Good answers.

I was gone 6 weeks to the National Jewish Hospital, the number one Respiratory Hospital in the USA - ten years straight. So you KNOW they have some good doctors and a good program. The doctors there sit and listen really well. They will spend an hour or two if necessary. I learned a lot from them.

Locally, most of my doctors listen. BUT when I go in I am organized. I take a print out of my meds and vitamins. I take my laptop with all the questions I have typed out. I cut and paste internet articles I think I are important. I give a print out of my info to the doctor and when he reads through it, he is ready to answer.

Tootsie, I don't have any doctors in my family, but I know several on a personal level. I try really, really hard NOT to discuss medical issues unless they bring it up.

KathyM, I have been on morphine and a break through opiate for over a few years. The complications are not pleasant. But at the time I had to make a decision and the stress from the pain was bad. I am down to minimums for my condition. No surgery. Not that I need to worry, all the doctors said I am beyond repair.

Sacramento Magazine sends questionaires to something like 3,000 medical professionals and they pick the "Top Docs". I now have 5 "Top Docs" out of the 10 doctors I see and they really are better than my previous doctors. My biggest problem has been the staffs of various doctors. In fact, I left 2 doctors because their staff kept messing up my records, making appt that were too short for a proper examination and so on.

This magazine does articles on these doctors. It is interesting to see what they think is valuable and how they achieve it.