for me, and i would assume anyone with a chronic disease that entails lots of doctor visits, there is nothing worse then seeing a new one, a dr. that you have to explain your whole life story to, well, i guess, your whole med. history to be more accurate... personally, it's so stressful to have to deal with a doctor who is not on my medical "team."

this "team" is a group of dr.s that i have carefully culled together over the years, believe me, there was lots of bad "dates" before i found the "right one" for me, i guess finding your gastroenterologist (insert your own "ologist" here) can be likened to a first date...you tell your story, open yourself up to extreme vulnerability, while you are sitting there in your paper dress... anyway, it's hard. such a far cry from the doctors you know and who know you well, know your history -- what you've been through. etc... obviously i am writing this with my personal perspective, but i have a hunch that many people feel the same way when dealing with new dr.s... the best case scenario is when they turn out to be compassionate and empathetic, brilliant and helpful... that is great. balloons fall out from the sky and glitter is everywhere when that happens, i love it and can't stop smiling for days when i meet a dr. like that who can help me and who "get" my situation and offer me some hope. sadly, more often then not, i run into lame, totally detached robots..., the complete opposite of empathetic healers, machines who are devoid of any human emotions...

that stinks... i find this most often when i'm in the hospital for periods of time and forced to deal with residents who have yet to develop any and i stress the word any, bedside manner. they are more often then not, walking and talking versions of computers who intake your 411 without any emotional output. it's just so crappy, because at that moment you are your most down and a hand on yours or a kind smile and an offer of a compassionate shoulder to unload some of what are obviously real and hard issues would mean so much. but, i must make myself very clear here. there are definitely doctors along the way who are the way they should be, the "new old school," the kind who take the time to look in on you after all their rounds, just to hang a little, crack a joke, look at your pictures... these doctors are really doing hard work. not just the clinical work that they can separate themselves from after a day at the office, but taking the time to walk a mile in their patients shoes and it is an extraordinary thing that makes all the difference.
luckily for me, my rheumatologist, my primary doctor, is exactly this kind of person, even though he has a young family, when i'm in the hospital, even for weeks at a time, he comes every night and stays for about 30 minutes, just checking in with me, making sure everything is all right,ironing out the days creases, offering his shoulder for my inevitable vents, kleenex in hand, our years worth of private jokes about hospital and sick life at the ready to put a smile on my face...
whenever you are lucky enough to come across a doctor gentle and caring like this, scoop him or her up and try to get them to be on your "team" and in time you will have your own private offensive line-up for when the medical world's clueless and indifferent doctors put a damper in your day...
take care always...
j

i dealt with that the other day and believe me, all i could do was cry, when i got home and composed myself, it all was easier to put into perspective, see the situation for what it was. however, when you are in it, Kleenex sometimes are the only option...