personal gripe about new doctor

my daughter has been very ill recently. Because of the failure of her previous doctor to diagnose, I was given the choice of a NEW doctor. Very new. She just recently received her license as an MD. (June) Please understand that I had no choice in who would see my daughter. The facility has several doctors, but only one was taking new patients.

My gripe? This new doctor is questioning the judgment of a 25 year veteran doctor who specializes in Internal medicine and nephrology. who treated my daughter for the 4 days she was in the hospital in a larger city. The two of them are literally arguing over whether my daughter had mono. One simple test was done here in our local ER and showed positive for mono, while another more in depth test showed that my daughter did NOT have mono. I asked the specialist to fax a copy of the test results to my daughters primary care physician, which they did.

Tomorrow we visit the NEW doctor and I am going to ask her if she has received the fax from the specialist. The fax will indeed verify that my daughter in fact did NOT have mono. When I spoke to the new primary care physican on our last visit and told her that my daughter did NOT have mono, she rolled her eyes and stated that the specialist doesn't know what he is saying????? Red flag here anyone?

I just need some advice on how to pursue this issue. The specialist wants to keep close watch on my daughter while the primary care physician is doing everything in her power to put him down and dismiss him as "not knowing what he is talking about". Any advice? Thanks
Trust your Mother's intuition and hold your ground. You are in charge. The physician works for you. You are his customer.

I think you are doing the right thing by getting a second opinion. We can't offer/provide medical advice.

I agree, do what you think is right. I am disappointed anytime I hear one professional discredit another, especially in such an immature and very non professional manner. Doctors can disagree, doctors can change their mind after more information becomes available and doctors can be wrong, they are only human after all. Rolling your eyes and acting like a teenager makes even the brightest of people look immature and untrustworthy. Keep an open mind, remember that while health care is a science, it isn't exact and diagnosis and treatment options often require a collaboration of services and minds! Maybe this young doctor will see this as a learning experience. Best of luck to your daughter. I hope she's back to herself soon!

One way to approach it is to say something like ..."I can see the source of confustion. Two different lab tests showed 2 different things. Because my daughter's health is concerned, I would rather err on the side of being cautious and safe. That means following-up on her status diligently."Try not t make it a matter of "one doctor vs another" or "you against either doctor." Try to avoid pointing your finger at anybody and acusing anyone of poor judgment. Keep the conversation focused on the fact that your daughter was very sick and that there was conflicting lab results -- and therefore the need to get good follow-up care to "be on the safe side."

Quote from llgOne way to approach it is to say something like ..."I can see the source of confustion. Two different lab tests showed 2 different things. Because my daughter's health is concerned, I would rather err on the side of being cautious and safe. That means following-up on her status diligently."Try not t make it a matter of "one doctor vs another" or "you against either doctor." Try to avoid pointing your finger at anybody and acusing anyone of poor judgment. Keep the conversation focused on the fact that your daughter was very sick and that there was conflicting lab results -- and therefore the need to get good follow-up care to "be on the safe side."

I also would suggest approaching the experienced Int Med doctor to take over the PCP role. Hopefully he is in your insurance system and willing to take a new patient.

Thinking this through ... it seems to me that there was a positive monospot which means that your daughter's blood tested positive for antibodies to EBV (Epstein-Barr virus, the primary cause of mononucleosis).Here's a link to a consumer (layperson)-oriented website which explains that the antibodies may persist for up to one year after exposure.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/003454.htmSo it's possible that both providers are "right" -- that your daughter did not have an active mononucleosis infection in the immediate recent past, but that does not mean that the first test was not accurate.Might be time to speak to both providers like a nurse, in concrete, specific, clinical details. You have to decide who is going to direct her treatment.

Ask the "new" doctor for evidence based literature to support his/her position, that of claiming the test done by the specialist was invalid. Then be prepared to show him/her the literature that supports the test that the specialist has done (calling or emailing the specialists office should get you information on this). Then be prepared to present your case on continued following based on the recommendations found in the literature. This takes some work on your part but should enable you to present your case in a professional/competent manner. Good luck.

Quote from AltraThinking this through ... it seems to me that there was a positive monospot which means that your daughter's blood tested positive for antibodies to EBV (Epstein-Barr virus, the primary cause of mononucleosis).Here's a link to a consumer (layperson)-oriented website which explains that the antibodies may persist for up to one year after exposure.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/003454.htmSo it's possible that both providers are "right" -- that your daughter did not have an active mononucleosis infection in the immediate recent past, but that does not mean that the first test was not accurate.Might be time to speak to both providers like a nurse, in concrete, specific, clinical details. You have to decide who is going to direct her treatment.

Oh and don't forget that NO tests are 100% accurate. IF you remember from stats class, it is possible to have false positives and false negatives.

Also, the docs who are not taking new patients - if you write a letter t othe doctor you might prefer to see over this newby, maybe you will get your dtr in to see him/her.I hope you have good luck and a healthy dtr real soon.

I can see both sides- just to play devil's advocate. There's a balance between experience and new knowledge and technology. Second, and possibly third, opinions would be a good idea.