Posted by Noa on November 28, 2001, at 18:00:39
In reply to Re: thyroid, depression, doctors, and HMOs, posted by susan C on November 28, 2001, at 17:22:33
I was also going to suggest asking them to call you if there is a cacellation, of which there are often many, I think.
As for waiting so long, I think a few factors could affect this. Are you waiting for an HMO approved specialist? It's possible there is only a short list of endos on your plan. If so, you could choose to get an initial consult outside your plan and just pay for it yourself, although because of other factors, you could have to wait just as long. You could explore that to see if it would expedite things. Just don't cancel your appointment. Depending on where you live, endos might be in short supply in general. My neice needed to see a pediatric endo last year, and had to wait 6 months for an appointment because of the scarcity of these specialists. Or perhaps this one is in high demand because they are good?
I did hear news last year that medical schools are training fewer specialists because there was thought to be a glut in specialists during the past decade. Can't verify that.
Anecdotally, I heard from a recent med school graduate that the most popular residency (specialty training) is in opthalmology because of how lucrative the laser surgery business is.
I found my endo online actually! At a site where consumers can recommend good endos. (see the thyroid and depression folder)
I, too, commend you for your perseverence. I definitely think pusuing this angle is a good idea. It is always possible that it isn't the answer, but you do have to pursue it to find out. And if you are hypothyroid, if it turns out that it is not the *only* treatment strategy you will need, it could at least be a major component. It was for me--I was not responding well to antidepressants until my thyroid condition was adequately treated. Good luck.
poster:Noa
thread:85423
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011123/msgs/85447.html