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When is it time to change care to a Gerontologist?
Aging Well | Last Active: Jun 11, 2022 | Replies (26)Comment receiving replies
Hello all
This is my first visit to this group. I am 70 hrs old. I have always been healthy with no chronic illness. During my annual physical exam in September 2019, I was diagnosed with MCD, a chronic kidney disease with no cure. The necessary medication to treatment my condition comes with an abundance of severe side effects. My PCP of 25 years retired in 2019 which resulted in my search for a new doctor. It was at my first annual physical with my new PCP that I was diagnosed with MCD. My issue is that all of my current(new doctors) appear to be in their 30’s and don’t seem interested in keeping me healthy. I recently heard about a health organization called Oak Street Health. They only treat patients on Medicare. It appears that they have offices in several states. They have been doing a lot of advertising in my area. Has anyone heard of this organization? If so can you please provide feedback. I am interested in finding a dr who doesn’t feel like my symptoms are all age related and a few pills will make me comfortable. I am only taking medication related to my kidney dx. No other chronic issues.
I live in Cincinnati Oh.
Replies to "Hello all This is my first visit to this group. I am 70 hrs old. I..."
@codered032 Welcome to Connect! Finding a new doctor is always so difficult, isn’t it? I have had to change doctors 4 times since we moved here. They were good doctors, but moved on to higher positions. I found my doctors by checking with the hospital in our area. The web site usually allows you to see where they went to school and what they specialize in. You can compare this list with recommendations from your friends. A geriatrician is good but with MCD, you’ll really want a kidney specialist, a nephrologist. You say there is no cure for this disease, but you want to stay in the best health you can.
I provided a link to Oak Street Health for you I know absolutely nothing about it, so cant give an evaluation.
https://www.oakstreethealth.com/news/oak-street-health-to-enter-19th-state-with-expansion-into-oklahoma-missouri-and-new-mexico
Think you can start your search tomorrow by going to your hospital’s website?
Hello @codered032
I would like to join Ginger and Becky in welcoming you to Mayo Connect. I can certainly understand that you want to find a geriatrician. I'm a few years older than you and I've been thinking about making a change to a geriatric doctor as well. Both Ginger, @gingerw, and Becky, @becsbuddy had some great ideas on how to find a specialist.
Previously, when my PCP retired I did an interview with a couple of doctors in the same hospital system. I found that the doctors were most willing to talk with me about my various health issues and found it understandable that I wanted to get to know them first. As Ginger suggested, also asking friends and people in your community for names of doctors that they have been pleased with is also a good idea. As Becky said, it is important that you seek out the help of a good nephrologist as well
Here is a link to WebMD where you can find a list of geriatric specialists near you, https://doctor.webmd.com/find-a-doctor/specialty/family-practice-geriatric-medicine
Just click on the state where you live and then a listing of cities will come up. From there you can find a geriatrician close by.
I hope you find a doctor who communicates well with you and with whom you feel comfortable. Will you post again and let me know how you are doing with your search?
Connect
@codered032 When it is time to enlist a new-to-you medical doctor, the hunt can be frustrating, and time-consuming. In the past, I have queried my friends who they use, or would not use, for a doctor. Hearing from them first-hand helps me. Would you be able to do that? Do you have a nephrologist for your kidney issue? If so, ask him/her who they would refer you to, someone who they have worked with before that made a good team. I did that to find my current nephrologist, and haven't been disappointed at all!
Something I have done in the past was to make a tentative decision on a doctor, then make an appointmet and go in to talk to them. and told them I wanted to see what their thoughts were on specific issues that were important to me, to see if we were compatible. I guess a little unusual, but it worked!
I look forward to hearing from you what you decide to do.
Ginger