When doctors start to retire.

Ain't that the ever loving truth! My original PCP in NJ I found through and office colleague. Wonderful man.... kind and considerate but have a heart attack he eventually retired and passed away last year. Fortunately, the CEO of the company I worked at the time recommended a Sports Medicine Specialist is unbelievably wonderful (during covid lockdown he routinely called everyone of his patients to see how they were doing and to give us recommends about how to protect ourselves from the virus __ you gotta love him!!!) but unfortunately he is my age 77. I have told him that he can't retire or die until after me! He was not amused.

Thanks to him (he is with a teaching hospital) I do have a retinue of doctors (cardiologists, dermatologist, neurologists, etc.) who trained with him and who should outlive me. When I meet a new doctor and mention his name, they all are a little surprised that he is still practicing and then they launch into stories of training with him. Their manner kind of changes and I know I'm already one of their special patients.

We've had our doctor for over 40 years. I absolutely dread the day he retires. I can email him about issues with my husband's issues, and he will call me to discuss. He knows that I know when Gary needs to go to the hospital or "doc in the box" if it's a weekend and the office is closed. He trusts me when I tell him that Gary has pink eye and needs drops; that his lungs are congested and he needs his nebulizer medicine. I just hate the thought of having to find a new doctor.

Cwillie,
You sound healthy overall, and it is perfectly okay to not need a relationship with a doctor.

That reminds me...the doctor who spent hours of his time with me (even though paid) and walked me through a most difficult time in my life for 5 years, has an April birthday. I will send him a card this year.

Pamzimmert, actually my doctor that had passed away and my OBGYN and my dentist are all handsome men. They all started out with either blonde or brown hair but now they are all gray, lol.

When I was a child I had 2 doctors that took turns seeing patients. I think they were pushing 80 years old, lol.

elaine that is hysterical! And I get it about the dentist and vet! My mom loved her cardiologist because he was an adonis too! She wanted to fix him up with my daughter! Alas, already married...

My "family doctor" - I think it's called primary doctor in English - retired 3 years ago. She had been my doctor since I was eleven till I was 46. I liked her and we kind "worked together" as far as my mum is concerned.
Now I have a new doctor, I like her too... I think she is my same age and we once shared our problems concerning aging parents and teenagers sons...

Cwillie I have to laugh at your comment about you don’t understand people who have a wonderful relationship with their doctors.

I love my dentist because he doesn’t hurt my teeth, I love my vet because he doesn’t hurt my wallet, I love my obgyn because his office is a one quarter mile from my house.

I loved my primary care doctor that had recently passed away because when I was having problems with my younger son who was a teen in 2009 and I was crying in his office, he turned out the light (so the nurse couldn’t interrupt him) and wheeled his chair in front of me where I was sitting on the table. He proceeded to tell me that a couple years back his son who was 23 committed suicide. He was bipolar. The doctor went on to tell me that he tried different facilities for his son, also sent him to a facility involuntarily. He told me he did everything he could for him. He had no regrets. So he had shared a gut wrenching story with me. I was happy that he did.

Now my eye doctor, well I go to him because he is drop dead gorgeous, lol.

I’ll be the opposite and say I’ve liked changing doctors, I think I get a new perspective and there’s often something to learn. I definitely saw with my dad that the same old doctor can run out of ideas and information. I’ve also fired doctors who didn’t provide the care I needed. The most offensive to me are dermatologists who’ve largely changed their practices to cosmetic products and procedures, at least where I live

I see my doctor more often than once a year. She’s been there when I have needed her. She truly listens to my concerns. Either she or her nurse call to follow up on issues. I trust her. So, I am comfortable with her. So, I think we do build relationships with our doctors.

Some doctors are distant with patients and that is sad.

I've never understood people who say they have a wonderful relationship with their doctor(s). For me they are people I see for a 10 - 15 minute chunk of time once a year or less, and most of them I've only seen once and never again (Even my specialists were only seen less than a handful of times). I did start to develop a relationship with mom's doctor because she was a p.i.t.a. and made me come in every 3 months to renew mom's prescriptions.

One time I had a doctor that was extremely well educated and very good. I loved him!

He got fed up with medicine and sent out letters saying that he was perusing other interests. He was in his late 40’s or so.

Later on, I ran into him when I took my daughter to fly a kite on the lakefront. He was there with his kid flying a kite.

We started talking. He looked really content in his life. I asked him what he had been up to lately.

He said that he was now a Yoga instructor and had written a book on meditation and yoga!

I was shocked! He was a Tulane University graduate. It’s a wonderful private university here in New Orleans. My husband went there.

Hey, he was happy. That counts for something, right?

I did miss him though.

I have generally had good doctors. I love the doctor that I have now. She’s wonderful!

I agree, it's an outrage, it shouldn't be allowed - !

Before my mother's much loved GP retired he first tried to go part-time, as a compromise and a concession to his advancing years. Not sure how long it took him and the practice team to realise that his part-time hours were expanding daily and as long as the patients knew he was there he was not going to get away from the office, ever.

I do think - seriously - that more thought and time should be given to succession planning. The transfers would be less traumatic for the patients and less discouraging for the whipper-snappers if the newcomers were settled in by the people they're succeeding.

I'm facing finding a new set of doctors, not necessarily due to age but I think due to the fact that the nonprofit hospital doctors we used to see left after the hospital was acquired by a profit corporation, which from what I've seen and heard has caused a deterioration in service.

One top notch ortho doctor is now affiliated with a different, much smaller and more personal hospital.   The Women's Clinic at the hospital had good female doctors, and before the takeover used to host an annual,  free, excellent seminar on female health and related issues.    It was an event of about 5- 6 hours, with lectures, breakfast and lunch, and handouts.   Now the women are gone and 2 men run the Women's Clinic.

Beatty, you've expressed my feelings about the "lens..." places.   Lots of pressure to buy "designer glasses", not very good prices, and in my experience not very good ability to fill a prescription w/o meddling with the frames.   

I asked the staff at my ophthalmologist's office to recommend someone.    They know  the good doctors.   But I didn't ask the nonmedical staff; I asked the pros.

I still haven't gone to any of the recommended doctors though, as the bigger problems I've had have been with cheaply made designer glasses, and I can't afford another pair right now.    I can tell if my eyes are changing, though.

My doctor had retired a few years ago. He was 10 years older than me. I had him for 20 years. He was the best primary care doctor. He was smart and caring to our whole family.

He was only retired a year when he was out kayaking by himself and died of a heart attack. He was 66 years old. He had an undisclosed heart condition. So sad. But he died doing what he loved doing.

My vet for my cats is the best. He is around. 65 years old. I don’t know who I will take the cats to when he retires.

My dentist I have been going to since my youngest was 6 years old. He is now 28. He too is around 65 years old and I don’t know who I will find when he retires.

My Gynecologist has an office literally right down the road from me. I have been going to him since we moved into our house in 1999. He is 2 years younger than me so it will be a few years before he retires.

FF,

I had the opposite experience. I found a better doctor when my old one retired!

Good luck finding good doctors.

My Optometrist: He had a comfy couch with National Geographics to read while waiting. The room overlooked a lovely park. His exam room was filled with timber frames with travel photos. We would discuss the many places he travelled as a young man. Happy photos of kids & grandkids too.

He retired (early due to Covid).

So I went to a Big Glasses chain type place.. 😫

I was sat on the plastic waiting chair, then directed into a cupboard room with a young robo woman for eye exam, then the plastic chair, then another cupboard with a young robo man for different exam, then the chair. Then the sales pretty descends to show me the designer range. I ask to pay & leave. "But madam, you have not chosen your new glasses, new secondary pair, or new sunglasses yet!" You are correct, I said (insert fake smile). I explained the card she was handed had the SAME strength lenses - I did not need new ones. "Oh but you may like to update & purchase new ones, let me show you..." No thanks. Then, we need your mobile phone number. Hmm Ok... We need your email. No thanks. We will put you on a mailing list. No. We will give reminder calls to come in again soon. No no nooooo.

Rant over. I am seriously depressed thinking of replacing my Doctor or Dentist!

FF I agree! What I am trying to do is "try out" the younger people in the Dr office. I now see and love the NP at my PCs office.. she is like a friend to me, and so is the other NP, and they will stay when the Dr retires I think. My dentist is only a few years younger than I am, but lately I have been seeing his partner, in her 40s! And dentistry has come along way.. I love her too! Luckily the vet and her partners are all in their 40s!

I don't like my doctor much but he's young and says he's not going anywhere, my mom and I had multiple docs retire or move on so that is a real selling point. But it's not just doctors, my lawyer is in his 70's and my plumbing and heating "guy" is a little older than I am (60's) so I'm worried he might be thinking of retiring, in fact I worry about pretty much everyone I've come to count on not being there when I need them 😕