Disappointed with my GP

My family doctor is really great, super understanding, supportive, kind, knowledgeable about most things and I like his way of working. He doesn't overload on medications and he is fairly old school in terms of prevention and treatment. He was fully behind me on the weight loss surgery route and I was sure I would have no trouble with follow up with him. The rubber just hit the road...

He doesn't have a clue about the vitamins and minerals supplementation and testing. The first Rx that Dr Gagner sent for the 3 months follow up, my GP ticked the boxes, mumbled that he doesn't understand why some of these tests are being requested and didn't order some like the serum levels of iron and certain vitamins saying that active levels were enough to see the picture and ferritin reserves were enough to understand what is going on with the iron.

My 6 months appointment was Friday and the same thing. He didn't want to do "useless" tests and got a bit cross with me even when I said that there must be a reason my surgeon wants those tests done. I did not insist because I could see he was not comfortable and I just decided on the spot that I have other options for the labs so there was no point to try to force his hand and I got the distinct impression that forcing would not work. So I backed off.

I have an appointment with an endocrinologist next week and I am also going to ask directly at the lab if they would do the testing based on Dr G's prescription without me passing through my GP. That way I will keep the GP for the flu and colds and sick leave certificates and do my lab work in parallel... I must say I was disappointed...

shame that Your GP made you feel like that  ,  you know you can get a standing order for your blood work   my surgeon given mine for every 3 months so before i  visit the clinic again my blood work    will be done each time for a year  maybe speak to your     doctor  maybe he can fill one paper out with a  rec that you have it done  every 3 months   hope that helps

Yeah I amgoing to try to get around it by bypassing (hahaha!) the GP. I just have to see if the lab. Here will accept a stadig order from a surgeon in Canada...I am in Switzerland...

Oh dear, that is probably not going to work. You know how they tell you to take prescriptions with you when you travel so if you lose your meds you can get more? We found out the hard way that pharmacies won't accept international prescriptions. We had to go to a doctor there and show him the prescription, and he asked a couple of questions and then wrote us an identical prescription so it could be filled. That seems to be standard with international prescriptions, and my guess is that it will be for labs, too.

I hope your endocrinologist will agree to run the labs for you instead.

Perhaps you should contact your surgeon and explain the situation. He may have materials you can show your doctor that explain why the various tests are necessary.

Here they tend to accept as it is a very international environment with the UN and over 50,000 international employees and families (between the UN, NGOs and multinationals as well as a large private sector international component) in a city of 300,000 and we make the economy turn here so the local services tend to be very accomodating.... I will check and see. Prescriptions here are fine from anywhere. I have filled Canadian and Senegalese prescriptions in both Switzerland and France so hopefully for labs it will be the same.

Julia, I am sorry to hear this and really encourage you to find a way to get your needs met.

As a result of the tests my surgeon ordered (my PCP also mumbled that she didn't know why some of these are being ordered - but she did them anyway), it was learned that I had some very significant things going on that really mattered.

Several specialists later, there is finally a very bright light at the end of the tunnel, but the findings showed I need to do some things differently than most sleevers - such as be sure I don't take iron supplements.

If those tests hadn't been done, I would have followed the usual path and - in the process- destroyed my vital organs.

Don't take no for an answer.

Annie

He is ordering the basics but not serum levels for some reason he thinks the stored level values are all that really matter. So its not a complete no, and he did do the same last time which showed a small A and D deficiency so I am boosting that with Vitalady's help. I am good on iron so I don't take that supplement anyway and zinc and selenium were fine at three months. He did order these again. So really the only ones the GP did not order are serum iron, serum thiamin, serum vit A and D and serum something else...I can't recall. The reat he did tick. I think the endo will understand better especially given that she is US trained. And if that diesn't work I will try the lab directly with Dr G's Rx and if THAT doesn't work then I will do the one year post op labs in Montreal early September when I take my daughter to university there. And I have doctor friends too so I may have to play that card too... I will work it out somehow. Just hope that I can work it out every year from now on!!!

Sounds like you came up w/a good plan!

Sorry about your experience!! I had a similar one this past week and I'm now on the search for a new primary doc.

This is not your friend its your employee. You pay him to do a job...be damned if HE doesn't understand...ijs

Ms Shell