My former Primary Care Physician (PCP) retired a few years ago.

I was very lax in replacing them.

March health scare…

Made decision to take better care of my health…

Got recomend for new PCP…

Made appointment…

Up to speed?

So I go to my new PCP’s office…

And I waited for awhile…

and when the Doctor finally found their way to me, the exam was less than brief…

I felt rushed and uncomfortable, and I said this to them…

And they responded:

Don’t you know who I am?

and I simply said- Yeah- the PCP that my vestibular therapist recommended…

And they spent an additional five minutes with me…

And when I left the office their assistant said-

You really don’t know who that is?

Because it turns out this Doctor is sort of famous- they appear on a cable show as the in house medical expert…and they’ve written books…and they’ve been on the commitees dealing with certain pandemics…

But really, does that matter when I want to be treated as a patient?

So my doctor is a bit of a pompous ass…

However…

They have been more thorough than any Doctor I have ever had, or that I’ve seen from what family and friends have experienced. They knew what tests to order, what specialists to recommend, and got me started in the right direction. We still don’t have all the answers, but at least I feel like I’m getting somewhere.

So here’s the question- I don’t like that this Doctor is particularly cocky, but if the Doctor gets results, is it worth it?

I know the perfect Doctor is one who cares and one who is good, but if you can’t find the perfect combo, what path do you choose?

Do you think all Doctor’s are created equal? Or are some better than others?

What do you think about Doctors?

96 thoughts on “Do You Know Who I am?”

  1. I’d find another doctor. This relationship is about you, not him and his ego. I’ve been to fools like him and don’t like their attitude. I left more then one doctor because of this. There are plenty of other docs out there.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. I haven’t ruled that out. However, this doctor is way more thorough than other docs I’ve been to. If they help me, I figure I only put up with them once or twice a year

      Like

      Reply

  3. I would find another PCP immediately. A physician who asks, “Do you know who I am?” is a pompous ass, yes. However, this arrogance and condescension will manifest itself in other ways in caring for patients, which is worse. He should stay where he belongs, pontificating on TV where people can pretend to adore him. He should not subject patients to his self-importance.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  6. “Don’t you know who I am?” Good god, what an ass. Honestly I think you’re selling yourself short LA. You’ve responded to others that getting answers quickly makes it okay to be treated this way. I get that you’re frustrated with all the ear crap, but you deserve someone who sees and hears you and will know you. It doesn’t matter how good this person is, or thinks they are. I suspect you are simply just another body to them, one to tick off the “I cured another one” list.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. I admit I think he’s an ass. However, as tater said competent ass better than happy idiot. Im finding out things other doctors should have told me years ago. And every specialist he’s referred me to have been superb. Im not saying I won’t switch. Yes he’s got bleh bedside manner, but he’s taking my questions and ailments very seriously and is really listening to what I’m telling him. Not blowing off my concerns at all.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. I’ll never for get the original phrase from the Movie Jerry McGuire. IMO, one of the greatest movies ever made. I don’t know if the writer, Cameron Crowe, created it or not. The phrase comes near the end where Renee Zellweger says, “You had me at hello.”

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  9. If you are not comfortable with that doctor-find a new one. I had a similar situation where a new doctor sort his time talking at me while he was busy in his phone. I walked out and refused to pay.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. If the doctor is giving you good care, his personality doesn’t matter, in my opinion. However, anyone who tells me “Do you know who I am?” I tend to shy away from. It reminds me of a story when I was in PR. I was told by my boss to go with the photographer at a nearby Country Club to get a shot of a foursome. Don Drysdale, Chuck Connors (from the Rifleman TV show) and two other guys were playing. I was interviewing them and one guy kept saying “Do you know who I am?” No. I didn’t. I came back to the PR office and the boss said “That’s George Brett! Don’t you know who he is?”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yeah….I get that. My mom used to sell skincare at a department store. Some famous actress from the 60s came in and didn’t understand why the 25 year old sakes clerk didn’t know who she was…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thats funny. The firm I worked for put on the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament. I had just moved to Palm Springs from WA and Rick Dees secretary called and said Rick wanted to play in the tournament. I said, “It’s too late.” Then she called back two more times. I knew the tournament was starting in a few days and all the coordinating was done. Also I didn’t know who Rick Dees was. Rick called me himself. He asked, “Don’t you know who I am?” I said no. He asked to talk to my boss and got in the tournament. Years later I ran into him and he remembered me! We laughed about it.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. I have had good ones and bad ones, but one of my last ones really gave me a crappy attitude towards the whole and I’ve struggled to find the motivation to pick out a new one for myself, even though I REALLY need to get settled in with one soon. I would have struggled with your doctor as that attitude is ridiculous. I don’t care how famous or good at their job a person is. If you are treating patients, each and every one you choose to treat deserves your time and full attention, especially because they are paying for that time and attention. If you can’t do that, you need to rethink seeing patients.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. I think arrogance is a dangerous trait in any profession. Confidence is important of course but there is a difference. I say this as a eminently humble pilot of course…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  14. The fact he would ask, don’t you know who I am, shows what a pompous ass he is. But I get the hesitation in dumping him for someone with more suitable bedside manners. Getting answers to your health issues might be more important than his accolades.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  16. Nope- they are normal human beings with a medical degree and depending on age some experience.
    Not one is perfect, cocky is something I wouldn’t stand for no matter what oh la la tv shows and consultation work they do. Results help, knowledge helps, but bedside (or office) manner is above all other things important. At least that is from my perspective. I have had the best and worse doctors from the US Gov. to civilian to now Dutch. It can be like playing the lottery on when you get the one that is a great combination. Best wishes.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  17. Oh boy! Doctors! I don’t like cocky doctors but I hate inept doctors more. As someone who has had both kinds and is currently being treated by a brilliant oncologist I’d go for the better doctor, even if he’s a jerk. I’ve gone to the same GP for more than 20 years and I failed to recognize when he got too old and should have retired. I was comfortable with him. . He misdiagnosed me as having diverticulitis when I had ovarian cancer. It was his nurse practitioner who referred me to having the right tests and I eventually found my amazing doctor/ surgeon. I wonder if I had been referred sooner would my cancer been stage two not stage three. Who knows. Fortunately I am now with a relatively young (early 40’s) and brilliant oncologist who is renown in his field. I was fortunate that my Gynocogist referred me to him. He’s both kind, straight forward, and works with patients to individualize their treatment. I love the guy. He’s to the point and doesn’t pull any punches either. But most importantly he’s good and aware of the latest advancements in his field.. And he saved my life. Id be dead if I was still listening to my GP who said I just had diverticulitis. So id go with the most knowledgeable physician. You don’t have to love the guy. Not if he heals you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  18. Whoa! Those are loaded questions. I love my doctor. He’s good at what he does, but sometimes I have to yell at him to get him to listen to me. He too is thorough, but I feel I’m in and out in five minutes. But in the end I am healed. I don’t know. I guess you just have to trust your gut. Do you want him to be your friend and ask about your kid? Probably not. The personal touch is nice, but I’d rather have someone that knows his stuff even though he is a bit arrogant.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  19. Well, imagine how he felt when you said, “No, I don’t.”” Not quite as famous as he thinks, right? I think the bottom line is that you are getting better care AND that you need to continue to stick up for yourself if he starts to go too fast. Side note, I understand the purpose of being gender neutral but I don’t think I’ll ever get used to referring to a single person as “they.”

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  20. Medicine is not an exact science.

    That’s why physicians ‘practise’ medicine.

    A good physician needs to be humble, since they need The Great Physician to help them.

    Hopefully this doctor will give you the excellent care that you deserve. 🌷🤗

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  22. I have a high opinion of doctors, but I haven’t dealt with any like yours. John’s dad was a pediatrician and allergist — one of the first allergists in Brooklyn. He was a very ethical man, so we met only doctors of that caliber through him. Since he died, we’ve had one that we were disappointed in. As it turned out, that doctor disappeared and no one ever found out what happened to him. The doctors we’ve had in NC have been superb. I know there are selfish, careless medical people in this country, but we have been blessed not to deal with them.

    I hope you can get the care you need despite the doctor’s ego, but if not, I hope you can find one that is skilled and personable.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  23. Wow! I don’t think I could handle that Dr but I do get what you mean about him being thorough and knowledgeable, that is very important!! But I do think I would have to find another Dr for no matter how much you know if you are just going to treat me like a number and not someone who deserves your time and RESPECT than I can’t trust you with my healfh.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Here’s the thing…he may be gruff, but he respects that my ailments are valid…isn’t that better respect? How many people complain their doctor doesn’t take them seriously?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. You do have a point there! If you feel he is respecting you than that makes a difference. I was just guessing that by his attitude he didn’t. But yes there are nice Drs out there that don’t respect or listen.

        Liked by 1 person

  25. I wouldn’t be as tactful as you. My response would’ve been..I don’t know, a fucking doctor with no sense of time. I have had experiences like this in general with time wasters as opposed to “famous”.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  31. Well, I had my knee replacement done by the guy everyone in town swears by, though I don’t care for his attitude. I’m not 100% certain another doctor wouldn’t have done at least as good a job or better. For my PCP, though, personality does matter. I get that it can be hard to find competence and caring at the same time, but I think it’s worth continuing the search. Even the pompous famous guys can screw up, especially when they find their head has gotten too big to pull from their ass.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  32. It is pleasant to have a doctor who one feels comfortable with and that they hear you. We were blessed with one and he was also an excellent diagnostician. He retired when the demands the hospital he worked with put quantity over quality of care. We haven’t found another doctor who comes close.

    Like

    Reply

  34. Like any relationship, for me, it depends on how it feels; and that things are reciprocal. If it feels okay, and there are results, then fine. However, if it feels not so awesome, and there are results; that’s harder. I will typically go with the feeling.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  35. I enjoy your loaded questions LA. Ok, I like professional, knowledgeable and with a personality (ie. good beside manner). When any of those three characteristics are lacking (missing) , I find it difficult to deal with that Dr. But, I’d rather an expert with a lousy personality than a kiss butt with no knowledge. I understand your dilemma.

    Like

    Reply

  36. I think how good a doctor is has nothing to do with how well-known he or she happens to be. My husband’s oncologist isn’t well known, but he’s very good: explains things fully, answers all questions, has a positive, “This is tough but you can do it” attitude. My husband’s surgeon is considered the best in the area for his specialty and people fly in from all over the country to have him operate on them. And he does a fine job, too. But his people skills aren’t nearly as good as the oncologists. They are both good doctors, just in different ways.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  40. Don’t get me started on the healthcare system, LA. It’s stress that…I just can’t even…while it’s nice to be treated as a human being by your doctor, I think first things first…the doctor has to be competent. More than competent. As to his cockiness…Karma loves to teach people lessons…as long as the lesson doesn’t involve you. I do hope you’re able to get the answers you’re looking for and a solid treatment plan that makes all this go away! BTW, I might have replied, you’re my doctor. Do you know who I am? Mona

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  41. If you are a medical mystery, you may need to stick with him, but what an unfortunate choice. I can’t believe he said that to you. His picture should be next to HUBRIS in the dictionary. He obviously thinks he is God’s gift to medicine, when actually he is just a well-educated jerk.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  42. I agree with what seem to be the majority of comments. Competence and thoroughness, especially in your case where you have been suffering from “mystery ailments” are more important. And hopefully, if he really does fix what ails you, you won’t have seem him very often, as you yourself pointed out.
    It may also be possible that your guy doesn’t really think he’s god. In my experience patients sometimes think doctors are gods and I remind them that they are really just human beings like you and me,
    Not only that, but clearly your guy doesn’t presume to know it all since he’s sending you to the right (also competent and knowledgeable but you didn’t mention their bedside manners) specialists.
    I can also speak as the proud parent of a future doctor who is currently struggling to learn and internalize all the facts doctors have to know, especially PCPs. I would guess that, especially as a new patient, you’d want to deal with a physician who appears extremely confident in his own knowledge and expertise and, again, who knows when assistance from betters may be needed. Again recalling that doctors are only human, he may feel it’s necessary to appear “arrogant”, especially as a TV commentator/expert, to give you and consumers confidence that he indeed does know what he’s talking about and is OK with acknowledging that some of what he tells you comes from other sources because neither he nor any other doctor can really know it all when it comes to treating the human body.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s