Physician frustration

I've been dealing with chronic migraine since November of last year and have been seeing the same doctor for years. I really like her but she's not very knowledgable on migraine - I dont think many GPs are. She's sent me for the normal tests - EEG, MRI, etc. all of course are normal and referred me to a neurologist back then who started me on Elavil and then Topomax - both didnt work for me. I didnt like this neurologist either - very dismissive.

While I was on disability in Feb and March, I did lots of research and it was thru that that I went back to her every couple of weeks with new ideas and meds to try. She basically is just doing what I tell her to do - which in some aspects has its benefits. When I ask her what she thinks or if she knows of anything else she says no she doesnt and keeps prescribing meds. I even found another neurologist on my own who specializes in migraine and had her refer me - I see him on Aug 11.

I was doing not too bad for awhile, went back to work part-time but this past week and a half has been awful! Not sure if its the combination of bad weather (humid and hot one day, cool the next) and a bad monthly period or what but I feel like tearing my hair out. I went and saw her this morning and her solution is always to up my meds! I am SO sick of this being her answer to everything! There has to be something else!

Has anyone else experienced such frustration with their GPs? Part of me wants to switch but another part of me knows her M.O. and perhaps when I see the specialist he'll be able to put me down the right path. A lot of GPs arent taking new patients so that's another problem.

I have been experiencing horrible anxiety and tinnitus as prodome or aura right before the migraine hits - this has been daily! I fee like I'm going nuts!

I can relate to similar problems with my GP. He is nice, always smiling etc but quite helpless and I often have feeling that he wants me to provide the answers, and will not make much effort himself to find some new solutions.
I am sorry about your neurologist - I am lucky that my current one is not too bad and listen well as well as being open to trying new other solutions. I am seeing him at the end of August so I will see what he will suggest next.

MY head has been better in the last few years, but like you say Tamsha maybe becasue of changing weather and lots of rain and wind, my headaches are getting worse again just lately and it interferes with my life. I resent that a lot.

I hope that you will be able to find a GP that suits you better Tamsha, someone more proactive who will offer you better solutions.

I found that the best we can do with migraine is to keep trying and trying, until we find something that suits our "heads". It is very much trial and error so we must go on trying.

But I can totally understand, that there are times when we just feel trapped and it all gets too much.
Just rememebr that nothing lasts forever, Tamsha and that things will change and get easier, even if it hard to imagine it now.
You have many friend here and we l understand how you feel.

When I first had migraines I, of course, went to my GP, who happened to be out of comission for a while. The substitute started me on triptans. Two weeks later I went to my GP, who had returned, and we talked and he basically said "whoever you want to see Neurology wise, we will refer you to them". If my regular DR doesn't know, he directs me to the right person for the job. He does this with everything. If it is not his specialty, or just some general ailment, he doesn't pretend to know what to do.

I don't mind hearing "I don't know" from a Dr as long as its folowed by "lets find out together..." and a referral or something else. I don't want to hear "I don't know, but take these pills and get back to me".

i stuck with a very personable/nice family practice guy for ten years!! most of those years, it was basically ME being in charge, coming up with new things to try, tweaking doses of meds, etc. also, he was more than willing to refer me to every kind of specialist under the sun.

now that i'm on medicare, i don't need referrals as much, and besides, i'm royally sick of visiting specialists and getting nowhere just as fast as with the g.p.

finally, i got tired of this. although i do a lot of research on my own medical problems, i am not competent to be in total charge of things. it took me 4 tries, but i did find a new doc, an internist. he is extremely thorough, and a listener. (so rare.....)

i did write a thank you note to my former doc. it was good of him to stick with me, even though i know it had to be frustrating for him, also, when nothing we tried worked.

fortunately, i have good insurance (medicare plus an AARP supplement) so all this doctor-shopping didn't cost me anything. it sucks to waste medicare money, but i had to find someone else closer to my house, anyway.

tamsha, i wish you speedy success in your quest for a new doc. dianne