Finding the Right Doctor Is Key to Good Long-term Care

Choosing your healthcare provider can be as important and daunting a challenge as finding your life partner. You need someone who will advocate for you and who has your best interests at heart. You need someone who is passionate about what they do and who wants to make a difference.

Your doctor needs to believe you, as well as believe in you. She needs to realize that you probably will never be an average patient and you may cause more gray hairs than most of her other patients. She needs to be willing to go that extra mile for you.

I am on a first-name basis with my doctors, their receptionists, and nurses. I have their cellphone numbers so I can call about urgent situations or with updates. I owe my life to them.

My doctors search the globe for a treatment to improve my quality of life. They advocate on my behalf with my health insurance company. I receive weekly after-hours phone calls to check on my progress. The entire staff at my doctor’s office sang to me on my birthday.

Do your research when you receive your diagnosis or when you move to a new area. Ask for recommendations from your support group. Visit different healthcare providers, and if you don’t “click” with them, move on. Don’t stay because you feel guilty about going elsewhere. You are No. 1 — and you deserve proper healthcare.

I had been with the same doctor for over 10 years, and I loved her. Then I had to move to a different province, and I was afraid I wouldn’t find another doctor who would measure up. I initially saw a neurologist but realized I needed someone more involved. So, I did some more research and found a professor in another province who was knowledgeable about myasthenia gravis. She referred me to a doctor close to where I live.

I have never been happier. I often wonder if I would still be here if I had allowed my life to be controlled by someone who seemed to have no interest in my quality of life. Do not let this be you. Keep fighting. Find “the one” — and never give up.

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Myasthenia Gravis News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.