I'm not sure who you are referring to but my LLMD would love to have fewer patients. It's not the LLMDs' fault that there are so many patients and not enough doctors to treat them. There is a fairly new LLMD in Lufkin and I read an article that Dr.H is seeing patients again.

http://flash.lymenet.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/033720.html

I hope you can get the help you need

Gee, I wonder why the CDC doesn't see this as an epidemic?????

quote:

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Originally posted by hunthill_lymie:
austin....are you talking about the dr in springfield?

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yepper

Any advice?

--Annie

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I can't blame my LLMDs office because they are doing the absolute best they can do and they are not turning people away. I know if I were in their position I couldn't turn patients away either.

That is why I feel a real calling to do whatever I can when I am feeling pretty good to advocate. The system MUST CHANGE and soon.

I don't believe it's reasonable to expect our doctors to treat us over the phone - UNLESS they've made it clear that it's their policy to speak to their patients on the phone and they're happy to return their patients' non-emergency calls.

But, I think that, in general, the LLMDs tend to be less available because there are only a few of them for thousands and thousands of patients.

This is because of the political situation that has led to a witch hunt against doctors treating chronic Lyme disease.

Most of those who will treat us realize that they are taking a risk with their licenses if they give more than short term treatment, but they do it anyway,

Since only a few doctors in the country are willing to take that risk, the doctors who do treat us quickly have their practices filled.

hen they face the problem of either turning sick people away by closing admissions or having practices that are filled to overflowing.

My complaint is that when you go for your SCHEDULED appt. you feel like you're being pushed in and out so fast that you don't even know if you have asked all the questions you needed to for a month. Oh, and I do write it down but you better be able to read fast if you do this too. I just get too frustrated and end up just going with the flow of their system. I mean seriously if you're sick and have lots of questions doesn't it usually take longer than 15 minutes to discuss all of our lyme issues that might arrise in a month period?

I walk in and she reads the checklist and then kinda skims over that......says yep us lymies go through this.........writes whatever prescription needs to be wrote and we are out the door.......

My 17 yr old daughter goes to her as well and she told her about a place on her leg where she had this HUGE bruise from a month ago that still hurts and fells funny and the dr never even looked at it. She just said I know it takes us lymies so long to heal. (which I know is true however it takes us lymies longer to get in to find out what is wrong with us too)

But since I'm typing a book to explain my point so that most of you don't think I'm being unfair to the LLMD's out there.....this was the breaking point for me.

I had an appt that you have to understand is now real hard to get into to see her cause she has over 300 patients and I have NOT complained until now. I drive over an hour and a half to get to austin to see her but yesterday when I arrived in Austin my alternator belt broke.

I called the dr's office which at this time was thirty minutes BEFORE my appt. and explained what happened and they immediately said if you're more than 10 minutes late for your appt you will have to reschedule. I asked them to please speak with her nurse and explain the circumstances and maybe they could work me in before the end of the day since I was already there.

They came back and said just call us when it gets closer to your appt time. In the meantime, I got someone to fix my belt and I raced to the appt. I called them again and it was then only 5 minutes before my appt and said I just wanted to let you know I got it fixed and it's going to be real close but I will be there SOON.

I arrived not 10 minutes late for my appt.....but 12. I ran into the office with what little energy I had left after all this and I was told IMMEDIATELY that I was only a follow-up and the dr said to reschedule.

Keep in mind I didn't drive across town. I drove about a hour and a half to this ONE appt. I asked to speak with the nurse and I was told that it would be awhile because they are EXTREMELY busy. I was embarassed as I stood there crying and shaking so I just left. I called and left messages on the drs voicemail and the nurse's voicemail and as of this moment 24 hrs later I have NOT heard anything back from them......and you know when I sat in their waiting room for more than 45 minutes I didn't say a word!! and this has happened on several occasions.

I wish Texas had more LLMD's because there is ALOT of Lyme down there! I speak from experience!

I don't think you're being unfair AT ALL!
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oops!
Lymetutu

I might just take your suggestion lymetoo. People have been trying to tell me that I needed to do this but for financial and convenience I have avoided it.

Good luck to you and I hope you all get better!!

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY" and have a wonderful weekend!

You had a very bad day, have to drive out of town to see a doc when you are sick. This already is an outrage that we have to do this. By the way, my lyme treatment requires overnight or longer trips. Hour and a half would be great for me!

So, you had a bad day, with car trouble, got to the doc office where every day all day they hear sad stories from really sick people. And they keep on trying to help.

I think sometimes we are not realistic expecting treatment and sympathy from docs this hard pressed. Get the sympathy from support groups, friends, lymenet, etc.

Even non-lyme docs are pushing people in and out very fast these days. This is a major complaint. If you were never in doc offices before lyme, maybe you didn't have any personal experience with this, and were unprepared for modern medicine.

The way for lyme docs to be less pressured is to work for political change so we have more of them and they can treat without threats hanging over their heads constantly. The other way is for lymies to forego treatment. Then the crowds will thin out in doc offices. However, not going to be many volunteers for this!

There's a lot of reasons for this, but you don't need to worry about them until after you get the right drugs. I would strongly suggest you don't argue, or try to point out what's really going on. Just get the drugs and get out the door. Remember, even the most heroic doctor is still a businessman, and you are not a family member, just a customer. Never, ever assume that if you give your life over to someone, especially someone you are paying, they will magically take care of you.

It took me a long time to find the treatment I'm on now. When I did, the anxiety and panic you describe melted away, and was replaced by overwhelming grief that I waited so long to act in my own best interests.