Your Physician and the CEC
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Dr. Albee On . .
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suggestions for dealing with your physician before and after
a trip to the Center for Endometriosis Care. |
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- Respect
:
Typically, the OB/GYN spends nine years after college learning the
basics of the profession. There is an enormous amount of information
and experience required to master the many areas of expertise within
the specialty.
We must keep in mind that there are
many honest and caring physicians who may have a different opinion
about the causes and treatments of endometriosis. They are still
good doctors!
- Realize:
The idea that specialists
exist in the area of endometriosis treatment within the field of
gynecology is a new one. Reproductive endocrinologists may see a
higher percentage of endometriosis patients than the average
gynecologist because 20% of endo patients have some fertility
problems. To my knowledge there really
very
few practitioners (including REs) who devote the majority of their
time to endometriosis.
- Remind
:
It can be very helpful to remind yourself and your doctor of the
things that he/she has done well. Most women select their GYN with
great care. It is my opinion that GYNs are among the most caring and
expert group of MD’s that you could find anywhere. If there are
questions regarding your endometriosis care that have concerned you
or led you to independent research, don’t forget the ways in which
your doctor has helped over the years.
- Request:
A carefully worded appeal that includes some of the points above is
very difficult for any practitioner to simply ignore or brush off.
For example, "Dr. Spock, you have helped me greatly in the past. I
will always appreciate your skill and efforts on my behalf. Now, I
would like to ask you if you would please help me to get another
opinion as I seek to find answers for my pain. I still consider you
to be my doctor!"
Tips For Being Referred
Out
Although the CEC does not require you
to have a doctor’s referral to consult us, your insurance carrier may
have other rules. If you need your doctor to refer you out of the
network, try these tips.
- Ask specifically, don’t beat
around the bush.
- Tell the doctor why you have
chosen the Center for Endometriosis Care. Be prepared to report to
him/her the reasons our center is worthy of their respect (things
like: satisfied patient experience, worldwide referral base,
hundreds and hundreds of patients in an active data base of
follow-up, information resources, etc.)
- Don’t argue theories of treatment
or etiology. This is not likely to be successful or helpful, and may
frustrate you both.
- If you plan to continue your
regular care with the doctor, be sure to emphasize that point to
him/her.
- Explain that you are still
gathering information and that you will make your decisions after
you have completed the process. This is just a step toward that end.
Tips When Going Back
These tips may make your post-Atlanta
doctor visits easier.
- Be sure to compliment your doctor
for all the things that you learned that were done well ("Dr. Albee
said that the areas you operated on were clean and without
adhesions.")
- Be sure to take the complete
operative report and pathology reports with you if possible.
- Thank him/her for allowing you to
get help with their blessings.
- If your doctor disagrees with
things that you have heard here, it probably is due to different
beliefs regarding treatment and causes of recurrence. It is usually
best not to challenge the basic beliefs. If you need clarification
of our views or reassurance regarding something which seems
discouraging, call us. We can help you try to put what you have
heard in perspective with our beliefs.
- We are also anxious to discuss
your situation with your doctor anytime there are any questions.
Changing Minds
The very best way to change the way
gynecologists treat endometriosis is to allow them to see for
themselves. This means they need to follow-up patients who experience
long intervals of improvement in pain and absence of recurrence after
surgery here. Over the course of time I am convinced that we will see
the benefits of excision more and more widely accepted as the gold
standard of endometriosis treatment.
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