Other news of the day:

[tigertoy]

I told my boss that I was going to Las Vegas for 3 (work) days at the end of July, and he didn't seem to be upset at all.

I had my physical today. My blood pressure was 132/70, my pulse 60, and my weight 238. I told Dr. Graham about the allergy symptoms I've been having and that I think I have an infection in my pharynx. He prescribed an anti-allergy nasal spray and told me he doesn't think there's any infection. He also brushed off my concerns that I should be getting a more thorough exam than the quick listen to my breathing and heart that he gave me, telling me that I was too healthy to be spending time in the hospital. When he first came in for the appointment, he was very sociable; we talked for a couple of minutes about the book I was reading (Quicksilver -- see the previous entry), and about the problems of computerizing the hospital's patient information. Unfortunately, once he thought he was done with his exam and had written my prescription, he was pretty blatantly not willing to spend any more time talking to me.

Comments

[mrlogic.livejournal.com]

That's pretty standard doctorishness -- they'll chat pre-exam because it's part of the "bedside manner", making the patient feel comfortable and safe. In other words, it's not real friendliness, it's part of the job. After the exam's done, they don't have any reason to talk to you, and they generally won't.

There are exceptions, of course, but that is the way it usually works. Some doctors are good at making it less obvious.

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

No other doctor that I can remember has seemed as genuinely friendly as Dr. Graham. He seems like someone I'd enjoy chatting with at a party. Unfortunately, I see him because I need a good doctor, not a good friend, and he clearly doesn't take seriously the idea that we should actually make sure there's nothing wrong with me rather than just assuming that everything is fine if I don't have any obvious signs of trouble. I want to believe that that's the hospital/health plan's policy talking, not his own priorities; if it is, all I'd get from switching doctors would be a less pleasant experience while I got the same quick once-over.