posted
Has anyone seen both of these LLMDs? Just wondering which one you would choose? Please PM me with any opinions. I know that Dr H doesn't take new patients himself but I know that the practioners that work with him see new patients. Not sure about Dr L and whether he accepts new patients or not.
Thanks!
-David
-------------------- Same nightmare, different day! Posts: 401 | From East Coast | Registered: Nov 2005
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lymewreck36
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4395
posted
My husband and two daughters and I saw DR. H when we lived in CT. Actually, no, we saw the P.A. in his office and loved him to pieces. Remember if you see a P.A. that Dr. H has spent six months training that person extensively, and the initial treatment must meet approval by Dr. H.
That is how it was when we were with him two years ago. And if your treatment stagnates, Dr. H will take your appointment to see what needs to be done next. DR. H does not totally abandon anyone to his P.A.s. He is a great doctor and wonderful man.
If I still lived up there, I would still go to his office. Office staff very friendly, beautiful building. And he offers several "alternative" therapies to assist your body through the antibiotic process.
Can't go wrong with Dr. H.
Dr. L I never saw myself so I cannot comment on him.
Hope that helps.
Mary
Posts: 1032 | From North Carolina | Registered: Aug 2003
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Beverly
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 1271
posted
I see Dr. L he is a wonderful LLMD. I have never seen Dr. H, but my LLMD speaks highly of him, so I don't think you can go wrong with either doctor. I don't know about Dr. H, but I am pretty sure my LLMD is accepting new patients.
Good luck to you.
Posts: 6638 | From Michigan | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
Thanks for the responses. I know that both are good doctors.
Mary - you said that your husband and 2 daughters saw him when you lived in CT. Did any of them receive IV treatment? If so, I was wondering how their office handles prescribing IV for people that live in CT. From what I understand, a "specialist" has to prescribe IV in order for insurance to cover the treatment for more than 4 or 6 weeks.
Thanks again for the responses!
-David
-------------------- Same nightmare, different day! Posts: 401 | From East Coast | Registered: Nov 2005
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Foggy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1584
posted
Both are great and cover most of the obligaotry Lyme bases, metals, co-infects etc. Needed a GPS or bloodhounds to find Dr. H's office. Posts: 2451 | From Lyme Central | Registered: Aug 2001
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I see on of the pa's. She's GREAT! I saw Dr. H for 30 minutes my first visit in addition to 2 hours with the pa.
I definately do not feel like I'm getting a lower level of care from seeing the pa. I think Dr. H is smart doing it this way because he can treat so many more people.
posted
Three of us went to Dr. H. and none of us were offered IV - it was never mentioned; we were however put on various combinations of ABX plus he sells you other supplements if you can afford it.
My complaint was that they kept switching me around on meds combos before I had a chance to really see what worked. Then there is a required monthly visit or phone consult, monthly blood work: this becomes extremely expensive, and insurance does not cover the phone consults which are billed at full price. They do not take much in the way of insurance, and many insurances will not cover their (very high) fee in full.
They also never warned us about the expense of meds they prescribed, so I happily went down to the pharmacy to get my Mepron and had a $2,000.00 bill!
We stopped going due to the stress of getting there, the stress of monthly visits & blood draws, and the expense.
Now, apart from all those warnings, they are a caring group and they will spend a lot of time with you. Dr. H. is wonderful man.
We miss our meals at the Eveready Diner: best meals at a good price. We stayed at the Roosevelt Inn motel, a small family-run business.
ESG
Posts: 424 | From Connecticut, USA | Registered: Nov 2003
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liz28
Unregistered
posted
I have a strong opinion that when you choose an LLMD, you are choosing someone who is willing to work with certain drug combinations. It is one of the primary services you are seeking when hiring a doctor.
For this reason, you have to have an idea of what you want before making your first visit. Lyme doctors can be a major financial investment, and once you get started, you may not have the money to easily leave. You want to be sure that you have invested in someone who you know will deliver the service you want.
Before seeing anyone, take a look through Lymenet and Google, and decide exactly what you are hoping to do. Are you dealing with bartonella symptoms? Call and ask if the doctor uses rifampin or levaquin. Are you interested in babesia treatment? Ask which drugs they use.
Another thing you need to do is ask yourself about values. When you approach the mainstream medical community, you often have a sufficient number of choices to pick someone who shares your basic values.
In the Lyme community, the limited number of doctors may cause you to be dependent on someone with very different ideas about the world. These can be assessed right at the beginning.
The best way to protect yourself is not to find the one person who will be perfect. Pretend you are buying a car. The car is supposed to transport you from A to B. Only you can decide what your priorities will be, or what points you are willing to negotiate.
But you would probably agree that because the price of a car is so high, and the service you need from the car is so necessary, that you have to be very cautious and educated in assessing your purchase. You don't want a salesman who is abusive, but you also would not base your purchase on anything other than results.
If you look at your purchase from this perspective, it will dramatically alter the way you appoach a doctor, which could have an impact on the treatment you receive. Imagine going to a car salesman and saying, "I'm desperate! I'll pay you any amount of money for anything on your lot with wheels!" versus, "Hi, I need a car with these requirements, I'm very well-educated on the models you sell, and here is how I would like to proceed. I'm going to give you a chance to sell me X, Y, and Z. Otherwise, I'll go elsewhere."
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
liz, good examples.
many of us have NO llmds in our states so out of pocket for gas, lodging, meals, llmd appts., meds, body testings are quite expensive.
in midwest, we are very limited, and now with 2 of our handful of llmds up on medical charges!
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cootiegirl
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3216
posted
Dr. L was my first llmd. I found him to be a very thorough and compassionate doctor. He is a wealth of knowledge and provided info/articles/research at the drop of a hat. He works collaboratively with the patient, and he has a great working relationship with other lyme literate docs such as neurologists, psychologists, etc.
In my case he really got me my start on the road to recovery but I had a very resistant case of bart, so he recommended that I see one of his colleagues that is well versed in bart tx, and I have to say that between these two docs, I am doing great. cootiegirl
Posts: 1728 | From New York State | Registered: Oct 2002
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posted
Just want to remind everyone to be cautious about discussing practice details publicly, even without giving full names. Some may even want to consider editing their posts and sending info by PM instead.
This may sound paranoid but please read for more information:
Foggy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1584
posted
quote:Originally posted by liz28: If you look at your purchase from this perspective, it will dramatically alter the way you appoach a doctor, which could have an impact on the treatment you receive. Imagine going to a car salesman and saying, "I'm desperate! I'll pay you any amount of money for anything on your lot with wheels!" versus, "Hi, I need a car with these requirements, I'm very well-educated on the models you sell, and here is how I would like to proceed. I'm going to give you a chance to sell me X, Y, and Z. Otherwise, I'll go elsewhere."
Problem is, there are multiple Toyota, BMW etc dealers to haggle with, yet a finite supply of LLMDs.
To that end, I'm buying a hybrid.
[ 11. June 2007, 11:33 AM: Message edited by: Foggy ]
Posts: 2451 | From Lyme Central | Registered: Aug 2001
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