Has Anyone Been Seen By Dr. Goodkin?

[Rene S.]

Hi. I have an appt. with Dr. Michael Goodkin (he's on the list) in 3 weeks. Has anyone else on the boards been a patient of his? I actually spoke to him on the phone and he seemed very genuine and caring.

Just wanted to know! I asked his receptionist if he know about dysautonomia and she said yes. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I may have found the man that will answer my dreams!

Rene

[HoudiniCat]

Dr. Goodkin saved my life! I cannot say enough good things about him. He is definitely genuine and caring and is very well-versed on the subject of dysautonomia. His daughter has/had it and that is how he first became interesetd. In addition to his ?regular? cardio patients, he sees a vast number of dys. patients ranging from mild to severe. Appointments are usually long (an hour) as he really listens to you and tries to find out what works/what doesn?t work for your individual treatment. He uses traditional meds and also refers patients for further treatment to a cranial osteopath (in Claymont, DE). You can chose to add the osteopathic treatments or stick solely with Dr. Goodkin?s plan (I did both). Bring all your questions ? he?s a wealth of information. Best of luck!

[Rene S.]

Dr. Goodkin saved my life! I cannot say enough good things about him. He is definitely genuine and caring and is very well-versed on the subject of dysautonomia. His daughter has/had it and that is how he first became interesetd. In addition to his ?regular? cardio patients, he sees a vast number of dys. patients ranging from mild to severe. Appointments are usually long (an hour) as he really listens to you and tries to find out what works/what doesn?t work for your individual treatment. He uses traditional meds and also refers patients for further treatment to a cranial osteopath (in Claymont, DE). You can chose to add the osteopathic treatments or stick solely with Dr. Goodkin?s plan (I did both). Bring all your questions ? he?s a wealth of information. Best of luck!

Thank you HoudiniCat. May I ask, does he also do bloodwork or do you have to go elsewhere for that?

He sounded genuine and sincere on the phone. I'm glad that you had a good experience with him. May I ask what he recommended for you? I know we all present differently and there is no one size fits all catagory. I just want to be functional again!

Rene

[HoudiniCat]

I believe he can do blood work right there in the hospital but I always had mine done in a local lab closer to home. His office is in a hospital complex, in case you didn?t know.

I started with Florinef and Toprol XL. They worked good for me (but not great). Over the course of two years, he had tweaked the dosages of those, we tried Klonopin (benzo) for awhile, and he suggested several other drugs for me to try (Procrit, Propanolol, Midodrine) that didn?t really do it for me. We also discussed some alternative treatments (licorice root, d-Ribose (which he gave me a bottle of), CoQ10, B5, niacin, etc.). He wasn?t really a fan of the alternative treatments but listened and let me know what he thought I should try/shouldn?t try. I kept going back to the Florinef/Toprol combo. I?m on no meds now and able to function very well (not 100% yet but still hoping.)

[Rene S.]

I believe he can do blood work right there in the hospital but I always had mine done in a local lab closer to home. His office is in a hospital complex, in case you didn?t know.

I started with Florinef and Toprol XL. They worked good for me (but not great). Over the course of two years, he had tweaked the dosages of those, we tried Klonopin (benzo) for awhile, and he suggested several other drugs for me to try (Procrit, Propanolol, Midodrine) that didn?t really do it for me. We also discussed some alternative treatments (licorice root, d-Ribose (which he gave me a bottle of), CoQ10, B5, niacin, etc.). He wasn?t really a fan of the alternative treatments but listened and let me know what he thought I should try/shouldn?t try. I kept going back to the Florinef/Toprol combo. I?m on no meds now and able to function very well (not 100% yet but still hoping.)

Thanks. Didn't know he's in the hospital. I have him being in the Riddle Health Care Center. Seems like you and I have opposite problems. My pressure is high, yours is low? I too take klonopin and now am on propranolol and not enjoying the ride! I do take the CoQ-10, 100mg daily. I'm glad he's receptive to your ideas. Most drs aren't. They have their own regime and want you to stick to their rules. Well, unfortunately we're not like other patients.

How were you able to get off the meds?

Glad you are doing better!

Rene

[Shimoda]

I'm going to see Goodkin in Media tomorrow afternoon. (Wednesday)

[Rene S.]

I'm going to see Goodkin in Media tomorrow afternoon. (Wednesday)

Please let me know how it goes! You can PM me if you'd like.

Good luck.

Rene

[Shimoda]

Please let me know how it goes! You can PM me if you'd like.

Good luck.

Rene

Definitely. And thank you.

[mountain girl]

I have not seen Dr. Goodwin yet, but just made an appt. for oct. I was having trouble finding a specialist in my area which is Va. My sister lives in Pa so I can stay with her if need be. How did your appt go? I still struggle with should I be happy to be as good as I am now or should I keep trying for better. Some days are ok or ok for part of the day and others are a real bummer, which is what I hear from alot of you on the website. Hope you had a good appt and are doing better.

[futurehope]

Hi, y'all...

Has Shimoda answered back as to how the appointment was?

I am not that far from Media, PA. I'm in Maryland and am considering making an appointment.

Is Dr. Goodkin's specialty cardiology? I like my present doctor, His specialty is neurology and I wouldn't mind getting a second opinion.

Thanks in advance.

[potsgirl]

I'm so glad that you have an appointment made with Dr. Goodkin. From what I've read on the Forum, he sounds like a terrific doctor. I know it seems odd, but two of the drugs of choice for most docs treating POTS is Florinef and Midodrine, and since POTS people almost always struggle with high blood pressure, I'm guessing he may want you to try those, too. They're not drugs just specified for patients with low BP, since the majority of POTS patients have high BP. Doesn't sound right, does it? Weird, but true.

Good luck! I really hope this is the right doctor for you. You deserve a break, Ms. R.

Cheers,

Jana

[Mrs. Burschman]

The majority of POTS patients have high BP.

I don't believe that's correct. I think it depends on the type of POTS you have. Some people have both too high and too low. It's erratic.

[potsgirl]

Sorry, I meant to write HR. Normally one of the defining criteria for POTS is that when one stands, the HR goes up by at least 30 bpm. Thanks for catching that.

jana

[mountain girl]

Hi, y'all...

Has Shimoda answered back as to how the appointment was?

I am not that far from Media, PA. I'm in Maryland and am considering making an appointment.

Is Dr. Goodkin's specialty cardiology? I like my present doctor, His specialty is neurology and I wouldn't mind getting a second opinion.

Thanks in advance.

yes, his specialty is cardiology and from what I have read he has a daughter with pots . I have not read anything from Shimoda as to how her appt went. Their office told me they schedule an hour long appt. for the first visit to have plenty of time to get a history and present symptoms.

[Whitewolf]

i been seen by dr ganz he was really good and easy to work with but i moved out of state so i no longer see him but he gets gold stars from me he is located in pittsburgh pa

[mountain girl]

I had my appt with Dr. Goodkin last week and really liked him. He added Midodrine to my meds but I felt bad for 5 days in a row after starting it which was unusual for me. I have bad days, but had not been having that bad for so long, so I called him and he said okay stop it even though he did not think it was the cause. I also started Cranial manipulation therapy at his suggestion and he believes that may be what is making me feel more tired , nauseated, dizzy and lightheaded. I go back to Dr. Goodkin in January. It was interesting to read it took someone else 2 years with Dr. Goodkin to tweak meds and even go off some meds. I want to ask next appt how to know when to try going off meds. So far the Bystolic and Florinef have been the best combo for me.

[HoudiniCat]

I think it?s a slow journey for most of us ? this POTS thing. Dr. G. tweaked my meds several times throughout years of treatment. Looking back now I can honestly say that I really didn?t give some of them a chance (some prescriptions I filled and didn?t even try). But if you stick with the cranial osteopathy, I think you?ll find that is a unique kind of ?feeling bad? that you?ll be able to equate with the treatments as opposed to a different kind of ?feeling bad? that may be from new meds. Hope that makes sense. I?ve really learned to listen to my body now though and can tell when a med is doing more harm than good or simply not making me feel any better at all.

[mountain girl]

I think it's a slow journey for most of us ? this POTS thing. Dr. G. tweaked my meds several times throughout years of treatment. Looking back now I can honestly say that I really didn't give some of them a chance (some prescriptions I filled and didn't even try). But if you stick with the cranial osteopathy, I think you'll find that is a unique kind of 'feeling bad' that you'll be able to equate with the treatments as opposed to a different kind of 'feeling bad' that may be from new meds. Hope that makes sense. I've really learned to listen to my body now though and can tell when a med is doing more harm than good or simply not making me feel any better at all.

Thank you for your encouragement. I am almost afraid of meds, although I do feel like if Midodrine was going to help at all I might have noticed in 5 days. I take it you had the cranial ostopathy. The kind of bad I am feeling today is trembly if up much at all and more lethargic than usual. Did you experience any of that? I do think I understand what you mean about the meds.Blessings to you.