Switching Doctors
He is about 30 miles away from me now. When I started with him, he was "down the road", but time passes, and I've moved (several times). If I have to go to his office for anything, blood pressure check, throat culture, blood work, it is a minimum of 2 hours of my time. So...after much thinking, I've decided to get a local doctor. The people at my Health Club (it is affliated with a hospital) recommended a new doctor. I called today and made an appointment for my annual physical. They've faxed me the record release letter that they will send to my old doctor, and guess what...I FEEL GUILTY AS HECK!!! I feel like I'm cheating on him! But with getting older, I need someone closer. I thought maybe I'd write him a note explaining. Am I nuts? Should I just let it go? He was my doctor, my dad's doctor, my ex-husband's doctor, my current husband's doctor, my step mother's doctor. I sort of hate to just walk away. Thoughts, please! |
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| I think a note is a great idea. I am sure he will understand that he is just too far away now. |
I think a thank you note would be great You just need to tell me who he is..maybe I'll like him  |
| A note is a lovely idea. The time it takes for a handwritten note means so much- and speaks volumes about the care you have recieved over the years. |
| A note sounds lovely.
In the note, be sure to ask if his children got good grades on your family's tuition payments, and ask if you can still come to his annual Holiday party.
Oh wait, you weren't invited before? Then it's just a business relationship. There are lots of people you see on a regular basis in the biz world. I know it's nice to have a special relationship with your doctor(s) and when you find one you really like it's soooo important, but I think that a nice letter is more than enough. |
| Write the note and tell it straight: you need someone closer. Thank him for his care, blahblahblah. I'd be thrilled to receive a note from a patient and would understand the circumstances.
My PCP move away from me! Well the replacement is even better!! |
| I would also send him a note.
Don't feel guilty though. I finally broke down and found a PCP here in the Desert this week (after living here 3 1/2 years). He looked at my chart and saw that I had Fibromyalgia. He asked who I go to. I told him my Rheumatologist is 100 miles away, but that I see him every 6 weeks. Also that I have been with this Dr since 2003 and I am in the middle of trying to get disability, so I didn't want to change Dr's in the middle of this. He thought about it for a minute and said, "I don't know of any Rheumatologist here in the Desert that treat Fibromyalgia" FIGURES!! At least I have one Dr here now.  I was hoping he could refer me to a good Dr here in the Desert. Seems there are not many specialist here though.  |
| I do the same thing as you. I've been with my doc since I was 12 and don't want to go anywhere else. If I ever were to leave, I'd definitely send him a little note just to let him know that I was leaving and why and thanking him for being so great all these years. Though it is a business relationship, I think when you trust someone that long with your health, on some level, they become more to you. I was one of his first patients out of med school and have been with him every since. I really like him and he always spends a lot of time with me and we just talk about life. I feel like I know his family and he knows mine, too. In fact, he gave me a card for my engagement! That alone gets him a note if I ever have to leave! |
| Our FP doctor moved to the twin Cities several years ago, and he just moved back to a neighboring town a few months ago. We were so sad that he left.
He was our family doctor since Travis needed his kindergarten school physical, and Travis is 20 now. He saw LeAnne through her 1st pregnancy, and even was the one who helped her tell us that she was 18 and pregnant. He is a wonderful person. I have been seeing a Nurse Practitioner (a super one too!) from his old office since he left - I didn't have the heart to find a new DR. Even though his office is on the far side of town. I have sort of been drifting along, not needing to make a real decision. Now that he is back, I need to decide if I want to drive a bit further still. I would still use the same hospital - he still has privileges at the hospital I work at (and get discounts at!) LeAnne had to find a new Dr when she got pregnant. She has decided to go back to our old DR now - in the middle of her pregnancy. She likes her new Dr, just says it is not the same relationship and trust she feels with her old Dr. Sometimes you just need to do things like that. |
| I had my OB/Gyn for years...delivered both my kids, saw me through some serious medical problems. A few years ago he left this area, and moved to a very small town in Wisconsin, that did not have an OB/GYN. I cried!!! Since I'm past menopause and have very little need for a GYN (except paps) I go to a Nurse Practitioner now. She's great, but I still miss my old Doc. |
| I think the note is a wonderful idea. When a patient leaves a practice, there are always concerns about what went wrong. The note would let them how much you like them, but circumstances are making you change. It will leave the option open for you to return if the new doctor doesn't work out.
End the note with a comment to the effect you wish they would relocate closer to you. Down here, we don't measure distance in miles, we measure in time. Thirty miles can easily take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour, depending on what areas you have to travel through. Not to mention rush hour. And road construction. And we always have a back up route due to all of the truck wrecks shutting down the highways. |
| I think a note would be really nice.
Funny thing I just visited a Dr. this week that I've been going to for years and his "bedside manner" has seemed to change for the worse since he's been in the profession longer. You have a legitimate reason to change with time constraints nowadays but I bet he'd like to know how much you appreciated his services throughout the years. |
| I think a note explaining the situation and thanking him for all he has done would be a good idea. He would probably appreciate it as well. Might even get you the x-mas party invite. jk! |
| Just and update. I sent my doctor a letter. It was really nice, if I say so myself. I don't expect a reply from him, but I'm glad, in my heart, that I did it. For all I know, he might not even care, but I do, so I"m really glad I did it. I feel better having some closure. He's taken very good care of my family and me for many years. |
| You absolutely did the right thing. I work in a very busy clinic but the Dr's DO worry when they lose a patient. They appreciate knowing that it wasn't because of something they did or didn't do. I also think that when a Dr. treats you badly and you leave because of that you should nicely let them know that their care wasn't up to your standards. |
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