←back to thread

47 points bookofjoe | 5 comments | | HN request time: 4.277s | source
Show context
f6v ◴[] No.42172363[source]
Tried getting an appointment in Denmark. “We don’t take any new patients”. A familiar story when trying to reach many specialists in European countries (Germany, Belgium). Except I doubt they’re getting 500k.
replies(6): >>42172380 #>>42172475 #>>42172494 #>>42172541 #>>42181989 #>>42182843 #
jjice ◴[] No.42172541[source]
Anecdotal, but I'm in the North East US and I called, and I'm not joking, nine primary care offices. Eight of them said they couldn't take anymore patients, and one said I could get an appointment six months later.

I hadn't needed to go to a primary care doctor in my adult life, but it was mind blowing that this was the case. Many friends of mine have had the same experience.

replies(7): >>42172635 #>>42172724 #>>42172758 #>>42172871 #>>42172880 #>>42172885 #>>42177110 #
1. bookofjoe ◴[] No.42172871[source]
In mid-2023 I decided it would be good to have a primary care doctor since I was 74 years old at the time and hadn't been to a doctor in decades.

Full disclosure: I am a retired board-certified anesthesiologist.

I asked around town (Charlottesville, Virginia) and got two names from doctors I trust.

The first was not taking new patients; the second was, so I made an appointment: first available appointment was January 2025 (i.e., in 18 months). I happily took it.

I figured maybe this was a way of triaging old people like myself: if we're forced to wait long enough before being seen, maybe we'll die in the meantime so slots will open up.

replies(2): >>42176021 #>>42179205 #
2. Dracophoenix ◴[] No.42176021[source]
As a medical professional, do you think yearly checkups are useful or necessary for healthy individuals in their 20s and 30s? It seems like you've done well for yourself without the need of one due so long.
replies(1): >>42177425 #
3. freedomben ◴[] No.42177425[source]
I'm not a medical professional, but I have a close friend who is. Most of the time, no you don't need yearly checkups. But if you develop something like diabetes, a thyroid condition, or some types of cancer, it might save your life.

If you're going to do it, I would recommend having a bunch of labs done so you can at least know how you're doing. For example might as well test A1C, Vitamin D, Iron, Thyroid, Testosterone and many other hormones and vitamin levels to get a good picture of your nutrition. If you're low/high in many of these things a simple supplementation can radically improve your life, but not if you don't know about it. A friend of mine recently found his Testosterone levels were really low, and after starting TRT he feels way, way better. It improved depression levels and many other things, with a bonus that now when he goes to the gym it's actually possible to get some results.

Worth pointing out is that you can have (most) of these labs done without a doctor. There are websites you can buy kits, and you can sometimes just go in-person to Labcorp offices and they'll run stuff for you.

Anyway, just something to consider.

replies(1): >>42190912 #
4. cafard ◴[] No.42179205[source]
We decided to look for a new primary care doctor in Washington. I was amazed when I read my wife's email to the effect that our physicals were booked for 11/25. Then I understood that this was next year, not next week.
5. doubleg72 ◴[] No.42190912{3}[source]
My wife is a medical professional and it is in your best interest to get yearly checkups if only for a regular lab report history.