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[Swimnoid]

All of mine are at least 30-40 minutes away. I dont think thats too bad. One of my doctors is approx 640 miles away. I see him twice per year and I wouldnt give him up for the world.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I DID used to drive 45 minutes each way to a GI that I loved right after we moved here. I had a hard time finding one on my insurance.

However, the problem I encountered was hospitalization. When I was admitted to the local hospital, my GI had no rights there. Another GI stepped in to handle my care. Since I have a chronic disease that takes a team of doctors working together, and on occasion means I am admitted by one of the other doctors and my GI will have to be available, I realized I simply can't have such an important doctor so far from me, my local hospitals, and other doctors that I see.

In the end, my new GI is heads above the one I had driven so far to see. He works closely with my 3 other docs and has rights at my hospital of preference.

 

[luvmyfam444]

We drive 1 hour back to where we used to live to see our GP - and that's just for normal colds & such. After dd was born I drove 1 hour back to the pediatrican I used to have for a 2nd opinion on her jaundice (he recommended us to the practice we use here) & I drove 1 hr last year to see my old OBGYN to discuss surgery with him. I do have an GYN here (who delived the last baby) & a pedi here - but I prefer the others.

If I had any serious health issues I'd cerainly drive more than an hour - if it meant I'd feel better about my care...OR at least ask that dr for reccomendations of someone closer - she should have friends around - colleagues she'd send you to & then just see her for the biggie things - make the trip to her just once a year & report in & let her give opinions - maybe 2 drs could work together that way?

 

[TheBigBadWolf]

I would definitely drive an hour or more if I could find a doctor I liked. It's been years since I had a "good" doctor. We drive an hour to several specialists my DH goes to, and his PCP is 45 miles away. I just make a day of it when he has an appointment, and go shopping while I'm in the city, buy groceries, etc., to make the drive more worth my while. Fortunately DH has never had to see the doctor when he was actually sick.

 

[bumbershoot]

I would definitely drive an hour or more if I could find a doctor I liked. It's been years since I had a "good" doctor.

Same here! I was a child the last time I had a good MD.


That said, if I found one, I'd travel far and wide. When I get pg again, I will go to Oregon to find a midwife. No more bizarro WA midwifery laws working against me, I'll go to the sane state.

My cousin takes her kids from Port Orange up to Jacksonville FL for their eye appointments. All of the have congenital cataracts, and Shands hospital is the place to go for that, so they go. Routinely. And my cousin doesn't like to drive b/c her of eyes, so she has her mom drive them. It's a big ordeal, but that's where the good docs are!


As for your medicines, I take it drugstore.com can't help with this? I figured a pharmacy was a pharmacy no matter the drug, but I guess I'm wrong about that.


Anyway, I'd stick with her, since you have such serious things going on and special arrangements! My friend trusts her doctors completely, but once a fill-in doc gave her a prescription for naproxen sodium (aleve) without telling her what it was, and it nearly killed her. (later I found out that I'm seriously allergic/sensitive to it too (the OTC version), and finally recognized the symptoms partially b/c she had been through it) Doctors who pay attention to their patients are worth traveling for!

 

[imabrat]

I drive 3 hours to my oncologists office. He is in downtown Philadelphia and I am in NEPA. He is the nearest doctor who was not only educated on my type of cancer, but he was senior of one of the greatest Sarcoma programs. Back when I was on chemotherapy, we made that 3 hour drive (6 hour round trip) every Monday. We only go every 4 months now.