Hi! I was raised in a christian science household and have never been to a pcp, just emergency room. I am currently experiencing disabling multisystem issues and do not know where or how to look for either a normal doctor or specialist, and which one to go to. Is there a specific or recommended way to start and are there any things I need to know about how to behave myself with them to up my chances of getting help?
in every health system im familiar with you will need referrals to see specialists the majority of the time, hence a generalist/internist/pcp. that person can also do simple med refills instead of you having to wait 6 more months to get back on the specialist schedule. im not really a fan of the kind of doctor appt life hack advice people like to pass around because i don't think most of it works because the problem isn't patient behaviour, it's that doctors are fallible people working within a system that selects for and incentivises ableism and is structured around the notion of the rational omniscient physician vs the undisciplined and work-shirking patient. appointments are comically too short, the doctor isn't listening and doesn't give a fuck if you live or die, you get one symptom per encounter and if it's not a top 10 common problem fixed by lifestyle advice then you're 'complex'. if you want to play diy you need enough medical literacy to know what you're asking for and a willingness to experiment on yourself, other wise all you can do is try your best to find the least detestable doctor and deal with them. in most circumstances you have very little choice in that anyway. if you are hoping to be treated or evaluated for a 'rare disease' (loaded term with little direct relation to epidemiological prevalence statistics) then i would try googling around for patient support groups/foundations, many of which maintain lists of physicians experienced with those particular conditions. other doctors are likely never to have heard of what you're asking about, or to be working off 30yo memories of 3 paragraphs in a med school textbook, and whenever you report symptoms a doctor can't immediately explain there's like a 40% chance they slap you with a hysteria dx pain syndrome/functional disorder, which then hinders your ability to get any other physician to take any of your problems seriously in the future. if you're in a system where this is relevant i strenuously hate DOs and dont recommend them but that's just my onion and again you rarely get much free choice for physicians anyway
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