View Full Version : What type of doctor?
Hi, I'm a long time member/reader of this site (always a go-to place for good info) but haven't really posted, but I got a little frustrated today and decided to come to you guys for some advice. I am 8 years post injury (L1) and for the most part I haven't had many problems relating to my injury and therefore haven't had to go to the doctor very often. I recently switched insurance providers so I set up an appointment with a doctor, not for anything wrong, but just because my prescription was running out so I needed a refill. My frustration comes because whenever I've gone to a doctor, even if it's because I have a cold, the doctor always seems to try to find something more wrong with me and I'm like "Ok, yes, I have a spinal cord injury but that doesn't mean I can't get a normal cold like everyone else on this earth." Anyway, I'm just tired of these doctors looking at me like I'm some medical oddity because they don't have experience with spinal cord injuries and I'm tired of the shocked expressions and millions of questions because I'm there by myself and actually drove there in my own car. I want a doctor who has experience with patients with spinal cord injuries but how do I go about finding one? How did you find one? Am I supposed to be going to a special type of doctor? Maybe I'm not supposed to go to these doctors and that's why they look at me and treat me weird? Any help and advice you guys could give me would be great, I'm not necessarily asking about what type of doctor to go to if I have problems relating to my SCI, but more so for a primary care physician type of thing. Thanks in advance and thanks for all the help over the years!
SCI-Nurse
08-11-2008, 08:34 PM
You are right. You don't say in your profile where you are from, and I can really only answer from the standpoint of the USA.
Most physicians have limited or no experience with SCI, and are more freaked out than you realize when you show up in their office, because they know that 1) they don't know much about SCI and 2) that you probably know more than they do.
If possible, it is a good idea to have a physiatrist (rehab specialist, PM&M) who you see on a regular basis (every year is a good idea) who knows SCI and can help you not only with your SCI-specific health concerns, but can also help you to find other physicians (a urologist, who you should see at least once annually, and an internist, if possible, plus other specialists such as colorectal physicians, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, infectious disease specialists, etc. etc. etc.) who have some SCI knowledge and experience as needed. They can also talk to your primary provider about how to adjust your care for other conditions as needed related to your SCI-specific needs. Even better, if the physiatrist or other specialist have a second board certification in Spinal Cord Medicine, they may also serve as your primary provider. There are currently only about 250 of the latter in the USA, so they can be hard to find. Some, but not all physiatrists are experts in SCI. Some do mostly stroke or TBI. Some physiatrist, but not all, will do primary care (be your main doctor).
Here is a place to find physiatrists in your area. You may need to interview several to find one who is right for you, and if you live in a remote or rural area, you may have to travel a ways to see one.
http://www.e-aapmr.org/imis/imisonline/findphys/find.cfm
(KLD)
Thanks! This was very helpful to me, also! Good luck amy!
bbs
Thanks for the info, I never noticed this Doctors & Clinics section of the forum before and now I see that many others have had the same questions as me, just another good thing about this board, seeing that you're not alone and that sometimes other people are just as confused as you are! Thanks! :)