Wellness

[I am still oxox]

I have a compromised immune system and with the quarantine and Covid 19 my life has been turned upside down. I am on treatment but need guidance how to handle certain things

 I have sent messages to my immunologist and waited 4-5 days for a response.

I posted a message to her noon on Monday and still have no answers.

I have lost faith in her and will be looking for a new doctor soon

What would you do 

[OkeyDokey]

I would call the medical assistant, if you haven't.  There's a chance they are out of town and are unaware of the message?

[I am still oxox]

@OkeyDokey 

They do not respond to phone message, the portal lists if the doctor is out of the office

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@OkeyDokey wrote:

I would call the medical assistant, if you haven't.  There's a chance they are out of town and are unaware of the message?

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[GenXmuse]

Maybe have a committee meeting to decide. 
Oh, wait. 

[FancyPhillyshopper]

Do you have a family doctor who can contact her if it if it is urgent?

Is she independent or does she belong to a medical practice?

I am guessing all medical personnel are overloaded right now and may be prioritizing emergencies.

It may be difficult to find another expert at short notice.

If you  truly like her and she is knowledgeable, you should consider if you really want to switch just because she is taking a little longer to respond.

[lovesrecess]

I would be looking for another doctor. No doctor should be that non responsive. What if it is an emergency? If you have a primary car physician, contact them and see if they can refer you to someone else in that field. Good luck and stay safe.

[alicedee]

Are people having trouble finding doctors taking on new patients?  In my area it can be a long wait.  I spent two days calling to find a new primary care physician in my area that would accept a new patient.

[ScrapHappy]

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@I am still oxox wrote:

I have a compromised immune system and with the quarantine and Covid 19 my life has been turned upside down. I am on treatment but need guidance how to handle certain things

 I have sent messages to my immunologist and waited 4-5 days for a response.

I posted a message to her noon on Monday and still have no answers.

I have lost faith in her and will be looking for a new doctor soon

What would you do 

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I worked triage at a doctor's office/endoscopy center for years.  We had our own line that messages were left from patients or health care professionals.  Messages for doctors that were in the office were obviously (not on vacation or at the hospital or off for the day) were the easiest to get to for answers.  If the question (s) warrant me to search for the doctor, say at the hospital, I would do so.  If not, then it would wait till the next time he/she was back in the office.  Which if they were at the hospital, they were most likely back at the office the next day.  If they were on vacation, there was always a doctor covering (we had several physicians within the office).  If that were the case, I'd seek out the covering physician.  Many times if I couldn't get an answer for the patient that day, I'd at least call and say I was working on it.  That doctor so in so was at the hospital all day in procedures and will be back in the office tomorrow.  What ever means you left this message for your doctor, voicemail on nurse or triage line, or with a speaking directly to someone at the office, I would follow up and ask if the doctor is around (or on vacation) and did he/she receive the message.  Then follow up by asking when do they expect the doctor to get back to you.  Many times it's the staff that is returning the call with answers, not the doctor. 

[RedTop]

I am in a rural area of WV, not a big city, but know I will not hear back from my medical Dr in 3 days, unless I speak directly to the RN or PA. The patient portal for that office is a joke, but I have no serious issues with my health, and also understand when it's time to head to ER and bypass the office.

Sometimes the patient expectations and a doctor's level of support just don't match.

[Kachina624]

@I am still oxox   Is it possible your doctor is treating critical coronavirus patients, is dead tired and must prioritize her time?  If you've called her often, she may think, while important to you, it's not life or death.