[splitimage]

I don't know what it is, but I seem to have a bit of a thing of Dr's just disappearing. It hasn't happened a whole lot, because I don't have a lot of Dr's, but it's happened enough that it's frustrating.

My very first psychiatrist disappeared after I'd been seeing her for about a year. She literally called in a year's worth of refills on my meds and vanished - the hospital she was with couldn't or wouldn't tell me what had happened to her. She did resurface after a year, but by then I'd moved on to psychiatrist 2.

Psychiatrist 2 disappeared on me after I'd been her patient for about 5 years. At first I was told she was on sick leave - she'd had cancer - but the hospital hadn't done the normal arrange coverage for her. Then I heard that she'd left the hospital but I couldn't find out where she'd gone. I learned well after the fact that she'd left the hospital under less than ideal circumstances and under the negotiated terms of her departure she couldn't contact patients. The hospital did grudgingly connect me with psychiatrist 3 who I'm still seeing today.

Now it's my addiction Dr. who I've been seeing since 2007. She missed a couple of telephone appointments we had scheduled. After each missed appointment I left a message on her voice mail, saying "are you ok? call me" No call. When I left my last message I noticed that she'd changed her voice mail to remove all the instructions for setting up an appointment, requesting a meds refill etc. My next step is to call the clinic she works out of, but I'm not holding my breath for helpful info. What would have been helpful would have been a phone call explaining the first missed appointment. In some ways this is no biggie as I'd been contemplating stopping seeing her as my addiction is pretty much under control at the moment. But this disappearing with no explanation is so unprofessional and leaves me wondering if she is ok which stresses me out. And this of course also brings up a whole bunch of abandonment trauma which I thought I'd dealt with, but clearly haven't.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Mountaindewed]

My primary doctor just disapeared. I saw an intern and then then after the appointment the nurse came in and said I'd have to choose a new primary because my old one is "no longer with us." Idk if he died or what. But yeah. He just vanished.

[TheGal]

Hi splitimage,

I hear you... it is frustrating and unsettling even that these docs disappear like that. You worry, not only for yourself but, for them.

You'd think they'd have a secretary at least sending letters to say they've closed their practice.

I received such a letter when my family doctor closed her practice...

[NatalieJastrow]

Yes I had an amazing primary care and she left (and that has happened several times). My guess is that the "medical group" they are in pushes them in some way and they say, I am out of here. It is so tragic because I felt she was really a good doctor and now I have to start all over again.

[Fuzzybear]

Hi splitimage,

I've had this happen too. I think the GP practice she belonged to probably didn't approve of her prescribing (or perhaps she clashed with the horrible senior partner...who has finally left ) I wasn't happy about starting all over again.

[splitimage]

Well I'm relieved. My addictions Dr. surfaced yesterday. She said she'd been quite sick and was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. And since she doesn't have an assistant there was no one to phone her patients.

I'm just glad she's ok, and she confirmed the time of our next appointment.