This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I am going in for my first GP doctor visit since I was a child for a full checkup - I have a neurologist, but never had a regular doctor.

But since I am going out to Stanford in December, I thought I should probably get one, to help deal with the post-op blood thinner stuff, etc.

OK, so in addition to letting him take my health measure across the board, I want to prepare him for what I am about to probably have done to me, and what followup care may be needed.

Can someone point me to a thread about this, or respond with some ideas about what I should bring to my appointment - questions I should ask, things I should bring up, etc?

thank you!!

The only thing that I did with my GP before hand was to ask her if she was willing to do the follow-up blood work to get my INR in the right range post surgery.

I also brought her a couple of Zamboni's papers in case she was interested in the rationale for the procedure.

If you have the procedure, Dr. Dake will fax instructions to your GP to follow once you are home (so be sure to bring your GP's contact info with you to Stanford).

Ugh. Met my new GP yesterday, and while I liked him well enough, he declined to take my few printouts abotu CCSVI, after declaring that I need to be careful of "alternative medicine" because, since I am diagnosed with MS I am "vulnerable" to pseudoscience that promises a cure ... how the hell do these people get off just dismissing it out of hand? I could understand if they looked into it and had reason to disbelieve, but this knee-jerk reaction thing pisses me off. I guess I can understand it - my first reaction to anything like this is skepticism - but you'd think that they would reconsider it enough to at least LOOK INTO IT once hearing it was based on real studies, being taken seriously by real doctors, etc ... argh.

Anyway, being conservative is legally the safest thing for docs to do, I am sure, so I won't take it too badly ... and he said if I showed up with stents and needed aftercare he would be willing to help with the necessary INR testing etc, so I'm not going to bother finding a new doc (one month til Stanford!)

Zap, that is disheartening. I would do the same thing you are doing and just go with it, for now. Maybe you will make a believer out of him yet.

I went to my new internal medicine doc yesterday. I have not had a gp, really ever. The last couple I had in the past 10 years met with some bad fate right after I got established with them, so then when I needed something, I would end up at urgent care, since I wasn't established anywhere else. Then I had the one that put me on advil when I presented with neurological symptoms, super nice lady, but no, I don't think I am going back... Anyway, a medically educated friend told me that I do not need a gp, I need an internal medicine doc. She said that anyone over 40 and especially with other 'stuff' needs and internal medicine doc. Well, this visit yesterday was really something. He really listened, really checked me out and was sooooo helpful. Another smart and caring doc on my list. I feel so lucky. The point of my story is that maybe when you have the time you can check for an internal medicine doctor that might be able to provide you with a whole different level of care, you deserve it and they are out there.

Hang in there and keep getting stuff done. I have been going nonstop trying to get ready for this trip. There is so much to do!

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dx 4/09 * Stanford appointment 11/09/09 * One stent left, low jugular 11/10/09!<br />One year from treatment, I have my life back.  Placebo schmebo.