in the level of care from the next generation. Granted they are under tremendous pressure from their employers to see a tremendous number of patients - like one every 8 minutes? But still, they swan in, barely look at your medical history, ask few questions - I mean it is entirely up to you to describe your symptoms, dates of onset, any recent changes, etc., because they have little time or interest in asking questions. So we all need to research our symptoms in advance, have everything written down beforehand so we don't forget anything in our precious 8 minutes. I rely on the Mayo Clinic website for thorough information on symptoms, including all possible causes, all possible treatments, etc. When drugs are listed re treatment, I then research the individual drugs, looking for reports of efficacy, reactions, complaints, background studies, etc.
My great family doc of many years left her practice with one medical giant to go teach for its main competitor. First Giant invoked its do not compete clause as applying to teaching as well as practice.
So I started seeing another doc in her old practice. New doc immediately prescribed an additional drug with no change in my health or symptoms beforehand. I had a reaction - dizziness/lightheadedness/low blood pressure. It apparently never occurred to new doc that it MIGHT be from this new drug. Instead, she refers me for an echocardiogram and a chemical stress test ($$$ for her UPMC colleagues). I research chemical stress test and find that as of December, 2013, the FDA put out an elevated warning for 2 drugs used in the chemical stress test that they were found to trigger heart attacks. Specifically, "FDA warns of rare but serious risk of heart attack and death with cardiac nuclear stress test drugs Lexiscan (regadenoson) and Adenoscan (adenosine)."
I also found that possible side effects of that new drug from the new doc were lightheadedness, dizziness and low blood pressure. So I did not get the chemical stress test. At this point, I tracked down my "old" doc - where she is practicing some 40 miles away, just across the boundary for the do-not-compete zone. I tell her my recent history and symptoms. She looks in my ears and tells me I have some swelling from an earlier bad cold - prescribes an antihistamine nasal spray. One spray & my symptoms clear up. So it wasn't the new prescription, but it was something that a competent doc would have found if she had bothered to look into my ears. Sheesh! And my old doc saw no reason for me to have gotten that new scrip.
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