[sarabear0508]

#1019876

HEY EVERYONE!

So I know that almost all of you are under the care of an endocrinologist. I was diagnosed by my primary care doc, but I now need an expert. I seem to have the worst luck in the world when it comes to well versed doctors with expertise. SO here is my question. What should I be looking for in an endo? How do I know I’m getting the right one. I’ve seen so many doctors and had so many test done this year, I can’t bare to get another crappy doctor. My health is too frail for mistakes! Any and all your advise is more than welcome.

Ps: Any buddy know a good one in Michigan- Washtenaw County!!!!

THANKS BUNCHES!

[Bobbi]

#1074728

Hi, Sara:

I lived in Washtenaw County for many years. I did not need an endo then, but I found lots of good doctors associated with the University of Michigan hospitals.

As to how to find a qualified endocrinologist: ask for recommendations from your doctors; ask someone you know who has diabetes who their endo is and what their endo is like. When you call an office, ask if the doctor is "board certified."

A caution: do not equate personality with competence when it comes to endos. They do not necessarily have to have warm and fuzzy personalities to be skilled, highly qualified doctors. They do need to listen to us, and give credence to our symptoms. They do not, however, need to agree with our "interpretation" of our symptoms. We are the amateurs at interpretation.

[ZZZZESTY]

#1074729

Sara,

If you are willing to travel, I have an incredible endo in Wayne County. His office is in Southgate. He has been spotlighted in Endo Today magazine. His name is Dr. Khoury. Office number is 734-282-3138. If you are not willing or able to travel that far, maybe he could reccomend someone in your area.

[sarabear0508]

#1074730

hello zzzesty.

I live several hours from Southfield, but thanks anyway! The advice was great! I’m going to make some calls. I’ve heard the UofM doctors are really good. I’ll let you know what I find!

Thanks Again!

[impish]

#1074731

i live in Atlanta, and I got lucky, because a friend, and my gyno recommended my doctor and I actually see the PA most of the time after I was diagnosed. I would call the University of Michigan and ask for an endocrinologist that specializes in graves. When I needed an occular plastic surgeon, I went to 3 and was totally disastisfied because they were all telling me different things. My friend, who is a nurse, suggested that I call Emory and ask for an occular plastic surgeon who specializes in Graves. I was very frustrated when 3 different doctors told me 3 different things. I thought I was going crazy. When I met my occular plastic surgeon, he reassured me that I was not going crazy. But he did have me come back after a month to check my eyes again, before he was sure I had the eye disease.

My internist initially wanted to treat my graves and got insulted when I wanted to go to an endocrinologist. You will know when you find the right one. Ask questions, about how many people they treat with graves, etc. You are in the drivers’ seat. There are good doctors out there, and you need to ask a lot of questions.

Good luck,
Impish

[sarabear0508]

#1074732

Hello Everyone!

I just heard back from my doc office and I have an appt with Dr. Chang at U of M. He will be the first endo I have seen. My appt is February 10th, I told the receptionist to put me on the call list if someone has a cancellation. How long should the doc spend with me? I have so many questions and I’m always being rushed. This is my life were talking about and I want to make a plan. I don’t want the doc to think I ‘m crazy, but I believe that I should have a plan of attack in order to get in better health. I also want to make sure that my meds are right. I have been on ptu 4 weeks this Thursday. So I have no idea what my levels are and if the meds are working. I say my pc doc last Tue and she decided to take my levels then, just to have them for the endo, even tho I hadn’t been on the ptu for 6 weeks, which is when they usual test you. We;ll just have to wait and see what happens. I have an open mind and I’m excited to start this new phase. I feel very pro-active about my health, and it feels good!

[Ski]

#1074733

Congratulations! How long should the endo spend? Well, a good one would sit down and cover your entire history, which should take 30-45 minutes, but honestly, not many have that kind of time to spare. I’ve had two endos I loved dearly, and one could carve out about 20 minutes on a good day (an hour late, mind you), while the other literally scheduled my first appointment at the end of his business day so he could relax and go over everything at length. As I say, I loved them BOTH, but one devoted much more time to finding out about me. They both treated me effectively, and as long as I was doing my research independently, I didn’t really NEED a great deal of time with either. As a matter of fact, the one who spent a great deal of time was one I met after the bulk of my treatment was finished, and I didn’t tell him how much I already knew. I took a great deal of comfort in hearing him say the things I already knew to be true.

Your job is to bring all the questions you have written down on paper, and bring a pen to make notes while you’re getting the answers. You may even want to enlist a friend to attend the appointment with you, because a second set of eyes and ears is always valuable.

Your appointment is pretty far off, and PTU can act rapidly to bring your levels down, so you should probably coordinate with your primary care physician to have labs done again about a week (or less) before the endo appointment. It’ll be helpful.

Good luck!

[Mickey65]

#1074734

My doctor referred me to mine. When I went in for a physical and to find out why my hands were shaking. He did bloodwork and at first thought it was Parkinson’s, but a few days later when he got my results back and saw I had an overactive throid, he referred me right away to Dr Bledsoe here in Austin, TX, an Endocrinologist.

So far so good. She’s a very nice lady, and answers all my questions.

[sarabear0508]

#1074735

Ski,

I have a special Grave’s note book designated for questions and personal logs. I write down each day how I feel and what meds I’ve taken. I’m all set! Actually it’s ridiculous how organized I can be…I even color coat things. I drive my sister nuts!!!!!!

TTYL
Thanks,

[npatterson]

#1074736

You have gotten some great answers! Primarily, I have found that good doctors refer to good doctors, asnd are not upset by you seeking a second opinion. NGDF knows many, but certainly not all, superio rthyroid specialists. One piece of advice I frequently give is to call the office of one who has been recommended, even if it is not feasible to go there. Tell them yhou have Graves’, the Graves’ Foundation suggested that yhou call them to get the name of a specialist in your area. They reequently know doctors in very small places, who are verty good dovctors but may not have the luxury of being members of the prestigious groups.

On the web, you can go to "www.thyroid,org". This is the website of the American Thyroid Assocviation. They are listed by state, and ALL are thyroid specialists. That is what makes them such a great reference. There is also the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
"www.AACE.com". On that site you scroll down (below the screen) to "Thyroid Disorders", and then list city and state. They6 are supposed to pick the three fields they treat the most. If you find one that then lists everything in the book, you will probably not find that one to do a lot of Graves’–but you can always call and ask. If the person has, indeed, listed three areas of specialization, you likely have one who does see Graves’ patients.

A couple of imnportant questions include: How many new Graves’ patients does the doctor see?, and how many Graves’ patients in all. Answers will range from several new ones every week, and 3-40 a week (You have a WINNER), to a few every year.

You can call the office for names of doctors who are members of NGDF, meaning they have enough interest in patients to support patient organizations. Again, feel free to contact us for names for referrals. We will help in any way we can.

Thanks to all of you for NOT posting specific names of doctors.

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