how is your doc's "bedside manner"?

My surgeon is
an absolute *insert expletive of your choice here*, but I won't argue as he's an aggressive little S.O.B. He'd taken my case to the tumor board and had my treatment determined before I'd even had my surgery.

That rather appealed to my sense of, "OK, you're the one with the medical degree, get this @#$%! out of me now!"

...but hey, that's probably just me.

Miss my first Onc
My first Onc was great and then I switched insurance and had to switch Oncs. The first one I went to told me "you barely had cancer, I don't know why you even come back for a follow up." I had DCIS stage 0-1. I switched to another Onc and have been with him through my second cancer in 2008. After my treatments were done, he dismissed a lot of my questions and concerns so I'm trying another Onc in that office. He is more thorough in his exams and answers my questions.

Barb A

I LOVE all of my Docs. My
I LOVE all of my Docs. My Onc is very thorough and explains things really well, gives me options, and the pros and cons to every option, then tells me if it were her, what she would do, I love that. My General Surgeon, he's my girlfriends (who's my OB/GYN) husband and is very careful with his "wifes friend" , My radiologist, she doesn't talk to me much, that's bothersome. My plastic surgeon, my oh my oh my, not only is he really good, he's very nice, and very nice to look at, I'm single so I can say that LOL.
Blessed with great Docs,
~Kari

I MUST add
I changed GYNO 10 yrs ago when we first moved-to female Doctor-surprisingly I did not like her bedside manor or compassion (this is prior to my cancer) after one appt I called my long time (MALE) gyno to take me back. what I LIKE the best about him, he takes you in his office to chat about family, medical etc..then I go into exam room. After the exam back to his office. IT JUST seems so personal and caring... the lady doctor walked in, examined me and out the door.(even on first evaluation-and was my last)

lori1961 said:

My oncologist is awesome. He
My oncologist is awesome. He answers all my questions and is very caring, He does not want me to be in any unneccessary pain if I do not have to be. I was having a problem with my last chemo and he immediately changed my meds to help me through it. We will see how it works on Tuesday when I go for treatmetn number 3.

I'll just say"its
I'll just say"its complicated"

ms.sunshine said:

Not good
She knows what she is doing. I have confidence in her as a doctor. She isn't very compassionate, she is all business.

I have been more than happy
I have been more than happy with all of my doctors. They listen, answer questions, treat me with respect and just plain care. Some are huggers, some are not, but they are all warm. I l had the least contact with my surgeon and she was good, thorough but more aloof but she was good at her job and I only saw her once before surgery for the consultation, at th hospital before the surgery, and for a follow up after surgery. My radiation doctor was very kind and sweet but mostly I saw the techs and staff. I was given the choice of doing my follow ups alternating between him and the oncologist and I chose to see the onc. If there are ever issues with long term affects from the radiation I can see him anytime. I just prefer to go to the same doctor every time for the follow ups. My 1st onc was so sweet and caring and when we moved I was fortunate to find a new onc that could be her clone. Seriously, they look alike and their manners is identical. I also see a gyn onc yearly and she is my favorite. She is a nurse practioner that absolutely is the best medical person I have ever seen. I travel an hour and a half to see her but I would drive three hours each way if I had to, she is that great. She is the one person that I didn't change when we moved here. My urologist is really great but since we are in Alameda I decided to go to one that is closer. So in May I will be seeing a new doctor and knock on wood that whoever it is will be as good as all the others. I like my new PCP very much but my last one was amazing. He combined the western medicine with the alternative. He taught me great breathing techniques, herbs, etc. He was very spirtual and we often talked about the philosophical aspects of disease. I loved his style. But the new one is very caring and thorough and is on top of everything so I am happy with him. All in all I feel I am receiving the best care possible. I think the doctor/patient relationship is so important. For some a huggy happy doctor is a good fit, for others they prefer the no nonsense totally professional approach. But whoever we see for our medical care, the most important thing is that it is a good fit for you. Someone else could see any one of my doctors and come away saying UGH, they're just awful and I could feel that way if I saw someone else's dcotors. It's a little like getting the peg in the right hole. It's ain't good if it don't fit.
I hope that everyone finds doctors that work for them. It is so vital to dealing with this disease and with any health matter.
This was a great question and really opens up a good dialog for what we each expect from our health team. Thank you for starting it.
Stef

Libby
My surgeon is the greatest guy. He too would touch me without gloves and really spoke to me like I was his only concern. My medical onc is very thorough, soft spoken and reserved. My radiologist/onc always has a smile on his face and is extremely caring. I have had wonderful onc nurses and rad techs too. I can't complain at all. I'm getting very good care.
{{hugs}} Char