Clinic in Augusta, GA - Tell me about it
Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:48 am
My GP wants to refer me to the MS clinic in Augusta, GA. A bit of a drive for me, but it is the nearest MS clinic to our town. I realize it is a well-regarded clinic, but I don't have a way of knowing whether it is a good fit for what I need.
Anyone have an experience with the clinic that you can give me some info? See below for the issues that concern me specifically.
Thanks,
Jen.
****
Before I spend a lot of time and money, was hoping to find out if it was a good fit for what I'm looking for . . .
-I am interested in finding an MS-knowledgeable doc who can be a resource and help down the road if I do, in fact, have MS. (So I'm pretty sure the clinic in Augusta is good for that.)
-I am not interested in doing a bazillion MRI's to track the course of the disease, or to keep searching, searching for a guilty MRI if the first one comes up clear but symptoms keep saying MS. (Am interested in finding out if there are any other conditions I still need to rule out -- we've hit most of the big ones, but we might have overlooked something.)
-I am not at this time interested in taking any of the big powerful MS drugs. So I wouldn't be interested in spending a lot of time and money on appointments where I'm repeatedly pressured into getting on a med that I don't think is the right choice for me right now.
Is the clinic in Augusta willing to work with patients who prefer to err on the side of a low-intervention, hands-off approach? Or would I do better to keep looking around?
Anyone have an experience with the clinic that you can give me some info? See below for the issues that concern me specifically.
Thanks,
Jen.
****
Before I spend a lot of time and money, was hoping to find out if it was a good fit for what I'm looking for . . .
-I am interested in finding an MS-knowledgeable doc who can be a resource and help down the road if I do, in fact, have MS. (So I'm pretty sure the clinic in Augusta is good for that.)
-I am not interested in doing a bazillion MRI's to track the course of the disease, or to keep searching, searching for a guilty MRI if the first one comes up clear but symptoms keep saying MS. (Am interested in finding out if there are any other conditions I still need to rule out -- we've hit most of the big ones, but we might have overlooked something.)
-I am not at this time interested in taking any of the big powerful MS drugs. So I wouldn't be interested in spending a lot of time and money on appointments where I'm repeatedly pressured into getting on a med that I don't think is the right choice for me right now.
Is the clinic in Augusta willing to work with patients who prefer to err on the side of a low-intervention, hands-off approach? Or would I do better to keep looking around?