Doctor suggestions for Mayo Clinic or Twin Cities

December 7, 2011 6:39 PM

Looking for a stellar diagnostic physician at the Mayo Clinic. (Twin Cities area works, too, if no suggestions for Mayo.)

I'm having increasingly frustrating luck finding a physician who will take me seriously. Here's what I'm looking for:

1. Do you have a stellar diagnostic physician at the Mayo Clinic? I'm a woman in my 30s. I have many unexplained symptoms that I've had doctors frustratingly write off as conditions I don't match the symptoms for, but would work for a woman of my age (for example, a quick fibro diagnosis when I don't match the primary symptoms). Bonus points if your doctor is known to take her time, isn't quickly dismissive and is patient-oriented.

2. My second choice would be a diagnostic physician of similar quality in the Twin Cities area. (Heck, anywhere in Minnesota.) There haven't been many answers for this when the question has been asked before, I know - but I'll tack this on in case anything has changed.

I've been to my primary care physician, an endocrinologist and a rheumatologist who all dismissed my concerns or quickly diagnosed without hearing the whole story. I'm frustrated, scared as I seem to get sicker and really want to start solving this. Thanks for your recommendations!

(As a note, I'm extremely educated on my symptoms, the options out there and how to speak with my doctors. I'm really just looking for doctor recommendations, and thought extra details might help tailor suggestions.)

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

If you want to get in anytime soon at Mayo, you'll be seen in a clinic where your evaluation is done by a resident and then presented to one of the attending physicians. It's the nature of being seen at a teaching institution. On the positive side, you're helping them learn to be a good doctor, and residents can be a lot less world-weary and cynical and more enthusiastic about patient care. On the negative side, being seen as a 'teaching case' may not be your cup of tea.

Either way, remember to get a referral from your primary care physician if this will be necessary for your insurance prior to trying to call to schedule yourself. Without knowing what your symptoms are, it's hard to say precisely, but it sounds like it would be best for you to see someone at Primary Care Internal Medicine ("PCIM") first, and they can refer you to a specialist like endo or rheum if necessary. One nice thing about Mayo is that they are very accustomed to seeing cases like yours - it's their bread and butter.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 8:20 PM on December 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm also in Minneapolis and have been in similar circumstances. If you want, memail me with some mode details about what you are experiencing-i may know just the right doctor. Or who to avoid.
posted by Kalatraz at 8:30 PM on December 7, 2011

What treehorn said, basically. I forwarded your question to my father in law, who practices at Mayo, and he says the place to start is to get an appointment with the General Internal Medicine department.

Good luck to you, I hope you get what you need.
posted by padraigin at 5:43 AM on December 8, 2011

Thirding what treehorn said. I trained at Mayo, actually, so I know from personal experience that they are of course familiar with situations like yours. General Internal Medicine is the place to go; they will act as your point-men and refer you to various departments as necessary, but they will end up synthesizing the final plan together with you. PCIM, as I recall, was a clinic for locals and employees, so I'd call GIM first.

I'd also like to second what treehorn said about being seen by residents and fellows. It's the faster way to get in, for one thing, and also, honestly, I think academic hospitals get a bad rap. Residents and fellows do have their MDs, and are gaining the experience by meeting and learning from people like you. I'm a doctor, and I am always willing to be seen by residents and fellows - one even took out my appendix. :) They're learning, so they are excited and interested to see people with difficult symptoms, and often spend extra time reading the latest literature and pondering your illness. They're the last people who would dismiss your story without a second thought.

Finally, I'd also like to say that although Mayo Clinic is very good, we're not at the point where medical science is able to explain everything that goes on in the human body. (In my specialty, we considered it lucky if we could diagnose 50% of what came to us.) That was true even if the person had been to multiple different hospitals and diagnostic centers before hitting Mayo. So I just want to say that it may be possible that you go to any excellent medical center, and not get a firm diagnosis for what's going on with you, even if the best people in the world rack their brains over it. That is insanely frustrating! But it's a real possibility. (Not trying to be a downer, since I don't know your story at all, but just trying to be honest, since this is true about all medicine.)

But it's worth being proactive about your health and seeking the best opinions.
posted by vetala at 1:43 PM on December 8, 2011