My Doctor Is Leaving

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I switched primary care doctors a couple of years ago and ended up with the best primary care doctor. She's patient, caring, and willing to work with me. She doesn't question my PTSD or DID stuff when it comes up, she just tries to help the best she can. She's been slowly helping me with some medical issues- slowly because they are proving hard to figure out. She's still working with me and working on looking into some not-so-common conditions that could be causing some of my symptoms.

Today when we met she said she's leaving the practice on July 1st. That's not much time especially when we're trying to figure out things. I don't want to start with a new person. I have one more appointment with her.

I understand that she's leaving so she'll only have one location to work at (her other one is an addiction center so I hope not to need her services there) and that she is just not happy with the way medical practice is moving in the direction of spending less time actually talking to and spending time with the patients. That's why I have loved working with her.

Since I haven't been in a great state of mind lately, I feel like she's abandoning me personally. Or that this is just the world continuing to hate me. I know those aren't truths, but it's the only way I can cope with this loss right now.

 

[scout86]

She might feel like she's abandoning you too, and not be very happy about it. Is there any chance you can keep seeing her anyway?

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

I think she does feel a little like she's abandoning me. I can't continue to see her because she'll be working in a program that helps addicts and thankfully that is not a problem I have. She's not doing primary care any more.

 

[scout86]

You could ask her if she'd be willing to do primary care for YOU. Unless her other job forbids it. Beyond that, she's a free agent......... Maybe she'll be able to recommend someone good. I sure hope so! This is a tough situation to be in!!

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

Oh, I see what you're saying, @scout86 . I suppose I could ask her that. Maybe she was even thinking that today because she asked how far I was willing to travel. I will make a point of asking her and about recommendations when I have my last appointment with her.

 

[Changing4Best]

I had a therapist I'd seen for 5 years move into a practice that could not service me, she was to be working with survivors of breast cancer. I freaked out inside, but did not say much. What could I say? I never thought to ask her for a recommendation for someone else, she probably just thought I would see her replacement, but there was to be none, I later found out. She was paid for by grants from the government and when the grant money ran out, she found another job. I was stuck.

Eventually, I found another therapist, quite by accident. I'd heard that she was one from someone at my church and so contacted her office (I had never met her personally to chat or anything). Anyway, she was later kicked out of the church, when they discovered that she was treating me, even though I had not contacted her through the church nor at the church! I felt bad about it, and she never really told me that was what happened, I just figured it out and assumed it I guess.

Later on, I moved 625 miles away, so I ended up having to find a new therapist here. I went through one that was a dud, before I found the gem of a one I see now. She is perfect for me. I just hope I can continue to see her for a long time. We have our appointments scheduled out until the end of the year. So I know she plans to keep me on as a patient at least that long.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

@SheilaKathy , that is great that you have such a wonderful therapist and have appointments scheduled so far out! My therapist is fabulous and I am thankful she has no plans to leave or stop practicing any time soon. She and I have talked about that already because of trust and abandonment issues. I just never thought that this wonderful primary care doctor I had found would leave. It took me so long to switch from the one I didn't like and to find out I switched to a marvelous one was amazing. It just never occurred to me that doctors leave, too, as I had had the same doctor for almost my whole childhood and straight through until a couple of years ago. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[recoveringfromptsd]

I am going thru the same thing right now, mine is leaving at the end of this month, and I am very worried I will get stuck with a male doctor which I cannot allow due to my ptsd, mine also was special in the ways she helped when I needed treatment for my ptsd flashbacks. Even if I get a female doctor she may not be receptive. I am really starting to distress over this.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

@recoveringfromptsd , I am sorry you have to go through this to. I was told ahead of time who the replacement would be so I knew it would be a female doctor. I am the same as you- I wouldn't see a male doctor. The first couple of times I met with my new pcp, she was okay, but didn't fill me with confidence of the same sense of connectedness, but I really was looking for her to be just like my old doctor and that wasn't fair. This new doctor is trying and she did a good job when we met the last two times so I think I am going to stick with her. It was definitely a huge stressor for me. I hope your new doctor will be a good match for you. I spent a lot of time in one appointment asking my doctor is she had any questions for me and answering them to the best of my ability and I think that really helped her.

 

[recoveringfromptsd]

@JEKBreatheandBelieve Thanks for the support, its something I am going to have go bring up to my therapist on the 11th. When I needed to be admitted to Pratts TDU she and my therapist worked together to get me in.

 

[JEKBreatheandBelieve]

My therapist has been the one who has gotten my into SP in the past so I am sure your therapist would be able to do it alone if it becomes necessary. I talked with my therapist a lot about my pcp leaving and my therapist helped me a lot and has continued to help me gauge whether or not my new doctor is helpful and supportive, which I think she is.

 

[recoveringfromptsd]

@JEKBreatheandBelieve I am just going to have to wait and see, but this driving me crazy, because unknowns do that, part of my hypervigilance demands I have a handle on everything around me.