Introduction: Docs have issues too!

[Dr. Evil]

Hello.  I also discovered this site after reading the NNI article.  I am a real-life nephrologist.  I have my own private practice, not affiliated with a teaching hospital.  I have about 50 ESRD pts.  I trained at a major US teaching hospital with extensive transplant exposure as well.  I was an academic nephrologist for a short time before leaving to enter the private practice world.  I was with a larger group for a few years before I left and went out on my own.  I am a medical director of a dialysis center as well (not an owner).  For privacy concerns, I will decline to disclose my location, other than to say I am in the USA.

I think this web site is a great idea....a place for those involved in the renal disease community to have REAL discussions!  Not sanitized and filtered and cleaned up for political correctness, etc., etc...

My idea is to give the doctor side of some of the same frustrations, problems, bulls#$t that we all have to deal with every day.  Just to let you in a little secret...we are actually real people too!, who have all sorts of problems on issues ranging from dealing with dialysis centers, nurses, our families, medicare, and...believe it or not...some not-so-easy-to-deal-with patients!

From time to time, I will probably give my opinion about some medical issue.  Please remember that no matter what medical info I give, I AM NOT YOUR DOCTOR and you should follow your doctor's instructions.  You may ask her/him about some issue I may raise, but do not change what you do/take/etc... without discussing this with your doctor.  (Sorry for this disclaimer, but we docs live in constant fear of litigation and I basically don't want to get sued!)

Thanks and I look forward to our future discussions.

[Zach]

Hello Doc.
Welcome to the site!

If there weren't nephrologists such as you around, where would we be?
My thanks go out to all those docs who include their patients in the decision-making process.

[goofynina]

Hey Dr.Evil,  (i loved you in Austin Powers)   But i would like to welcome you to the best website regarding this matter (and, in my opinion, the best support group)  We have all become one big happy family, we laugh, we cry, we fight but all in all, we are all here for each other.  I am so glad you came to view what we are all about, but it doesnt stop there, some of us have become great friends because of this site and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.   Once again,  Welcome and we look forward to hearing more from your point of view...

[kevno]

Hi glad we have a Doc on site, not too sure what to think about it yet. I have had a lot of issues with a lot of Doctors,Consultants, Surgeons, Professors, and Mr's over the past 34 years. Over 23 years on dialysis. Nearly seven years with a transplant.

[Dr. Evil]

I am not sure what to make of your comments.
What are you not sure about?  This is not the Disney channel.....go ahead and express your concerns...
I can take what ever criticisms you may have of my profession.  I won't cry.
There are good docs, bad docs, and all shades in between. 

I will even stir the pot....maybe you have unrealistic expectations of your doctors, etc.

[Bajanne]

Welcome to our community!  I think you just about completed our renal circle.  We have never had a nephrologist (at least openly!) in our midst.  A big welcome, again.  I am definitely looking forward to your contribution.  Have a look at some of our threads and do not hesitate to put in your perspective.
And, by the way, WELCOME!

[Epoman]

I am not sure what to make of your comments.
What are you not sure about?  This is not the Disney channel.....go ahead and express your concerns...
I can take what ever criticisms you may have of my profession.  I won't cry.
There are good docs, bad docs, and all shades in between. 

I will even stir the pot....maybe you have unrealistic expectations of your doctors, etc.

Hi Doc I assume you were refering to Kevno's comments, be sure to quote someone when you wish to reply to that person directly. Like I have done with this post. 

But man I think I like you already, you're my kind of doc, a straight shooter not some asshole who thinks he's better than us poor sickly patients. Your reply to kevno is so true, there are all kinds of doctors out there. On this forum I encourage members to speak their mind and don't worry what others will think of you or your opinion (keep it clean of course) and that goes for you as well, feel free to vent and rant yourself as sometimes I know I piss my docs off. 

Welcome to the board, I believe you are our first doctor member.

- Epoman
Owner/Admin

[Hephs-little-lady]

Welcome Dr Evil. Hope you make yourself at home. 

[Joe Paul]

Welcome Dr. Evil, glad you decided to join us

[angieskidney]

Welcome Dr. Evil! Being that I was basically raised in a children's hospital with renal failure I got to know doctors real well and see their human side. My first Nephrologist was a father of a renal patient. I am glad you are here Welcome!

[Rerun]

Welcome to our site Dr. Evil.  Your prospective will be interesting.  You may get bored with our petty issues, like why in God's Name I can't have the same damn chair every session is beyond me!  But, just skip over those because there are plenty of meaty issues like the double edged sword of Prednisone.

Welcome Doc.

[deej]

Welcome Dr.Evil. I´ll be anxiously awaiting your comments. Glad to have you.

[Sara]

Welcome to the site.  I'm glad you're here.  I've been thinking about telling my husband's neph about this site, although I have talked about him a little bit, so I'm not sure how that would turn out. LOL

Glad to have a physician's perspective here.

[Sluff]

welcome aboard this board of boards.

[Terry Hixon]

Hello.  I also discovered this site after reading the NNI article.  I am a real-life nephrologist.  I have my own private practice, not affiliated with a teaching hospital.  I have about 50 ESRD pts.  I trained at a major US teaching hospital with extensive transplant exposure as well.  I was an academic nephrologist for a short time before leaving to enter the private practice world.  I was with a larger group for a few years before I left and went out on my own.  I am a medical director of a dialysis center as well (not an owner).  For privacy concerns, I will decline to disclose my location, other than to say I am in the USA.

I think this web site is a great idea....a place for those involved in the renal disease community to have REAL discussions!  Not sanitized and filtered and cleaned up for political correctness, etc., etc...

My idea is to give the doctor side of some of the same frustrations, problems, bulls#$t that we all have to deal with every day.  Just to let you in a little secret...we are actually real people too!, who have all sorts of problems on issues ranging from dealing with dialysis centers, nurses, our families, medicare, and...believe it or not...some not-so-easy-to-deal-with patients!

As a technologist of 20 years, I welcome the opportunity to discuss issues with a doctor. It should make for good discussions.
From time to time, I will probably give my opinion about some medical issue.  Please remember that no matter what medical info I give, I AM NOT YOUR DOCTOR and you should follow your doctor's instructions.  You may ask her/him about some issue I may raise, but do not change what you do/take/etc... without discussing this with your doctor.  (Sorry for this disclaimer, but we docs live in constant fear of litigation and I basically don't want to get sued!)

Thanks and I look forward to our future discussions.

hmmm.. still not sure if I got it right.
Am looking forward to discussions with the doc though

Fixed Quote and post.  Rerun - Moderator

[swell]

Welcome Doc!

I am so happy you have joined us - it will be so interesting to hear from "the other side!"
Do you like patients that just blindly do what you advise them to, or do you enjoy patients that research their disease and their options and are full of questions?
Sometimes I think my neph. wishes I wouldn't read so much.......

Anyway, glad you're aboard!

[Dr. Evil]

Welcome Doc!

I am so happy you have joined us - it will be so interesting to hear from "the other side!"
Do you like patients that just blindly do what you advise them to, or do you enjoy patients that research their disease and their options and are full of questions?
Sometimes I think my neph. wishes I wouldn't read so much.......

Anyway, glad you're aboard!

...questions do not bother me....it is the unwillingness to listen to the answers .... that is what fustrates me!

[emmy78]

Dr,Evil......huh

Sadly, this could be the name of many of the docs that I've encountered over the last two years. I fully underestand that doctors are people too. However they are people who have never been on dialysis, therefore can only go by what the patient is telling them.This is where my problem is. In my experience, the doctors everyone is raving about are the docs who are keeping them sedated enough to think that they are doing just fine. Most of my doctors from Primary care to Nephrology act stumped when I ask them about how to improve my quality of life without MORE prescription drugs and/or radical,barbaric therapies. I could go on and on about crazy,unbelievable doctor experiences as I'm sure we all could, and yes I have a couple of GOOD ones too!

Thank You to all of the truly good doctors out there..and to the rest of you docs...you know who you are...it's going to be really HOT where you're going........So Long

[Ohio Buckeye]

Welcome Doc.
I do wish you'd chosen another name.
I could not go to a doctor who goes by Dr. Evil.  Like a dentist here
called Dr. Paine.  Could not go to him either.
But welcome to the site.

[Dr. Evil]

Welcome Doc.
I do wish you'd chosen another name.
I could not go to a doctor who goes by Dr. Evil.  Like a dentist here
called Dr. Paine.  Could not go to him either.
But welcome to the site.

...it is a joke....i thought it would go well with the theme of the site....
...thanks for the welcome

[Travincal]

Dr. Evil I totally agree with you about the doctors and nurses are people too. I was just replying to one of the posts which I believe was titled "Dar's Guide To Dialysis Nurses". I have been on Dialysis for quite some time now as well as having a number of other problems. I think that for the most part this site is composed of people who are on dialysis and expect everyone to feel sorry for them because they donate 4 hours of their life 3 times a week to a machine. On the other hand the nurses are there everyday and sometimes even on the weekends working longer then your 4 hour dialysis. Granted its there job and they are getting paid for it. I don’t think that they like stabbing people that have a crapload of medical conditions day in and day out and furthermore I am quite sure that they get just as tired of all of you complaining about "life’s hard" "what would you do if you could only drink a liter of liquid a day" "Owe your hurting me with the needle" "can I get a blanket" "I’m getting crampy" "I’m tired of my diet" and everything else. Even for those of you that don’t complain you think that your nurse cant see on your face when your in pain and that he/she is F**king up. I think most everyone on this site is doing more complaining then helping each other out and being positive. There are people out there that have medical conditions that make dialysis look like a walk in the park. No matter how hard things are for you there is always someone worse off. I think you all need to look around a minute and see that your nurses have just as much a right to dislike you as you have a right to dislike them. I’m pretty sure that if any of you met someone with a medical condition worse then yours and they told you how bad things were and how hard their life was that you wouldn’t want to be around them because you would feel like you don’t have the right to complain anymore. Well the same goes for your nurses because when they are having tough times in their life they have no one to complain to because all of you expect so much sympathy for yourselves that you have none left for anyone else.
 Dr. Evil continue being concerned for the people on dialysis and you sound like an excellent doctor willing to take some of your "own" time to further help others. I know that Dr's are under a lot of stress and probably feel responsible for what happens to patients that they work for. Although Dr's dont know what its like to be a dialysis patient.....Patients dont know what its like to be a Dr.   Anyway I hope you continue to be a member of this sight which so far I am enjoying very much.
 
 

[angieskidney]

Very good points!

[Rerun]

Trav - yes you told us that on the other post "word for word".  Please don't copy and past.  Use original thoughts.

Also, this is the introduction section.  Let's leave it at that.

Rerun - Moderator - Thread Locked