Establishing a Team of Doctors
One of the more important subjects for those with IBD or any sort of autoimmune disease is establishing the right team of doctors. Finding good ones, keeping them, and developing a relationship that allows for a sense of trust, which I feel is hard to come by these days. Let’s face it, if you’re reading this, it’s not likely that you are going to be the “once a year for my annual physical” type of a patient. You’re much more likely to be the “I need your cell phone number, vacation schedule and access to your Outlook calendar” kind. And it’s not just one doctor you’re looking for, but likely a combination of two or even four that must talk not only to you, but to each other, to make sure everyone, including the patient, is on the same page. This is a tremendous feat and involves a pretty kick ass Primary Care Physician. Make no mistake about it: you will need an excellent GI doc, possibly a skilled surgeon and maybe even a hematologist, …