I need a Dr.… where do I start?

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sicoe17
sicoe17 Posts: 120 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm 26 and haven't had a Dr. since my pediatrician, whom I stopped seeing at 16. So far in my life I've been horrible about taking care of myself. Well 2 months ago I decided enough was enough. I've started counting calories like it's going out of style, and I exercise for about an hour 6 days a week. As a result I have lost almost 40lbs and have gained an incredible amount of energy. However, I still have quite a long journey ahead of me and would like to have a physical to make sure I haven't caused any serious damage that needs attention (diabetes…?) and would also enjoy keeping track of my progress to better overall health.
Wow, this was all a really long winded way of getting to this question: how do I pick a Dr.? Internal medicine/family practice? M.D./D.O.? I really don't know how to proceed so any help would be awesome.

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  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
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    Find out who your insurance covers, talk to friends in your city.
  • tship74
    tship74 Posts: 48
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    Agree on talkign to some of your friends. Find one that peple like so you don;t have to keep searching if you pull a bad rabbit out of the hat!!
  • _VoV
    _VoV Posts: 1,494 Member
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    I worked in a hospital, and if you can ask a staff nurse who will level with you, that's the best. Often, they will say something like 'All the docs are good' so you know the marketing department has a hold over what they can say.

    I found a wonderful doctor by asking a local pharmacist. I told him my own particular doctor preference: Not an early adopter of new therapies; cost-conscious (I have a high deductible); and open to using life style change as treatment instead of running to the 'script pad. I like having a thinking-(wo)man as a doc, who takes a careful history, and doesn't practice defensive medicine by ordering every test in the book.

    And this pharmacist gave me the perfect referral given my preferences.
  • sicoe17
    sicoe17 Posts: 120 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your imput. I have been talking to friends, but most of my friends don't have a Dr. I live in a fairly small community and a large portion of the population is without insurance. I'm lucky enough to have insurence, which so far I've let go to waste.
    VergingOnVega, that sounds like a great resource to start with, I'll be sure to run a few questions by my local pharmacist and see what he has to say. Thanks again!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Go to your insurance company's website - see what doctors in your area they cover. Go to their websites.

    I picked my current doctor because she's at a convenient location, the clinic she's at is associated w/a urgent care (I have a teenage boy - that's an important need for us), the clinic also has a location that does nutrition counseling that I might try out eventually, and they have a wide variety of other services if I'm ever in need someday.

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