Where does one go to find a good doctor? My first, in college, told me unexpected weight gain despite being in several sports, riding my bicycle several miles a day to/from classes and having three pt jobs was because I was drinking too much beer and eating pizza. I was a non-drinker and ate healthfully for sports performance. My second told me I was too young to have a thyroid problem, that only old ladies become hypothyroid. My third told me he “didn’t believe” the hype behind “all this hypothyroid fervor”, said it had nothing to do with weight gain or my unexplained infertility, PCOS, or what had become by then troubling symptoms. He also accused me of looking for an excuse for weight gain for my bad habits (I was a vegetarian and he was obese). Fast forward to now, thirty some years later and I have never had my thyroid under control. My GP doesn’t care how I feel, or which symptoms I display, all she focuses on are the numbers. My TSH is “ slightly too high” but my T4 is barely in range so she keeps my medication at this current level despite hair, skin and nail issues, headaches, visual disturbances, constipation, slow gastric emptying, feeling faint and dizzy and now lethargic all day. I have told her repeatedly that, after thirty years of this I know I need to have my TSH no higher than 2 - 2.5 to feel good and have normal GI functioning and to prevent hair loss, but of course she knows better, being the almighty doctor. My current level is at 5.8, but I know that means nothing without knowing which type of test they use (honestly, standardize it already to prevent confusion between docs using different lab tests!)
The endocrinologist I had been seeing left my insurance clinic system and the department is now short staffed and none are taking new patients, at least not for almost 9 months. Worse for finding new GP’s.
I tried to be seen by Mayo but they determined that I should take it up with my GP. When I told her I would like to see an endocrinologist or internal med again, she became upset and said that I don’t need that, and she marched me to the lab for my recent blood draw.
This is the type of thing so many of us must deal with- Egos over patients’ needs.
Does anyone know of a resource for patients seeking information or ratings on doctors that keeps current and which one does not have to pay to use?