Can Someone Give Me A Rundown On What Happens At Cleveland Clinic

[CharmedLinz]

My Cardios have put in for me to see Dr. Grubb in December, haven't heard from them yet but I know the chances of December aren't good since he's a year out.

But I figured if we are going to be there I will try and see some other people that have been on my wish list if we ever got to Ohio. Including a Mito guy who is also a year out.

Just for the heck of it I looked at geneticists at Cleveland Clinic and found one that really sounded like she could help me, so I put in a web appt request with all of my history.

36 hours later I got an email saying she reviewed and accepted my case and made an appointment.

So I'm wondering..........

For those that have been, will she most likely refer me to other Docs for testing???

For instance she deals with connective tissue disorders which I desperately need diagnosed. So will she have me go somewhere else within the clinic for testing?

Does it kind of work like how I've heard Mayo does discussed here???

I don't mind being a guinea pig somewhat but there are things I won't do..... more TTT's , another spinal tap, more vestibular testing.

That's why I decided NIH was a no go, because you are basically at their mercy for an unknown amount of time.

Any input appreciated!!!

[LindaJoy]

Hi. I've been a patient at CCF since 1995. My experience has been, that if you're seeing one doctor and they think you need to be seen by another in another specialty that they offer at CCF, they'll refer you. If you are from out of town, or out of state, they'll try to get you in at least by the following day. For instance, a couple of months ago, I saw a doctor in vascular surgery for my blue hands and feet. He did some testing, found it wasn't from a clot, and wanted me to do a follow up with a colleague there in vascular medicine. Maybe I had a disease causing my issues, he thought, so he called the vascular medicine department and got me an appointment with the head of the department within the hour! I had to stay overnight to complete the testing the vascular medicine doctor wanted done, but that was okay. They have a nice guest house hotel on the grounds that you can usually get into for a pretty decent rate. Plus, staying saved me another trip, which I appreciated since I do not travel well at all.

I hope you have the same experience, as far as being able to get into doctor referrals right away. They're starting this program there whereby, even if you call for an appointment as a new patient, they offer appts. for that same day or the next, even to new patients. Problem with these is, they're usually with Fellows, not Attendings. Still, it gets your foot in the door to become a patient at CCF in a timely manner. And, if the fellow sees something wrong, they are closely monitored by their attending, so you should still get the benefit of an attending doctor's knowledge and experience.

Hope this helps.

Lindajoy

[CharmedLinz]

Thanks LindaJoy, helps a ton to get a feel for how things might go.

[LindaJoy]

Let us know here what happens. I hope your visit goes well and you come out with some answers.

Lindajoy