Doctors and Dragons: A Pen and Paper Adventure

When facing down their dragon (a term among people in the hep C community use to describe the condition), it’s important to find good allies. A support network is huge, but this about the allies who can get patients treatment and help get a patient healthy with the least stress. It’s about finding treasure in the form of a doctor who you can feel connected to, who you can trust, and who can walk them through the steps without the bevy of confusing denials and surprise symptoms.

So, let’s break this quest down into parts, because, over the course of my diagnoses, I’ve had:

• Over a dozen Physician’s Assistants and Nurse Practitioners
• Seven Hepatologists and six Gastroenterologists (GIs)
• Three transplant docs
• Two turtle-doves
• And a hundred referrals from GPs (General Practitioners)

I’m kidding about the turtle-doves, but a lot of times, searching for the right doctor can feel like it’s for the birds, or inspires you to give someone one.

First quest: Research!

The anguish can fade away when you find the perfect doc who has bedside manner, helps fight denials, treats you with respect, and helps you be informed and prepared for each step. Sadly, we don’t have a Match.com for doctors, but there is healthgrades.com. They’re not stellar, but like when searching for a job, a restaurant, or a date, reviews give you an idea of what you’re getting into beforehand. You can also reach out to support groups in your area. Along with online resources like HepatitisC.net and our Facebook group, fellow advocate Connie Welch has compiled an excellent resource list.

Second quest: Patience

Yea, I’m sorry. Like anything else, it can take a lot of time to find the perfect doc, or even just a doc who works for you. For me, it took about ten years to find a solid GP, and it took thirteen to find a solid GI, and unfortunately they’re in two different hospital networks, so when push came to shove, I chose my GI. Research makes this wait a lot shorter, because you can sort out bad bedside manner quickly. It also makes you thankful that doctor review websites are more like Match.com and less like Tinder. For a medical professional, shared interests should pique at saving my life over something like liking Taylor Swift’s new album.