{"id":948,"date":"2012-08-18T10:15:05","date_gmt":"2012-08-18T13:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tracyleekarner.com\/?p=948"},"modified":"2012-08-18T10:15:05","modified_gmt":"2012-08-18T13:15:05","slug":"choosing-a-doctor-is-personal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tracyrittmueller.com\/2012\/08\/18\/choosing-a-doctor-is-personal\/","title":{"rendered":"Choosing a Doctor: it's personal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Choosing<\/a>
The Doctor, oil painting by Luke Fildes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nYou’re going to have to take your clothes off for your doctor. Hello! Choose someone you really like<\/em>, okay?
\nI\u2019m really good at choosing doctors. I’ve managed, no matter where I have lived, to find a terrific primary care giver, and when I’ve needed a specialist (oh, about sixteen bazillion times in my life), I’ve found a great one.
\nAfter I saw my doctor again<\/em> yesterday, I realized how incredibly vital it is for me, for the quality of my whole life, to have a\u00a0great\u00a0(and not merely okay)<\/em>\u00a0relationship with my health care provider.\u00a0<\/strong>I enjoy seeing my doctor.
\nMy doctor knows me and cares about me. She guides me through whatever health issues come up in my life. She listens to me. She gives me good advice.
\nPlease don\u2019t settle for a mediocre doctor. It\u2019s stressful, and you need to eliminate as much stress as possible. Stress kills.
\nSo I\u2019ve looked all over for a good book on this subject \u00a0(How to Choose a Great Doctor\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0by ?) so I could recommend it to you. But\u00a0there isn\u2019t one that I’d recommend. (Why NOT? Someone should write one!)
\nSo, maybe you’ll want to follow my posts for the next few weeks–the ones whose titles will all begin with \u201cchoosing a doctor.<\/em>
\nI have TONS of experience as a patient of zillions of doctors, and I’ve\u00a0always managed to find a good one.\u00a0You can, you know, fire your doctors and you should, if you don’t like them. Don’t forget that it\u2019s your<\/em> health.
\nI choose doctors that I could be friends with. But I\u2019m not; I want the relationship to remain strictly professional. But had we met somewhere other than in an examining room, we would be friends, I’m sure. I\u00a0admire her, respect her, want to hug her. I think she\u2019s gorgeous and funny and smart. And I\u2019m absolutely sure she feels the same way about me.
\nIf you wouldn\u2019t almost marry your doctor or choose her as a best friend, why are you going to that doctor? There are sooo many doctors out there, and a huge number of them are seriously excellent at being doctors. Be picky. It\u2019s you\u2019re<\/em> body.
\nYour body<\/em>, you understand? Your naked, personal, beloved body. You\u2019re not going to let just any old stranger, especially someone you don\u2019t even like, handle your body,<\/strong><\/em> are you?
\nBy the way–thanks to the blogger Winegetter, who reminded me to blog about what I\u2019m passionate about. When it comes to someone touching my body, I can get really fired up.
\nCan’t you? Maybe you should.
\nNow, because I want to keep this series uplifting and empowering instead of wallowing in the muck about the horrors of doctors, let\u2019s end on this happy note.
\nMy doctor told me yesterday, that my story would be really inspiring to people. <\/em>\u00a0(And she was talking about ME, not my memoir, which she doesn’t even know anything about yet).
\nWhat\u2019s the best compliment, best advice, or best encouragement your doctor has given you?<\/strong><\/p>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You’re going to have to take your clothes off for your doctor. Hello! Choose someone you really like, okay? I\u2019m really good at choosing doctors. I’ve managed, no matter where I have lived, to find a terrific primary care giver, and when I’ve needed a specialist (oh, about sixteen bazillion times in my life), I’ve …<\/p>\n

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