Finding the perfect GI doctor has always been a challenge for me. It seems that a good number of GI docs want the simple, let's scope the 50-something patient every two years and collect payment, kind of patient. I realize that I may be lumping a lot of doctors into a pile here, but in my 26 years of Crohn's disease, trying to find a doctor that will stick with me through the ups and downs, has been hard to accomplish. I had one GI doc, that came highly recommended I might add, that said "I don't do hospitals. If you are going to need to be admitted, I am not the doctor for you." What kind of doctor doesn't "do" hospitals?
I have discovered that the best thing to do is interview your prospective GI doc. I have also concluded that university/research hospitals are the best bet. My all-time favorite GI doc was at the University of Chicago. I am in north Alabama. So that wasn't very realistic. My new GI doc is at Vanderbilt in Nashville, TN and in my first meeting with her I asked as many questions of her as she asked of me. It also helped that when I name dropped my U of Chicago doc that I love, she knew exactly who I was talking about.
My favorite thing about my new favorite GI: every other GI I've ever had is always chomping at the bit to put me on steroids. My GI doc at Vandy has told me to expect a flare immediately following the birth of our baby. I asked her if they would be putting me on a mega dose of steroid following the birth and she looked at me like I was crazy. That was so refreshing. Her response: "Why put you on steroids until a flare reveals itself?" YAY no steroids!!
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