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Thread: Is there a ( decent) Dr. in the house?

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by admin View Post
    He may live in a rural/country area and they leave ?

    Its a regular thing in Victoria, foreign doctors are only allowed in if they do 3- 4 years (cant remember which, its one or the other) in the country before being allowed to move to Melbourne.
    That's what annoys me about our local practice. There is one doctor that seems to be permanent, but the other 3 are immigrant doctors that have to do their time here, before going off to wherever they prefer to work, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen the same doctor in there longer than about 12 months. Because I don't often go to the doctors, it's a different person every time I go. I tried to get to see the permanent one, but she has a full book and isn't taking any more patients.

    Just shits me going through the same rigmarole every time I need to see a doctor.

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    Quote Originally Posted by george65 View Post
    For about 8 years now I have been seeing a guy for my diabetes and general medical concerns. Love the guy, real character, done a LOT for me.
    Having moved he's nearly an hour each way from me and being a great doctor is very busy and sometimes takes a couple of weeks to book into see.

    At his suggestion I went to find a local GP for all the basic medical things I might need. Went to see this woman today and needed my medical for my driving signed off.
    Fk me. Said I had to have an eye check. Yes, had one 6 Months ago. but you have to see an optomologist every year? Why? I have low power reading glasses, no other problems and never had to see one before. Oh but we want you to see one every year! Umm, Fk that! She said I'll give you a quick eye test now. Fine.
    Can you read the top line. I read the bottom one. she says that's the wrong line. I said if I can read the bottom line we don't have to waste time with the others do we? Did it with the other eye, is that right? Yes, perfect. Well there we go!

    Next was have you seen a cardiologist? Have you seen .. The foot ? Specialist, have you seen..... NO. Why not? Because as you saw, nothing wrong with my heart or Blood pressure, as you also checked, my feet are fine, and apart from my mental condition, everything else is fine. I haven't seen a Proctologist either because my backside is fine too. Oh but we want you to keep an eye on things. What makes you think I'm not and why would I want to frig around seeing people when I have no problem?

    All I got was being pushed to see some specialist or another.

    Question for those that know for sure... Do GP's get ANY sort of kickback from specialists , the gubbermint or anyone else for referring people?

    This isn't the first time this has happened. One of my old doctors had me going to this High gap fee specialist or another all the time and they never found a damn thing wrong with me. I get there is a concern for giving proper care but I felt like this was way beyond that and the next thing I was going to asked was had the Blinker fluid in my car been checked recently?

    My other doctor goes through things with me on the medical, asks questions, ticks the boxes and I go to the local RMS which is always dead and give them the form and I'm done. He gives me the standard eye test which I never have any problem with and that's it.

    She questioned my a lot about my other doctor and asked who was my Diabetes specialist. I told her. She said who was my GP? I said the same guy. She q questioned that and said all GP's can treat Diabetes but they are not specialists. I said he is. She looked him up on the computer and was reading his credentials and Said "Oh, he is x, y and Z and...." I said yes, just like I told you.

    By now I'm thinking WTF am I wasting my time here? She wanted me to come back to make a health plan and to give me some refferals to these specialists I don't need. I also got a form to transfer all my records when I went out and I said I can't remember any of the details, I'll take it home and fill it in and send it back to You.

    Yeah, Pigs arse.
    Came home, rang the old doc and made the first available appointment I could which is nearly 2 weeks away.

    I'll wait and I'll happily travel from now on. This is the 3rd local quack I have seen and none of them give me any confidence or seem to be interested in anything bar their Medicare Cheque. This thing with trying to get you to see every specialist out there is annoying and suspect to me.

    I'll go back to the other bloke and he will kick my arse for being slack and I'll sit there listening with a smile on my face thankful for his direct, no bullshit manner which motivates me not to let him down more than I'm concerned about myself.
    Doctor was just covering their arse. Last page, top, it asks how long have you been treating this patient?, and, how long has this patient been going to your practice? There is the reason you were put through the third degree. If the Doctor just signed you off and you were to, shortly after, have a "medical episode" as they call it, and injure or kill someone, old Doc will get their arse reamed good and proper if they can't produce the facts on why the no no no answers on your fitness to drive. I only did my fitness to drive form today.
    You can learn alot using Google, and the search button.....

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    I have type 2 diabetes. Hope this helps.

    You can tell a LOT about the progression of your disease by looking at the tiny blood vessels in the eyes. Diabetes causes a lot of vascular problems, problems that are not always readily apparent until the disease is advanced. In addition to being a great idea overall, by looking inside your eyeballs, they can hopefully find problems before they progress to the major systems, or cause blindness.

    Again, hope this helps.

    Matt

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    Quote Originally Posted by george65 View Post
    At least for new Teachers they CAN send you anywhere.
    There’s a long tradition of this in education. It’s not just for raw graduates, but if an experienced teacher wants to take a step up, they may be offered a vice principal position in outer woop, with the unwritten ageement that in a few years, they’ll be able to transfer back to the city.

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    Just been on the phone to the girlfriend, she's in hospital for the 4th time in 8 months. She's 46.

    Thinking about it, it's 38 years since I was in hospital, and that was due to a car accident....

    Looks like I'm driving to Bunbury tomorrow.....

    Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

  • #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob_m_54 View Post
    That's what annoys me about our local practice. There is one doctor that seems to be permanent, but the other 3 are immigrant doctors that have to do their time here, before going off to wherever they prefer to work, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen the same doctor in there longer than about 12 months. Because I don't often go to the doctors, it's a different person every time I go. I tried to get to see the permanent one, but she has a full book and isn't taking any more patients.

    Just shits me going through the same rigmarole every time I need to see a doctor.
    I know where you are coming from Bob. While in theory its good practice for rural areas, they simply don't hang around after they do their time as the cities offer better money and opportunity. A specific visa that only allows residency in a rural area should be brought in....surely there would be foreign doctors prepared to take it up ? They can make a good living in a far nicer area than the horrors Sydeny and Melbourne are today.

    I have been seeing my GP for 20 years and another doctor in the same practice for 5 years before that. I actually only changed doctors because the other one had so many elderly patients that talked all day that I would have to wait up to 90 minutes after my appointment time to see him.

    My GP is easily amused. He asks me what I think is wrong with myself to see if my diagnosis and suggested treatment is correct. Given I have been seeing him for 20 years, I usually get about 90%+ correct to his annoyance.

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    Quote Originally Posted by admin View Post

    I actually only changed doctors because the other one had so many elderly patients that talked all day that I would have to wait up to 90 minutes after my appointment time to see him.
    I remember the family doctor telling me when I was young that in winter he had to get the secretary to extend the appointments by 5 Minutes because If he wanted to listen to the oldies chests or back, it took them that long to peel the 17 layers of clothing off so he could get the stethoscope in there.
    Also told me he got audited a lot for the amount of house calls he made ( as Dr's did back then) because he had so many elderly paitents. I know he had at least 6 in our street alone. Often he would come to see my grandmother or the neighbour across the road then come over and see the other and one or 2 others up the street.
    Sometimes he literally stuck his head in the front door and said how you going, other times it would he a blood pressure check and some questions and on his way. Never charged for that, only if you called him.
    Guy actually cared about his patients. As it was back then, often he'd be leaving with a bag full of produce from the back garden of everyone he saw.


    I have had a number of Dr's that kept me waiting over an hour every single time. When I was full time looking after my father in law when he had cancer, the specialist's were the freaking worst. He came and lived in my house which was 1 Street away from the town. I would ring the secretary about 15 Min before the appointment and ask what time should we come? I let them know we were not going to sit around for an hour or more so what time should we get there so we saw the Dr in a timely manner? A few got shitty but I quickly educated them and some would even ring and tell us how far the Dr was running behind so we knew when to get there.

    Whenever I see a new Doc I straight up ask, Do you run to time or should I come an hour after my appointment or.... I tell them my time is valuable, my patience is thin so if you don't run to time let me know and I'll make other arrangements. The guy I have now is pretty good. I understand that there may be emergency's etc but that should not make them an hour behind every damn time you see them. My guy is usually spot on to 10 min behind which is fine my me.

    The last GP's secretary and I got on well. A couple of times I let an oldie who was obviously crook or keen to catch the bus home go before me. Took one old fella home one day as he wasn't in a real good way to walk. The secretary then used to call me "a real gentleman" ( oh how little she knew!) and would ring me if the doc was running behind.
    The doc overheard her once and gave her grief. I gave the doc grief back and said she was an asset to her practice and she should appreciate her going the extra mile because her patients did. Don't think that went a long way so then the sec just used to text me what time to arrive. Doc saw me walk in once as she took the previous patient in and then commented I was late for my appointment time. I said well I knew you wouldn't be on time ( obviously) and I have better things to do than sit in your waiting room.
    She said well we allow leeway if people are late. I said I have NEVER been late yet and given I live literally 2 Minutes away, never will be. I told her, I tried making the first appointment after lunch so you wouldn't be held up and 4 times you were still 15 Min late. Never heard any more about it after that.

    My GP is easily amused. He asks me what I think is wrong with myself to see if my diagnosis and suggested treatment is correct.
    My doc ( Whom I will continue to travel to see) is similar. I change my medication as I see fit and tell him and why and he never has a problem with it. He says "you think about things, your reasoning is sound, you have a good understanding of what is going on and there is no doctor that understands how you are feeling as well as you do and your results are generally where I want them where your medication can control so I don't have a problem with it. " Often we have stuck to my changes as he says if you feel better and your results are within parameters, not a problem, everyone is different.

    The only thing we disagree on is the Cholesterol tablets. Tried a few and they all kick the shit out of me. I ache and feel like I have been run over and my cholesterol isn't bad, he wants it better than a normal person because I have Diabetes. He says they don't give side effects, another Doc friend of mine in the US strongly disagrees and it's not psychological when I take them. I ache and I pain and feel like a wet bloody rag. Hate the Damn things and I usually don't take them unless I am planning a lazy day anyway. Every time, I get up and feel like shit and THEN remember why. Not in my head when I feel like crap for hours and wonder why only then remember I took the damn pills.
    Other than that, he does not give me grief..... except if I have been slack then he kicks my arse which is what I need and appreciate.

    The only other thing we have disagreed on is I should get a local GP. He's stuck with me till he says he won't see me any more or what I am really dreading, he retires. He's 66 already and owns the medical centre where there are about 7 other doctors so I'm sure he would be able to get a good income if he wasn't there. He's been building a miniature ride on train set in his back yard for the last few years ( which is something to behold!) for his grand kids ( so he says!) and I'm sure he'd be happy to spend more time on that.

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