Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to ask if any of you have had any problems getting a hold your doctor in the past?
It took my doctor almost a week to get back with me, when I asked him what the next step was in regards to what medicines to take. I had to call his medical assistant 3 times and email him twice to get an answer…
Is this normal for a doctor to take this long to get back with you? I think it’s rather strange…??? :roll:
Emma
I think something definitely is strange. I flew quite a distance to meet with him. My husband, who is a physician, actually emailed him directly and they had a nice email communication and Hain said he would be happy to see me. however, at the appt I saw Dr. Cherchi for almost the whole time and Hain for 2 minutes, at which time he made no acknowledgment that he ever corresponded with my husband. After the appt, I tried to contact him several times with no success, and eventually, after weeks, Cherchi got back to me. Next time, I contacted Dr. Cherchi direct and he got back to me promptly.
i do not understand a physician that takes this long to get back to his patients…I understand he is a most respected doctor in this field but that would really bother me if I could not get in touch with him and especially going through this disease as we do daily. just my two cents worth.
Hi Emma,
Yes, that is poor practice for a physician. My doc always gets back the same day, by email if I email, or via phone if I call his office. I know people don’t want to be a bother to their physicians, but 2 weeks is absolutely inappropriate. In the past with other docs, I would call their office and explain that I needed the doc to call me back. If I did not hear by 7pm from the doctor, I would call their answering service and have them paged. I think waiting a day or two is reasonable but beyond that, I would be more aggressive and insistent that the doctor get back to me.
That’s my two cents as well…
btw—what did Dr. Hain say with regards to your treatment?
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
They told me to slowly increase to 30 mg of Celexa. I hope that helps…
What are you taking for your MAV? Is Dr. Newman your doctor?
I just want to clarify something about my doctor. He has been pretty good with getting back with me in the past so that’s why I don’t understand why he took so long this time…I still think he is a really good doctor.
Emma
Hey Emma,
Glad he got back to you. Makes sense to keep going with celexa as you have seen some partial results. Yes, Dr. Newman is my doc. He is a believer in the SSRI’s and usually starts with zoloft. Did you ever see him? I’m taking verapamil, but we are going very slowly with this med as my blood pressure and pulse are low at baseline. Right now I am at 80 mg and will move up to 100 mg in a few weeks.
I hope this next dose increase makes the difference for you!
Best,
Lisa
I have had varying experiences in this matter. The first time I emailed Dr Hain, I received a response almost immediately. I was shocked! We emailed back and forth for several minutes. There have been other times that I have had to wait longer. When I mentioned this to him at later appointments, he apologized and said he sometimes just let himself get overloaded and should have asked Dr Cherchi to help him with the correspondence. The last time I was in a desperate situation, I emailed both Dr Cherchi & Dr Hain & received a very thorough, thoughtful response from Dr Cherchi. And then emails from Dr Hain too! Feast or famine! I think Dr Hain sometimes just gets overwhelmed with all his activities.
Claudia