Questions for new neurologist

[IntoDust]

My last neurologist makes me feel like this past year was “wasted”. It’s sad but 90% of the things I have learned about this I learned from the internet and I am sure at least half of the things I learned aren’t true.
Some information is great, some is seriously outdated and some is astoundingly inaccurate. The worst offenders, in my opinion, are commenting on Facebook posts about MS. I see a ton because Facebook obviously knows I have MS from my search history. My favorite is “MS is undiagnosed chronic Lyme Disease! You need a Lyme literate doctor!” and “The only difference between Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Sclerosis is one shows up on a blood test”. I love the facepalm emoji for this very reason.


I hope he is able to give me some hope that I don’t need to book my flight to Switzerland in the next few years. I think my old neurologist made me feel like he saw me as a hopeless case and that’s why he was not really giving me any time. (Not saying this is how I am just how I felt that he saw me)
I’ve seen people write that their doctor gave them the news that they had MS and cried. My specialist told me within 5 minutes of meeting her that MS is not what everyone thinks it is and I don’t have to end up as bad as my grandma did. I feel safe under her care because she is so honest, good or bad news.

And I can see your email now. I'll send you an email tonight to make sure it goes to the correct place.
Sounds good.

[Daisycat]

I’ve never cried as much as I did the night I was diagnosed. I was basically told you have this and you are staying here for a few Days.

After that I was left in my room and spent the next 8 hours reading about this online.

I pretty much spent every second I was alone on dr google since my drs were in and out in 5 minutes.


The only decent person there was the nurse who let me go outside for ten minutes to see my dog.


I wish my neuroligist had been like yours.

[IntoDust]

I wish my neuroligist had been like yours.

I started as a cash patient as I had no insurance at the time. My primary doctor was able to refer me to the best he knew because there were no insurance restrictions dictating who I saw. I got lucky in that sense. If I only saw my in-network neuro (as I have insurance now) I would not be diagnosed. I fact, I wholeheartedly believe he never would have even sent me for an MRI. It would have been one appointment and done.
My specialist teaches at the medical school out here. So does my primary. If you need to find a third neurologist, try to find one who is a faculty member at the nearest medical school. I get much better care with these types of doctors and I’d recommend this approach to anyone.

[MarkLavelle]

If you need to find a third neurologist, try to find one who is a faculty member at the nearest medical school. I get much better care with these types of doctors and I’d recommend this approach to anyone.

I'll second that! My first neuro wasn't a great fit, so I went to Stanford for a 2nd opinion from a faculty neuro. For a year I saw both until the Stanford guy agreed that it was MS, and then switched to Stanford permanently. I am fortunate to enough to have PPO insurance, so finnancially there's no real difference (not sure how that'll work when I go on Medicare next year...).

Advantages:
* Have never felt rushed.
* Answers all Qs that are answerable.
* More aware of how MS & treatment fits with my overall medical condition (i.e., no immune modification for me).
* Most up to date on available treatments/therapies.

The disadvantage, as was already mentioned, is that often you spend a long time in the waiting room (because they're answering all of everyone else's Qs, too).

I'm now seeing an oncologist and pulmonologist there for my lungs (COPD & lung cancer), and so far the experience has been the same, with the added advantage that those two are associated with the same thoracic cancer clinic and see each other nearly every week.

I can't say if this is true for all teaching hospitals, but I've heard equally good things about UCSF and others, too.

[Daisycat]

I am hoping my new neuro is a good fit. I am fine waiting a little longer if that means all my questions are answered. I am just sick of dealing with this crap with no real medical advice from an actual DR. My PCP has done his best to help me, but this is not his area of specialty. If this second one doesn’t work out I do have an appointment with one at a teaching hospital, but my only concern with that is my old neuro works for the same company ( just different towns of course). I had such a bad experience with him I am very untrusting of this place. But my PCP and every other DR I have seen there have been decent so maybe he is just a bad man.

The third one specializes in this. I just really do not want to have to drive over an hour for a DRs Appointment, I already get so stressed out by Drs appointments that I have to leave my apartment an extra 30 minutes early so I can pull over when I start to freak out.

I am worried about how safe it would be to drive an hour when I will be having mini freak outs. I just have my appointment with her in case the second one isn’t a good fit. I know it can take awhile to get in so I want something in place now.