it often means you sitting there in front of him twiddling thumbs until he gets done. I didn't resent it, but did find it odd. One or two calls, sure, but it was constant and it's always like that when I'd see him. The fact that he's always running late tells me he will give you the time -- it just won't be on your time-table.
L: She's somewhere in between the two. She'll take charge of an appointment immediately, but without being abrupt. She is hyper-active though, and so she's a quick thinker and often moves at a pace that other patients would be blinded by. That is not always good. For example my girlfriend was turned off by it. L also puts her foot in her mouth sometimes. She can be careless in the order she does things and sometimes doesn't listen, but she doesn't mean to, it's the "hyper thing." Dr. H is fast and you can expect appt to last 15-30 mins. With L, you can stay for 1-2 hours and chat about the latest technologies, ideas, whatever. L is turned on by excessive planning and detailed organization (probably because she isn't great at it herself). She "loves" it, she said in her own words. She is aggressive enough that she'll tell you if she thinks your undershooting or overshooting with a particular routine and sets firm boundaries when needed. She'll experiment with therapies, aggressively if need be -- if you ask, but she does have limits, which of course is normal. Another downside is that she isn't as easy to reach outside of appointments. Expect 4-7 days to hear back. J is easy to reach and will e-mail you back relatively fast. L will bend if you can't financially withstand a particular goal and she'll allow you to strip routines down to their essentials to get the job done. She also doesn't seem to mind if you say you want to split routines up and wait to handle aspects of your case, such as heavy metal testing, or converting to an herbal plan. Another plus with L is she lets you record appointments with a tape recorder, while Dr. H doesn't. L is scattered but the objective becomes clear by the end of the appointment if you take notes or record. It's essential to record appts with L unless you take notes or have someone else do it. Dr. H and J keep it relatively simple.
So, that is my assesment. All are competent I believe in their own particular strength. To narrow it down:
H: Firm, takes charge, is clear about what he wants, and is aggressive with therapy. Doesn't keep you waiting, appointments are short and to the point. Objective clear.
J: Holistic, willing to work with hard cases in a gentle way, willing to prescribe based on simply asking and explaining a basic reason. Listens, takes his time.
L: Packed with information, loves detail, questions, likes patients who take charge and share in the process. Is aggressive when needed, gentle when asked. Allows tape recording.
[ 03-29-2011, 03:05 PM: Message edited by: METALLlC BLUE ]
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
seekhelp
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 15067
posted
It doesn't sound like Dr. H and I would get along so well. Nice summary MB.
Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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posted
awesome explaination I'm gearing up to go see Dr. H. too so I needed that. They wanted me to see a N a nurse practioner any thoughts on him?
-------------------- When the going gets tough. . . I'll keep fighting! Ms. Geet3721
New LLMD, New abx, New life coming right up!!!! Posts: 714 | From La La Lyme Land | Registered: Jun 2008
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seekhelp
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posted
MB gave plenty of thoughts above. You're not going to get more detail than this! Posts: 7545 | From The 5th Dimension - The Twilight Zone | Registered: Mar 2008
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
quote:Originally posted by Geet3721: awesome explaination I'm gearing up to go see Dr. H. too so I needed that. They wanted me to see a N a nurse practioner any thoughts on him?
The NP at H's office is "J" in my summary. Assuming you're talking about H, the big dog in NY.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Oh, and I want to say one more thing. Someone e-mailed me who had a completely different experience then I did.
What you see from me is only one single review. I am not all knowing, and trust me -- I wouldn't recommend Dr. H if I didn't feel he was a good fit and helped a lot of people.
I "do" recommend him and his office. Just realize that you may not fit immediately with the first person you meet. Maybe you'll get along with all three. Maybe you'll dislike two of them, but I believe "most" people will find one of them to be a good fit for them personally.
Hope that helps further clarify. Remember, I collect patient reports. Trust me, most reports about H are not like mine. Some are, but most are glowing and many are satisfied with him.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
posted
I was Metallic Blue but for some reason I thought there was another NP name "N" which doesnt exist so thanks for the info on "J" oh boy did that even make sense?! lol Thanks!!!!
-------------------- When the going gets tough. . . I'll keep fighting! Ms. Geet3721
New LLMD, New abx, New life coming right up!!!! Posts: 714 | From La La Lyme Land | Registered: Jun 2008
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Say that again Geet? There may be more people working there now, I don't know. I was there from 2009-2010, so within a year they could have taken on another healthcare provider.
And what do you mean about J? Do you mean that you've seen him?
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
posted
Perfect summery! Had asimalar experiance with dr h anf DR F. Dr H didnt listen and was all in his ego..very patronizing and controlling and as temper... DR F was too passive for me... lauren probably would have been the one to go to but dr h turned me off.
**edited to remove LLMD names -- see Lymenet Rules!**
if I edited incorrectly .. please edit it yourself
Haley
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 22008
posted
MB - thanks for the tip on the tape recorder. I never thought of that. I don't know if my doctor would approve. One of my doctors fills me up with so much information it's impossible to get it all down. I like getting all the information but it's pointless if you can't get it all down in your notes.
Posts: 2232 | From USA | Registered: Aug 2009
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
Absorbing a lot of information is tough. I actually wrote out a lot of my reports in my journal after having tape recorded them. You'd be amazed at how complicated each 2 hour session was.
Another thing about H that I think is good is that because he is so no-nonsense, is that if you have stubborn family members who either need treatment or need a basic explanation of what is happening to you (as the patient), he's precise enough and dominant enough to get through the denial that some patients have.
You'd be surprised how many patients don't think they're sick and don't think they need help -- but they tested positive for Lyme and their family pushes them into seeing an LLMD. So, yes, Dr. H would be great at helping in that situation.
He's confident, dominant, and direct, which are perfectly qualities to get through those dense stubborn folks.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
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