Question:
How do you go about consulting, planning, and preparing for medical care.

My questions pertain to what exactly did you do to facilitate and obtain medical care when the surgeon and facility were hundreds and thousands of miles away? can consultation be done over the phone does it involve mutiple plane trips, etc. Please tell me about your experiences as I want to check out different doctors in another state.    — Fran B. (posted on October 18, 1999)

October 20, 1999
Good question. I live in Alaska and my doctor is in Washington. Now that is a 4 hour plane trip and one that I can not afford to take every 3 months. He does his check ups over the phone. I get the lab work done here at one of the local hospitals and they fax the results to him. If there is any problems he will let me know. He (Dr. Fox) has several patient adv. that check on me often. It is ultimately my responsibility to contact his office. It's like every week the first month. Then every two weeks the second month and now it is monthly. It will then move to every three months and then once a year after all my weight loss has occurred. I go to a local doctor up here who works with my doctor in Washington. So far everything has worked out okay.
   — bperrin