İMarilyn Kerr RN 1997-2001

With a diagnosis that is found mainly by excluding all others with similar symptoms, has no available diagnostic blood test, is greatly misunderstood, and has no proven cause or cure, one of the major difficulties that people with CFIDS, FMS, GWS, Lyme Disease, and MCS face is locating a doctor who, at the very least, treats our medical symptoms as they occur.

The following questions may help you in deciding whether or not you should continue your association with your doctor.

1. Is there a sign in your doctor's office which requests visitors to refrain from wearing perfume, scented hair spray, etc.?

YES NO

2. If you have to wait longer than 30 minutes in the waiting room and/or in the exam room, do you receive an apology from the doctor and staff?

YES NO

3. When you tell your doctor about a new symptom, does he do the appropriate workup to rule out other diseases or complications? I.e., chest pain = cardiac workup; migraine = neurological workup; alternating diarrhea/constipation = GI workup, etc.

YES NO

4. When you tell your doctor about a new symptom, he never dismisses it by telling you something similar to "it's part of the package"

TRUE FALSE

5. When you ask about a new or different treatment, he never asks something similar to: "Are you the doctor?"

TRUE FALSE

6. Is your doctor aware of the existence of CFIDS, FMS, GWS, and MCS?

YES NO

7. Does your doctor spend at least 15 minutes with you?

YES NO

8. Are you and your doctor actually discussing options for your treatment?

YES NO

9. When trying a new drug, do you feel you can call him and get an immediate change of medications if you feel it isn't working or you're having trouble with its side-effects?

YES NO

10. Are you treated with respect by the office staff, the nursing assistants, the lab personnel, and the doctor?

YES NO

11. Is your doctor an advocate for you in dealing with your insurance company?

YES NO

12. Are you treated with respect by the office staff, the nursing assistants, the lab personnel, and the doctor?

YES NO

13. Does this doctor claim to have a treatment unique to him that others do not offer, but has no statistics on the percentage of patients who have returned to work because he is so busy doing his "life-saving" work? (Borrowed & paraphrased from the definition of a quack from INFORM, an AIDS-related group.)

YES (this would actually constitute a negative answer)

NO (this would actually constitute a positive answer)

There is no "submit" button for this survey. Count up your score and if there are more negatives than positives you've probably answered the question yourself - you do need to find another doctor.

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