<p align="center"><b>By Brenda Boykin</b></p> <b>Alderson</b> <p align="center"><b>Where Are the Doctors!</b></p> I think I have actually seen my doctor as a patient, twice in about 3 years and that was on “well” visits. My son has not seen his doctor as a patient in over two years. It is not because I have not tried for us to see who we call our doctors. It takes months to get an appointment with “the doctor.” If you are sick, you can’t wait that long. We have been forced to see Physicians Assistants and not the same one all the time over the years. I am not saying they are bad but I did not choose them to be the doctors. If the doctors only see you on “well” visits, it leaves me to wonder if they are really doctoring any more. In fact one time in these past few years I saw my doctor on a “well” visit and I was sent to three specialists. I had taken advantage of finally seeing her again and told her of some problems I was having. The next time I saw her on a “well” visit I reported that one specialist operated inner ear growth and did not get it all, another had done two operations on my eyes that failed, but the third specialist did seem to be helping with a problem that I had complained about for years that she had ignored. Maybe my telling the truth is why I can’t see her. There is no doctor at the local clinic to be found except for two half days per month. Since my son can never see his doctor, he goes to the local clinic sometimes. It seems that medical care is just another big business operation. Although you rarely see a doctor any more, the costs have never gone down. It may be good that you don’t see a doctor because the costs would be even higher. I guess gone are the days of knowing your doctor and them knowing you. I chose our doctors based on who we felt comfortable with. It is bad enough to be sick, but not really feeling comfortable with the person treating you is certainly not going help you feel better or have confidence that you will be ok. When a doctor knows the patient they also have an advantage. They know if a patient has a high pain tolerance, a low pain tolerance, likes attention, needs a firm hand, or responds better to gentle coaxing. I hate going to the hospital because you are seriously sick then but thrown into the hands of strangers. I am sorry, but just because you have a degree, does not mean you are good at what you do. I like the comfort zone of knowing and trusting my doctor. Please feel free to contact me at bjlboykin@yahoo.com (put “Bits and Pieces” on subject line) or write to Brenda Boykin, P.O. Box 101, Alderson, WV 24910. <p align="center"><b> </b></p>
